Living Within the Scope of Your Existence - Are the concerns of the current generation ignorant of h - General

It seems like everyone is preaching about the end of civilization as we know it; the downfall of the world's great nations, and a global spiral into self-destruction. People claim that the world population is getting more ignorant, and less intelligent. People are seeing crime as a bigger issue than it ever has been before. I just don't buy it. The world is still very much on an upward slope, aspiring nearer and nearer to a peaceful and mindful society, no matter how many centuries are left on our ascent. The main reason people like to spit these theories is the increasing accessibility of information. We see and hear about more tragedy and crime because it is spoon-fed to us through television and radio. We see our rights as being taken away and our freedom limited when we are as close to true freedom as anyone has ever been in the history of the civilized world, especially in democratic nations. I see us as a population spoiled by our media, where information is [i]so[/i] accessible and [i]so[/i] abundant that it clouds our perceptions of times when information was a far cry from free. All we see is what's happening now, and we perceive the world as a civilization on the verge of apocalypse when history shows that it's all happened before. Thoughts?

My prediction is that yes, our current socioeconomic structure will collapse as it is not sustainable, assuming an infinite growth paradigm and the like. There are many things that could happen from here, yet I do not believe the collapse of our system to be the end, but the beginning of a more evolved culture. Change has always been a constant, history has proved that society has progressed through trial and error, with the advancement of modern technology as time progresses, who knows what the future will be like? Lets just hope we dont blow each other up over things like oil and territory before we have the chance to move forward.

Yes. I totally agree. I'm tired of listening to teenagers, whose only understanding of the world comes from sensationalist media that is spewing bullshit. The world is in better shape than it has ever been in terms of human rights, medicine, technology, scientific knowledge, and standards of living, and many other fields. Frankly, it's just annoying to listen to people completely ignorant of history and world affairs, and who take everything in their life for granted spewing bullshit, thinking they're an expert about the world and are confident that we're on a path to self destruction because they just watched a documentary by Al Gore. The type of people who don't have an understanding of history that goes beyond when George W. Bush took office.

It seems that it is human nature to have the need to complain about something. Since we don't have any actual, life threatening problems to deal with anymore, we find a reason to complain about insignificant things. Think of it like this, you never hear anybody say that their life is perfect, unless they are high on opiates. Everybody always has something to complain about.

I don't quite understand the question? How does having a better society than before connect with concerns being ignorant of history? Poverty, lack of health-care, global warming, war, these are all still issues.

I personally think that they'll grow out of it with time. I know for instance that both my mom and dad were extremely wild and irresponsable as teenagers, but around the time they hit their 20s, and when I was born, they got their shit together and now they're decent people. My dad's still a little bit on the wild side (both me and him go to rock concerts), but so's most men in general. I think by saying this generation will bring the "end of civilization", we're really blowing it out of proportion and completely ignoring the fact that this happens with EVERY new generation, much like our parents parents thought THEIR kids would bring the end of days. It's nothing new, and it'll keep happening for every newborn generation.

I think we are in this day and age, living under better standards than ever before in history. We are still progressing, and although we get setbacks, we still overcome setbacks and move on. We're constantly evolving for better living standards and harmony amongst each other. I don't think we're getting less intelligent at all, we're more well educated than ever before. Technology is greatly helping our lives become more easy to live, and helps us learn more about how everything in the world works. I do however think, that technology is making us all significantly more lazy.

[QUOTE=Derp Y. Mail;35243828]I personally think that they'll grow out of it with time. I know for instance that both my mom and dad were extremely wild and irresponsable as teenagers, but around the time they hit their 20s, and when I was born, they got their shit together and now they're decent people. My dad's still a little bit on the wild side (both me and him go to rock concerts), but so's most men in general. I think by saying this generation will bring the "end of civilization", we're really blowing it out of proportion and completely ignoring the fact that this happens with EVERY new generation, [B]much like our parents parents thought THEIR kids would bring the end of days.[/B] It's nothing new, and it'll keep happening for every newborn generation.[/QUOTE] They almost did.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;35244295]They almost did.[/QUOTE] They're not the generation currently leading countries, though.

Majority of the world is peaceful and I can't see another world war erupting that splits the entire globe of nations down the center on one side or another so I would say we've got nothing to look forward to but good times, even if economies sink and dwindle a little over the decades. A few years of recessions is just a drop in the bucket of hard times compared to what humanity has endured over the past 10,000 years.

[QUOTE=thisispain;35239409]I don't quite understand the question? How does having a better society than before connect with concerns being ignorant of history? Poverty, lack of health-care, global warming, war, these are all still issues.[/QUOTE] Because people cite these as evidence of a failing society when just a few hundred years ago, healthcare didn't even exist, and poverty was a scourge that enveloped over two-thirds of the population.

[QUOTE=Rome;35248730]Because people cite these as evidence of a failing society when just a few hundred years ago, healthcare didn't even exist, and poverty was a scourge that enveloped over two-thirds of the population.[/QUOTE] A failing society doesnt mean a falling human race, it just means that some of the mechanics of the system we live in are misfunctioning.

[QUOTE=thisispain;35239409]I don't quite understand the question? How does having a better society than before connect with concerns being ignorant of history? Poverty, lack of health-care, global warming, war, these are all still issues.[/QUOTE] They are issues, but getting better all the time. More people have higher living standards than ever before. A proletarian in 1800 was better off than a peasant in 800, who in turn was better off than a hunter-gatherer 18,000 years ago.

