So it is not obvious to me that directly grappling with existential risk is the best thing we can do.
This surely depends on what your aims are. If you are a normal biological organism, spending very much of your time grappling with existential risk is a pretty powerful sign that your memetic immune system has been compromised—and that your brain has been hijacked by apocalyptic memes.
This surely depends on what your aims are. If you are a normal biological organism, spending very much of your time grappling with existential risk is a pretty powerful sign that your memetic immune system has been compromised—and that your brain has been hijacked by apocalyptic memes.