From Chaos to Calm: Exploring the 1-in-400-Trillion Miracle Amidst Violence

July 1st 2025

A False Normal: Why the World Is Not What It Seems

The reality that people currently perceive as normal and act on is, in my view, false.

Respect and violence. Respect in general. War on a larger scale is spiralling in powerful nations led by dominant figures, and smaller scale violence lingers even in the Netherlands' narrow, quiet streets. It's a difficult relationship that alternates between hatred and greed.

The world in 2025 — it’s intense, chaotic.  There is a lot to comprehend and process. It's sometimes close to home, with your growing children drinking beer or smoking a joint at 14, or 13-year-olds getting pregnant or robbing a petrol station with a machete.

The latest events make headlines in the local newspaper, right next to global news that’s constantly circulating on social media: a president referred to as "daddy" by another president, one dropping bombs and the other closing borders. I could go on and on about this misery, but will that help? No, but is it helpful in general? No, not really. Everyone is aware of it; everyone is in the same situation; everyone sees and hears the same thing.

The various points of view alternate, and I am currently writing a blog about it, but I am not saying anything. At the very least, I am not saying anything new, right?

From Feuds to Wars: The Roots of Human Conflict

War, quarrels, violent situations, and so on existed in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, but today's social media truly involves everything. Yes, it is a lot now because we are constantly reading, seeing, and hearing about everything from Los Angeles to Moscow, and so on. But what motivates people to act, to use violence? Why do humans thrive on violence in all forms and sizes? Why have we been fighting against everyone and everything for over 3000 years? I honestly don't know... or do I? I believe that greed, jealousy, ego, and religion...are major causes of everything from minor disagreements among brothers and sisters to large wars between countries and their leaders.

But Sixten, why are you bothered with this? Why are you writing about this? Simply put, people need to start looking at all of the incredible things we can do and show or let be heard.

A Brief Reminder to Enjoy Existing

Many people forget that the chance of being born is roughly 1 in 400 trillion. That’s an incredibly small probability, which only emphasizes how unique and extraordinary it is that you exist at all. And yet, despite how special that is, people go around fighting instead of—bluntly put—making love. (In times of war, birth rates typically decline during the conflict, but may experience a bounce back afterward.*

Over thousands of years, we humans have evolved from animals to what we are now. Yes, wars and violence may seem inevitable, but so are love, joy, happiness, and the health we share with one another.

Honestly, when you consider the past 3,000 years—and the one-in-400-trillion chance that you ended up here—isn’t that amazing?

You were there, and that’s why you exist. Now, it’s your responsibility to create something meaningful for the next hundred years. Because in about a century, no one alive today will still be here. A new 8 billion people will walk this Earth, and they’ll need to make something beautiful of it too.

The reason we’re here doesn’t really matter. What matters most is that we got to be here at all. So enjoy it—shouldn’t be too hard, right?

Well, that’s that.

I’m glad you’re here.

*Source: Sobotka, T., Skirbekk, V., & Philipov, D. (2011). Economic Recession and Fertility in the Developed World: A Literature Review. Population and Development Review, 37(2), 267–306.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1728-4457.2011.00411.x