What has happened to mankind?

That's fine, I was just struggling with the idea that one cannot point out problems without having the solution at hand. To me it's okay to say 'here's what I think the problem is , I don't know what the answer is'

 

To tell you the truth I have no fucking idea if it's possible but what ells is there to do in the universe? live in a simple state and die off? Not for me and certainly not for many others. lol

 

I just wanted to see you say that you didn't know, because the fact of the matter is that neither does anyone else.
No one knows.
I'm going to bed.

 

Yes. Rules and laws exist in an attempt to ward off negativity as we are naturally positive beings. If every one is fully positive negativity on a social level will be gone. Without negativity you no longer need rules and laws. And alas humanity can move on from this ego based nutshell we live in.

 

Negativity is just as much a part of human nature as positivity.

Its too late and I can't think anymore. Must get sleep. Good luck dude, don't lose your idealism but keep working on your philosophy and hammering out the kinks. and in the meantime do something productive. be the change you wish to see in the world!

 

Woa, woa, woa,,

that's not true. It starts with bitching. Everything starts with bitching. Don't discount the bitching.

The revolution in France, and elsewhere as well, was begun in the coffee shops, by people bitching.

Bitch, people, bitch!

 

Work as a carpenter for a few years, save up a nice chunk of change, buy some land in Montana or somewhere, and build your own house. Throw on some PV cells an invertor and a couple car batteries and you can live off a small farm if that's what you want.

That's not everyone's desire. I myself fear office work has a bad effect on me, and I preferred being a carpenter. But I don't want to be alone in the woods either.

People lived very young lives, and still worked very hard to survive in the past.

I think you're romanticizing the past.

 

Agreed, the Queen's fat ass would probably still be on our money if we hadn't bitched about tea being too expensive. :sunny:

 

This seemed apropos.

 

and this thread is why people don't take 16-year-olds seriously.



did anyone else notice how much his spelling improved throughout the thread? i don't know what it means, but it was strange enough to mention.

 

Hey stash, good questions.

I think it's great to see any teenager who has an interest in the state of our world and who is willing to join the conversation. While it may feel like you somehow ended up "on the stand" with your comment and now you are being cross-examined and treated as a hostile witness, understand that the intention is simply to explore the roots of your thoughts and question some of your assumptions. That you respond and the dialogue expands, I see as a good thing. This is the process by which ideas are shaped and formed, for all of us.

To answer your main question though...

I personally don't see a fundamental difference in how mankind has developed in the last century versus any other time in history. There have always been those who seek power and wealth, along with those who do not. The classic battle of the haves v. the have-nots is nothing new to the human experience. One of the most wonderful (here meaning "full of wonder") aspects to people is that any one is capable of almost anything. Our experiences help shape us, and we become an amalgam of who our parents were, what's happened to us along our roads, and who we want to be. We choose things to identify with and form a concept of "self" that suits us. Given a completely different set of stimuli, that identity that we feel strongly about could well be completely different. With age often comes the realization that what we think and feel will change and grow, and the best way to water that growth is to be open to the experience. An open mind, like an open door, allows passage in both directions. But I'm digressing from the point...

What is exceptionally different about the last century is that we have entered the modern age. Technology advances at the most rapid pace that it ever has and we may not truly be keeping up with it. And the ability of those who seek to maintain their positions on the top of the pyramid to utilize technology to do so is stronger than ever. Many swords have their double-edges. Like anything, we take the good with the bad and we get a choice to not take any of it if we want. The fact that 2% control the rest is nothing new, the means they have to maintain it is. When you can carry a smartphone that has more computing power than the guidance systems that directed the first moon landing in your pocket, it's pretty clear the future is now. And how might that effect the way that governments exert their power over their peoples? It would probably be naive of any of us to think that this very forum is not screened by a government controlled computer somewhere, logging every piece of information right down to the ip address of each poster. If the king of england in 1215 ad could have done the same, he surely would have. The methods are subtler, but their purposes are no different.

And as for:

I think you've got the truth backwards. Before the creation of the welfare state, if you didn't work there was no being alive and taken care of unless you were born into abject wealth.

What has happened to mankind is that it has seriously progressed. Whether that is a good or bad thing is subjective and everyone will have a different answer. The fact is, the world exists as it does and we are here in it. There are new tools for us to use, how they get used will depend greatly on who's holding them.

And finally, america is not overpopulated by any stretch of the imagination. We have a large population, 3rd in the world. But among industrialized nations, we have a tremendous amount of non-developed land. That 80% choose to live in urban or suburban areas and enjoy the conveniences and amenities that come along with it is exactly that, a matter of choice.

 

If I wanted to pack up and build a house in the woods, which I could have done when america's population was small, that's not allowed.

Not to mention the environmental problems that come with large populations.

 

True, but that isn't a measure of overpopulation. That comes from the commoditization of everything, land included. You could in fact go do that, if you bought some land, or even if you just developed a relationship with someone who owned land and would allow you to do so.

 

Good point. And the commoditization of everything including land is just a symptom of 'what's happened to mankind', and not the thing that's happened to it. As much as I would like that situation with land not to be the case, anything else wouldn't work at this early stage in human social development.

 

I think this is not exactly the case. We live in a world of energy exchange and those exchanges are direct and proportional, although market pricing makes things seem to be of uneven and relative value, there are no fractional charges in nature. We come into this world owing nothing, and have for ourselves the world to do with as we wish. There need be no intermediary of "payment".

 

The young man has a sense of unease about the world and is trying to figure out exactly how to get to some reasonable ideas about some solutions. Most of us here,the ones that think about such things ,have a sense of unease also ,but we rarely see even the older ones offer specific solutions for specific societal problems. So let's give him some credit for being aware enough at his age to ask questions and try and offer some answers ,presently vague or otherwise. Demanding a 16 year old give the solutions to the ills of society is a little much. Not only do most not have the answers--they don't even suspect. The boy is awake and he is learning.

 

Yay scratcho. Good post, old boy. This young man could be today's John Connor, and save us from Terminator IV, or V, or whatever the next big threat is.

 

Stash, your questions and arguments are valid and I often wonder the same things.

For instance, products like paper towels and things I use regularly that are deemed "necessary" in my life are going up 7%. What did I, as a consumer, do to have to pay 7% more for these items? I'm sure Proctor & Gamble make enough money then to have to hike prices now in an economy like this (another thing we are told needs improving).

As a species, I wonder why humans can't get things like land and such for free. Free will? Freedom to live? What's that anymore? When we think of ourselves as animals, this stuff should come standard. The problem? In my opinion, we are over-educated (when you think of us in terms of being animals; solely mammals on this planet). We have learned who makes good leaders and who makes good followers and we have formulated ways of life based around that (i.e. government and townspeople).

And to those of you bashing the poster, remember, you were once 16 and were probably questioning the same types of things. This is the generation that will be ruling our world someday, so why not provide wisdom, opinions, and knowledge to help him along his journey?

 

mass media.

 

harsh wisdom is still wisdom.