I truly understand your pessimism Aaron, and I mostly agree with you. I would just add that prophecies of punishment are dependent on the severity of the sin. Therefore, repentance is always a good option, although (I agree with you—that it is) unlikely in this day.

Interestingly, it all comes down to quality of life. This is the method used to keep us pure (if was allow it to):

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"

—Deuteronomy 30:19

Blessing = Good quality of life.
Cursing = Bad quality of life.

(This works like clockwork in my personal life).

The punishments are in proportion to the sin, so we do have a say, which is good...

"So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."

—Jonah 3:5-10

There's always hope.