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Films

Don’t Look Up

Dylan Skurka marvels at the human capacity to ignore existential threats.

One morning in the marketplace, as the townspeople are enjoying what they think is the beginning of a day like any other, a dishevelled man holding a lantern appears out of nowhere. “I seek God! I seek God!” he begins to scream indiscriminately at both no one and everyone. Soon enough, a crowd forms around this spectacle of a person, and once they understand what’s happening, the townspeople can’t help but burst into laughter at the ridiculous sight of someone crazy enough to be out looking for God with a lantern. The madman, getting more and more impatient about not being taken seriously, finally snaps back at his audience: “Where is God? I will tell you. We have killed him – you and I!”

Dumbstruck, the townspeople aren’t laughing anymore, and now just stand there in a daze.

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