I think of “the line” as the event horizon around a black hole. You can recognize it from a distance, but it’s not like there’s a physical barrier you go through when you pass it. That means that if you were actually falling into the hole, you wouldn’t necessarily know when you’ve past the “point of no return.” It’s all just more freefall (and eventual spaghettification) from your point of view. Only those on the outside, looking in, could see that you’re already full and truly screwed.
I think we passed the event horizon long ago. Anyone talking about “going back to normal” (as I’ve seen some politicians say) is depressingly naive. There is no turning back - the only way out is through.
I think of “the line” as the event horizon around a black hole. You can recognize it from a distance, but it’s not like there’s a physical barrier you go through when you pass it. That means that if you were actually falling into the hole, you wouldn’t necessarily know when you’ve past the “point of no return.” It’s all just more freefall (and eventual spaghettification) from your point of view. Only those on the outside, looking in, could see that you’re already full and truly screwed.
I think we passed the event horizon long ago. Anyone talking about “going back to normal” (as I’ve seen some politicians say) is depressingly naive. There is no turning back - the only way out is through.