The very thing that keeps humans surviving in an ever-changing world will be the very thing that ultimately destroys them.
Normalization.
Normalization and the accompanying ability to roll with the punches — to be resilient, pliable, tolerant and accepting against all odds — is really our greatest enemy in these turbulent times. Its original intention — to survive all challenges — was a brilliant attribute that our creator built into us. It is a positive attribute if we follow certain rules and avoid believing there is unsaid benevolence and positivity to everything thrown our way that appears to be innocuous. (Things that are really obviously bad are more difficult to normalize.)
In other words, refusing to believe that evil is lurking around nearly every corner with the serpent-like intention to deceive us, and thus destroy us.Another rule we must re-learn is to think critically and be ready and willing to recognize the devil behind certain presentations rather than eat every apple offered up to us with gusto and abandon.
Do I believe in Satan? Sure, why not? I didn't used to, but now the existence of Beelzebub himself seems to make everything going on make more sense. Even if Satan is just a symbol for "people gone astray," it certainly is something we need to be aware of and recognize.
As I just said, normalizing life's weirdnesses was a natural thing back in the day. We just got used to stuff — sometimes even bad stuff. We got used to being hungry, being poor, not having the same stuff the king had. We got used to fleas, vermin in the kitchen, measles, smallpox, and other health oddities. We got used to wars going on all around us, and stuff like that.
As time went on, those of us living in the more opulent countries got used to not starving and got used to clean water and warm houses without having to spend half the day chopping wood. All these conveniences were normalized for us. And it was a good thing, for the most part.
Normalizing was a natural part of our experience. It was normal to have enough food on the table, it was normal to have the doctor fix a broken leg, so we were not crippled for the remainder of our life. A lot of these things may have made life more pleasant so we could concentrate on more important things, but today the normalization of acquiring or achieving stuff that we used to have to work very hard to achieve or acquire has made us soft.