Civilized catastrophe…

An essay…

© Alma Hoffmann, 2025

It turns out, one could surmise, that everything we do or don’t do is a race against decay. Or one could say, a race against catastrophe. Our commencement speaker, John Tyson, Jr. former district attorney in Mobile, AL, referred to HG Wells’ quote in his speech. Mr. Tyson said that HG Wells once said that “education is a race against catastrophe.” I got curious and researched it. It turns out that there are two quotes from HG Wells on the subject.

Civilization is in a race between education and catastrophe. Let us learn the truth and spread it as far and wide as our circumstances allow. For the truth is the greatest weapon we have.

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.

It is Sunday night and I am still thinking of these quotes and the speech. I am not sure why. Some said that Mr. Tyson’s speech was dark. The speech did not strike me as particularly dark. It did seem however, that the anecdotes were examples of said catastrophes. Said catastrophes are what happen when we forgo learning, become dull, stop learning, and worse, stop acting out of love. Mr. Tyson spoke about love too.

Today I came across a post from The Culturist titled Where is Today’s Michelangelo? The article compared the art of the Renaissance to contemporary art. The post explained how Renaissance art had stood the test of time in great part because its artists had vision. One of the reasons for the seeming decay of contemporary art is the change of focus from humanism to consumerism, the lack of faith in humanity, and the impending sense of doom that hovers over us. Yet, the post states that places like the Vatican and artworks such as the sculpture of David get more visitors than the United Nations as a hopeful sign. The post states as follows:

The human heart still seeks beauty, mystery, and insight. And when we can’t find it in contemporary culture, we’ll keep reaching back into the riches of the past to nourish our spirits.

It seems that yes, civilization is in a constant race between education and catastrophe. Or are we? Even well educated people commit atrocities and some are unspeakable. Aren’t we always surprised when something comes out about someone we admire? To the point, brilliant artists who are responsible for magnificent artworks have their darkness. For instance, Michelangelo’s living situation—though he was rich, was precarious and his hygiene habits left a lot to be desired. Another example, Eric Gill, who was a prominent sculptor, letterer, and typographer sexually abused his two elder daughters. And like that, the list goes on.

Are we destined to live in a civilized catastrophe? Or are we destined to live in constant tension in order to take some steps forward? Everything we do or don’t do, everything we say or don’t say, and everything we create or not create is a race against decay. Small decisions, small actions, small moments all make a move towards either decay or betterment. That said, I believe we romanticize and idolize people and events. It is as if we thought that the greater the mind, the farther from decay is a dogma or an immovable paradigm.

As a human race, we are capable of great things but we are also capable of terrible things too. It is perhaps vital to nurture those things that make us human, fragile, sensitive, and people with empathy. Sometimes or many times that is easier said than done.

One of my students in Art Appreciation made some notes on their journal regarding my lesson about embracing failure. The notes were almost cynical and critical of me. I wish they had shared them in class because it was clear that they did not understand where I was coming from and what I have been through. They thought their struggle was only theirs and my advice was callous and detached. Had they asked, they would have learned about my own race against catastrophe. Because we are all in this race, aren’t we?

Love,

Alma