It's amazing how much humanity has tortured itself over the years over the perceived inevitability of this or that. Not having grown up in the Cold War years, it's almost impossible for me to grasp the sheer level of PANIC that must have bubbled under the surface of the public consciousness for so many years. Of course, there are still disasters looming - global warming is going to mess things up real good, you watch - but it's not as dramatic as it used to be.