The Cataclysm Sentence

[Hagoth]

Today I listened to an episode of RadioLab called The Cataclysm Sentence, which refers to a rhetorical question posed by physicist Richard Feinman: “If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence was passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words?” Then they asked people from different fields of study to answer that question from their own perspectives (I won't spoil it and tell you Feinman's or anyone else's answer, but here's the link: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/ra ... m-sentence).

For myself, I couldn't decide between two sentences:

Our similarities are far, far, far, far more important than our differences.

...and...

Make transparent disks with curved surfaces.

Then I started wondering what sentence I would leave if some cataclysm wiped all organized religion off the globe. Mine would be:

Don't believe anyone who claims they know what invisible beings want. Especially if they ask for money.

Then I wondered what message I would teleport back to the 1820s Burned-Over District. I'm still working on that one.

I'm curious what message my NOM brothers and sisters would leave the world in any of these situations.

[moksha]

Formulate your ideas based on evidence and reasoning, eschewing supernatural explanations, oh, and be kind to one another.

[Hagoth]

Two more:

Be excellent to each other!
-Bill and Ted

Just keep rubbing those sticks together, guys!

[alas]

Boil water before drinking.

[deacon blues]

For voters in 1828: "A vote for Andrew Jackson is a vote for racism- vote for John Quincy Adams."

For southern slave owners and politicians: "You may either give up your slaves or your children will lose a war trying to keep them."

[Reuben]

I think my sentence is the same for both cataclysms.

If you are not willing to doubt the stories you tell about yourselves and about your enemies, you will cause tremendous suffering.

[Not Buying It]

For voters in 1828: "A vote for Andrew Jackson is a vote for racism- vote for John Quincy Adams."

For southern slave owners and politicians: "You may either give up your slaves or your children will lose a war trying to keep them."

Slightly off topic, but it took me years to realize the ridiculousness of claiming that Joseph Smith predicted the start of the Civil War - even 30 years before the fact it was widely believed it was coming sooner or later, and the supposed "prophecy" was largely wrong about slaves rising up against their masters, help coming from Great Britain, and war being poured out upon the world from there. The war starting in South Carolina wasn't even a lucky guess, there was a great deal of commotion there at the time the supposed "prophecy" was received.

But one thing that strikes me about the "Civil War prophecy" is how amoral it is - God doesn't say anything about "I command the states of the south to free my enslaved children". A "you'd better fix this now or you have no idea what kind of problems you'll have come 2020" would have been nice too.

Which brings me back to the OP - Hagoth's Bill and Ted reference "Be excellent to each other" gets my vote.

[blazerb]

Wash your hands before delivering a baby.

I think they'd figure out a lot if they start there.

[RubinHighlander]

Haggoth already had the same thought as me but I'll elaborate:
Tribalism leads to religion which leads to wars and sorrows, so evolve beyond both because we are all one tribe and we are all made of star stuff on this small planet.

[Give It Time]

Follow the money (find out who benefits from whatever they are trying to push).