I just searched the World Wide Web for casualties of deadliest wars in human history. Interestingly, there are quite a few websites dedicated to the topic. According to the most plausible ones, World War I casualties were about forty-million people or nearly two percent of world population at that time. There were around eighty-million casualties in World War II, which amounts to some three percent of world population. Estimates for casualties of World War III vary considerably from a low of about one-billion to a high of nearly four-billion. The higher estimate would amount to more than fifty-percent of the world population at this time.

The estimates depend on the likelihood that nuclear weapons will be unleashed. Given all the givens, it is hard to imagine that they would be kept for World War IV, but yet another global war in foreseeable future remains a distinct possibility. When can World War III and IV be expected, though? This is where the World Wide Web is best avoided. Many search results involve Nostradamus, among other prophets of yesteryear. If his aficionados are to be trusted, he foresaw a major catastrophe in 2018, of all years. As it happened, the prophecy went awry. Phew!

Simply put, the onset of the next global war is anyone’s guess. Most credible sources expect the calamity by the middle of this century, which strikes me as perfectly plausible, and especially in connection with climate change and environmental degradation that are affecting an ever-larger number of countries, and especially in Africa, Asia, and South America. Now, what are my fellow humans doing to prepare for World War III and/or IV? At best, next to nothing. Most humans alive are vaguely aware of such a predicament, but they are bent on having fun while they still can. To their credit, there are no better alternatives, anyway. War is part and parcel of human nature at this stage of evolution. Fuck Nostradamus. Enjoy the remaining years to the best of your ability!