I was recently informed that the Doomsday Clock has been set back by one minute, from five minutes until midnight to six minutes until midnight (article here).
At first, I felt my spirits momentarily lifted, but then I read this (emphasis mine):
“A news conference announcing the change took place this morning at the New York Academy of Sciences Building in New York City. The actual clock is housed at the Bulletin of Atomic Sciences (BAS) office in Chicago, Ill., and so a representation of the clock was shown at Thursday’s news conference.”
Why are we not being shown the actual clock? What are they hiding? Is there even a real ‘Doomsday Clock,’ or have we been bamboozled for the last sixty plus years? Maybe it’s all a conspiracy to boost the public’s confidence in the future of mankind. This might have been a publicity stunt to shield us from the true Doomsday Minute Hand’s position, possibly poised terrifyingly close to the fateful hour. Should I enjoy my blissful ignorance, or do I demand to know, damn the consequences?
No, no, I should give them the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure evil geniuses are continuously assaulting the Bulletin of Atomic Sciences office in attempts at sabotaging or stealing the extraordinary timepiece, protected by an elite squad of Atomic Scientists. It is surely too precious to expose to the hoi polloi for a mere press conference. Yes, I shall once again sleep soundly, secure in the knowledge that the fate of the world is safe, in an office building in Chicago, Illinois.
