Is there any hope?

[panicsurvivor]

Sometimes I feel like there is no reason our race should continue to exist. Everybody knows the planet is being eaten up by us, like we are a cancer. And yet those with all the power insist on exploiting it more. People are starving everywhere, and yet my grocery store alone throws away enough food to feed all the homeless people in my town. Everyone dreams of being a millionare and living in luxury. They watch ridiculous shows about celebrity's wasting their money, yet no one dreams of a world without money. People are turned out of hospitals because they don't have insurance, yet we still insist on making money off of peoples sickness. We plunder the natural recources of our planet to intentionaly throw it away. Just getting coffee means you throw a cup and three sugar packets away, oh and a little wood stirrer too. We have pride to be Americans, or pride to be white or black, or European or whatever. Do we have pride to be human?Nothing is working, and yet we insist on not changing. No one seems to understand or get that things need to change, and not in the ridiculous ways that the democrats or rebublicans will say they need to change. The human race needs to retool it's entire way of thinking or we are going to collapse. Not to mention that we share this planet with millions of other creatures but are slowly killing them off one by one. Am I the only one who sees how wrong everything is? I know that I am not. I sure some of you feel the same way. These things make me panic and cry fairly often these days. But they also enrage me, and some of you who know me know, that that is not a good thing. So I ask all of you, is there any hope for us? Do we deserve any?

 

[coyote]

When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, everything will change

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

Eventually, the planet will recycle us; as it has done in the past.
Whatever we get--- we definitely have it coming to us.

 

[Pacific_Loner]

Lol did you just watch zeitgeist?
One very important thing you can do: live the way you think we should all live to make the world better.

 

[lunaticbinge]

It's always the darkest before the dawn, and I think things need to get a whole hell of a lot darker before the majority starts waking up. They don't understand the concept of major societal change because this is how the world has worked for so long. Everyone is just out to get the most of this antiquated, wasteful monetary system, and the ones capable of instilling real change, are the ones profiting the most from it. It will take a full blown collapse of society in order for a new paradigm to unfold in my opinion. "Out of chaos comes order" - Nietzsche
YouTube - ZEITGEIST: MOVING FORWARD | OFFICIAL RELEASE | 2011

 

[panicsurvivor]

So.......no.

 

[Feathers]

Survivor {{great rant}} ((hugs))

I am happy that people like you exist, there are some others on this board and elsewhere too...

Yeah, there have been attempts of non-monetary or alternative exchanges - look up 'time bank' and LETS schemes and such.. Local Exchange Trading Systems - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I sometimes think/feel like there's no hope too.. And then look at the wonderful things people worldwide have been doing...

Have you seen the YERT movie? YERT: Your Environmental Road Trip - Get your license to thrive!
The family at myzerowaste.com has only made ONE bag of trash this year, one bin of trash last year - so it CAN be done!!
Also try to watch No Impact movie http://noimpactproject.org/ - very inspiring too!! It's not easy, impact on Earth CAN be minimized though!!

Also, health-wise, more and more people worldwide are becoming aware of the need to take care of own health... with healthy nutrition, exercise, enough movement.. and living a meaningful life.. and yes, with also taking care of our environment..

I'm hoping you will find strength to help in the change that is coming worldwide.. Can you volunteer locally, with your family maybe? Even little kids can be GREAT activists!! Maybe it can even lead to more meaningful work and a different career, where you are making a difference that way too?

I know I was totally miserable until I started making changes to live more 'eco-friendly' - first at home, in my personal use of resources, then tried to make changes locally.. I'm still scared and sometimes don't have a clue, and think 'so much more could be done' by other people, who have better skills for this etc.
But you know what, every one of us counts!! And if you can do one little thing more, and if everyone worldwide can do one little thing more - that's a helluva lot little things that can make a BIG difference!!

