471 -- We are not at the end of history, but at a new beginning

What we must guard against the most as we endeavor to address our ecological crisis is the notion that history has in some way reached its end or that there are no genuine alternatives. Such beliefs of received ideology, if followed, would guarantee a barbaric, even apocalyptic, outcome. The real future of humanity, as distinct from this non-future, depends on the nature of our social and environmental movements, and ultimately on our willingness to reinvent human history and our social and ecological relations of production. There are no guarantees in this process. Historical developments are enormously contingent. The only certainty is the reality of the struggle itself: the true realm of human freedom.