 | This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Whatever particular issue has come up, chances are it doesn't spell the impending doom of Wikipedia, but rest assured you're not the first person suspect it may be the case. |
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Sometimes it seems that editors can manage to find a way to disagree on just about everything. But one thing they can pretty much all get on board with is that it would probably be a net negative to see the project destroyed in a giant ball of flames. Most experts consider this to be unlikely,[citation needed] despite the fact that many editors have had what they feel is serious cause to believe their particular disagreement is uniquely a sign of Wiki-Armageddon.
However, if you are reading this essay, then it is probably safe to assume at least one important thing:
- Wikipedia still exists.[a]
This is not to imply that there are not in fact many secret cabals of fascists, liberals, atheists, conservatives, Jesus freaks, conspiracy theorists, nut jobs, wingnuts, general nut enthusiasts, at least four actual government agents, and one disgruntled papaya who are all hard at work, day and night to bring about The End™. Such reports may vary wildly in their veracity,[b] but it does seem certain that they have so far been largely unsuccessful. Wikipedia remains one of the most visited sites in the world, and is relied upon by millions of people each day as a valuable resource for free access to probably the closest thing we have to the sum total of all human knowledge.
So if you feel yourself slipping from discussion about the details of a particular disagreement, to an argument that concerns the grand overall fate of the encyclopedia, then it's probably time to pull back a bit, realize that you're not the first person to find yourself on that path, have a nice cup of tea and sit down for a spell.
Everything's alright. We're all still here, and most of us will probably be here tomorrow.[c]
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