 

[Feathers]

Oops, double post

 

[Remus]

Wow! almost a marxist point of view in some parts. This sort of thing weighs on my mind at times too

 

[Feathers]

hm, marxism and such got us nowhere, really... we need something entirely new..
or 'best practices' from different centuries and continents... It CAN be done, it's not gonna be easy, I suppose.. Many people worldwide are stepping in different directions from what we've had already though..

We've got decades of marketing and advertising and 'easy life' selling us rubbish to work against, multibillion corporations, human greed... It's not gonna be easy, yup... Ha ha but when has anything worthwhile ever been easy??

 

[DarkPhoenix]

I think it comes down to a lack of respect.

A lack of respect for this beautiful planet that provides us with life.

A lack of respect for the animals we share it with

A lack of respect for anyone with a differing opinion, different skin color, or just altogether different.

A lack of respect for authority

A lack of respect that multi-billion dollar corporations show to their employees, customers and any competitor.

A lack of respect for the elderly

A lack of respect for the life they have been given

I could go on, but what im saying is that as a race we need a greater focus on respect and understanding of this earth and everything within it.

 

[Feathers]

DarkPhoenix, I like what you wrote about RESPECT!

It's really important, YUP!

 

[Dronee]

Sometimes I feel like there is no reason our race should continue to exist. Everybody knows the planet is being eaten up by us, like we are a cancer. And yet those with all the power insist on exploiting it more.

It's the global equivalent of the prisoner's dilemma. If it makes you feel any better, the population rate is slowly stabilizing. People get richer and more educated... they often want to have less children... same goes for costs of living.

I agree with DarkPhoenix. I think it's mostly about morality. Not just that, but systems as well as someone pointed out the zeitgeist movement, many of whose principles I agree with (e.g. true wealth is resource/technology based).

Good post OP.

 

[Kiwong]

The future of the planet and our very survival as a species might well rest with those who care and still have hope. Giving up and we are lost for certain. Every little bit helps, start locally, act globally.

I do what I can for the protection of Australia's wildlife by donating money to the Australin Widlife Conservancy. The pragmatists argue that conservation costs the economy, well if so I am willing to pay for it.

It concerns me that polluting industries, those that dwindle out natural resources and contribute to greenhouse emissions still hold such power over Governments. The decisions being made now in the name of short term profits and a desire to remain in power will not be viewed favourably by furture generations.

I am guilty and should hang my head in shame for being so inactive on these issues.

I still hope, I won't give up, trying to live better.

 

[BlackPuma]

Do ''we'' deserve it? No.

The human race doesn't function as one-mind because it was never supposed to. We multiplied too fast to let evolution take its course, and created this artificial utopia to escape nature itself. We've become slaves of our paradise. As such, we can't take responsibility as a species because we're not a united''species''. We're individuals that live in groups. As such, we're all -a little bit responsible-, instead of all of us being responsible in its entirety.

We can, and will change, but for that to happen people's minds need to be challenged into a deeper sense of thinking. And like evolution itself, it will take time for it to happen (if you believe in evolution, of course). Selfishness and deluded money obsessed lifestyle is the problem for the most part. On a average day there are about 3 people saying about 5 things (each) that are so blind, delude and harmful to us as a whole that it just makes me want to punch them square in the face because they don't see the harm they help cause.

This planet and the creatures on it are relatively tough though. And on top of that the news usually makes it sound much worse then it really is. There are plenty of good things that happen on this planet everyday, we just don't see them because they're not in our immediate area, or on TV/internet. I find myself absolutely flabbergasted by multiple things each month of which I had no idea that they existed.

The only thing we can do is set the right example. You can only do so much. Take care of your family, don't waste, try to educate others.

I think we need to start redesigning every procedure, every law, every plan, communication and resource distrubution and make some truly solid, religiously unbiased (atheism included), decisions that will benefit the world entirely, instead of each independent continent.

In short, we need to redesign the world as we know it. Our species is on a crossroad of intelligence, the choices we make now might just seal our future. We have no comparison to other intelligent lifeforms, for all we know these problems are all to be expected in order to become a truly enlightened species.

 

[Luke1993]

I'd like to see a big change but I can't see it happening.

 

[panicsurvivor]

Do ''we'' deserve it? No.

The human race doesn't function as one-mind because it was never supposed to. We multiplied too fast to let evolution take its course, and created this artificial utopia to escape nature itself. We've become slaves of our paradise. As such, we can't take responsibility as a species because we're not a united''species''. We're individuals that live in groups. As such, we're all -a little bit responsible-, instead of all of us being responsible in its entirety.

We can, and will change, but for that to happen people's minds need to be challenged into a deeper sense of thinking. And like evolution itself, it will take time for it to happen (if you believe in evolution, of course). Selfishness and deluded money obsessed lifestyle is the problem for the most part. On a average day there are about 3 people saying about 5 things (each) that are so blind, delude and harmful to us as a whole that it just makes me want to punch them square in the face because they don't see the harm they help cause.

This planet and the creatures on it are relatively tough though. And on top of that the news usually makes it sound much worse then it really is. There are plenty of good things that happen on this planet everyday, we just don't see them because they're not in our immediate area, or on TV/internet. I find myself absolutely flabbergasted by multiple things each month of which I had no idea that they existed.

The only thing we can do is set the right example. You can only do so much. Take care of your family, don't waste, try to educate others.

I think we need to start redesigning every procedure, every law, every plan, communication and resource distrubution and make some truly solid, religiously unbiased (atheism included), decisions that will benefit the world entirely, instead of each independent continent.

In short, we need to redesign the world as we know it. Our species is on a crossroad of intelligence, the choices we make now might just seal our future. We have no comparison to other intelligent lifeforms, for all we know these problems are all to be expected in order to become a truly enlightened species.

Wow I never get tired of reading your posts my friend.

 

[***deleted***]

I'd like to see a big change but I can't see it happening.

Me neither people are too comfortable. I honestly think the only way is for people who don't have their heads up their ass to go live on a space shuttle and when the rest of us destroy the earth they can come down and rebuild. I just can't see the whole world giving up their luxuries. I don't even think I can do it. The world is in a water crisis. We are running out of ****ing water, but I would not be able to stand it if I couldn't shower everyday. I just don't think I could do it.

 

[Feathers]

I think we need to start redesigning every procedure, every law, every plan, communication and resource distrubution and make some truly solid, religiously unbiased (atheism included), decisions that will benefit the world entirely, instead of each independent continent.

loves ya!
Are you sure you're not an enlightened philosophy professor or something?

Closetnerd, I used to shower every day at the Uni too...
At home, the usual procedure was 1x a week bath and everything else was viewed as suspiciously

It also depends what kind of area you live in. If you live in an area like LA/Southern California with not enough water, you need to be more economical with it than in a climate/area with lots of water.. A lot depends on clothes you wear and even architecture of buildings etc.

You can still reduce the use of soap (only when/where necessary) and water even if you shower every day.. It's not 'all or nothing', 'black or white', there are lots of little steps you can take..
You can look for more organic/natural/biodegradable and zero waste soaps and shampoos etc. Too much soap is bad for the skin too, dries it out.. Some people use no shampoo for washing the hair, some even just do the 'no washing' alternative techniques.. There are lots of options out there, much info online..
You can install solar water heating panels on the roof.. (or convince your family/landlord/university/people in charge to do so)
You can stop buying plastic bottles and drink tap water (if it's good enough in your area - and if it's not, you can fight to improve it - join an organisation or support them financially).

If showering is really what you need to function, you can work on everything else in your life first... (Energy and waste reduction, etc.)
And then maybe in time you will find new ways or new inspiration to work on this too..

 

[BlackPuma]

loves ya!
Are you sure you're not an enlightened philosophy professor or something?

Fairly sure. ::

I couldn't pull off those awesome corduroy blazers with elbow patches.
Tragic. :c
x3