[QUOTE=Sobotnik;35249568]They are issues, but getting better all the time. More people have higher living standards than ever before. A proletarian in 1800 was better off than a peasant in 800, who in turn was better off than a hunter-gatherer 18,000 years ago.[/QUOTE] You guys are being way too broad. A peasant in 200 AD China or Byzantium can be said to have been better off than a Chinese peasant in 800 AD. Stop thinking in time, start thinking in regions.

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;35255407]You guys are being way too broad. A peasant in 200 AD China or Byzantium can be said to have been better off than a Chinese peasant in 800 AD. Stop thinking in time, start thinking in regions.[/QUOTE] you can't make a comparison like that, comparisons across space and time don't make a whole load of sense outside of seeing where certain regions were faulted. If we continue the trend of getting people safe water and infrastructure then less and less people will be born in poor circumstances.

People have always been saying things like "kids these days..."

[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;35255407]You guys are being way too broad. A peasant in 200 AD China or Byzantium can be said to have been better off than a Chinese peasant in 800 AD. Stop thinking in time, start thinking in regions.[/QUOTE] They could have been better off, but a factory worker had it better off than a Medieval peasant generally. There is a definite trend when you look at all regions.

Civilisations lived far more ignorant before, a lot of Feudal systems were supported by ignorance. They were of course rather tyrannical though so that's something to look for. I'm not particularly concerned about us in our current state but a free society in general has to have it's populace somewhat aware. If we are to make decisions in our best interest and maintain the current societal state of egalitarianism and liberty, there is a degree to which it is essential for people to be aware. The masses must remember basic principles and have an awareness of structure simply so they won't be tricked or led along by those who would bring tyranny to a false end. I don't see this happening now, we are in a reasonably good place, but it is a possibility for all free societies.

[QUOTE=Derp Y. Mail;35243828]I personally think that they'll grow out of it with time. I know for instance that both my mom and dad were extremely wild and irresponsable as teenagers, but around the time they hit their 20s, and when I was born, they got their shit together and now they're decent people. My dad's still a little bit on the wild side (both me and him go to rock concerts), but so's most men in general. I think by saying this generation will bring the "end of civilization", we're really blowing it out of proportion and completely ignoring the fact that this happens with EVERY new generation, much like our parents parents thought THEIR kids would bring the end of days. It's nothing new, and it'll keep happening for every newborn generation.[/QUOTE] I fail to see how going to rock concerts is at all related with being irresponsible.

[QUOTE=Marbalo;35265897]The world may have gotter considerably better than it was 200 years ago, but it's still a shithole. We got poverty [I]everywhere[/I], disease and stagnation is prominent in every 3rd world city and country. Sure we're getting better, but nowhere near as fast as we theoretically could had we pulled our shit together and stopped living in this Western bubble of ours - thinking everything is A-OK and the media just exaggerates. Truth is, the media doesn't even show the half of it. Also, it's not only counter-productive to claim that "well we're better off than we were 20 years ago therefor we cant complain about anything ever." - But it's also stupid. This kind of thinking leads nowhere. If we were to judge our existence like this all human progress would grind to a halt.[/QUOTE] The media isn't saying things are getting better. Most of the time the media jumps onto any negative story and vastly exaggerates it to get more attention to themselves for money making purposes. When it snows, they report that the country grinds to a halt and show mangled cars in the snowdrifts. When somebody important (Like a 6 year old white girl) dies, they have 24/7 rolling news footage of some buildings and various tossers telling us what's inside them. The human race is doing the best it can. Poverty is slowly vanishing. Religion is dying. Education standards improve. Technological advances drive all of these, and many other factors. They also all tend to compound. Things are getting better and better. Communications and travel improves by the day, and more people learn English, allowing for global communication to improve.

[QUOTE=Marbalo;35265897]The world may have gotter considerably better than it was 200 years ago, but it's still a shithole. We got poverty [I]everywhere[/I], disease and stagnation is prominent in every 3rd world city and country. Sure we're getting better, but nowhere near as fast as we theoretically could had we pulled our shit together and stopped living in this Western bubble of ours - thinking everything is A-OK and the media just exaggerates. Truth is, the media doesn't even show the half of it. Also, it's not only counter-productive to claim that "well we're better off than we were 20 years ago therefor we cant complain about anything ever." - But it's also stupid. This kind of thinking leads nowhere. If we were to judge our existence like this all human progress would grind to a halt.[/QUOTE] Well let's see here: 1. Using 'everywhere' as a replacement for 'not everywhere' 2. Use of the obsolete term '3rd world' 3. Claims everyone in the Western world thinks "everything is A-OK" Yeah, this is a terrible argument.

[QUOTE=Megafan;35270328]Well let's see here: 1. Using 'everywhere' as a replacement for 'not everywhere' 2. Use of the obsolete term '3rd world' 3. Claims everyone in the Western world thinks "everything is A-OK" Yeah, this is a terrible argument.[/QUOTE] 1. Everywhere is a vague term already and there was poverty "not everywhere" in Absolute Monarchies. Far too much middle ground for this to count, especially when poverty is still prominent in all but a few places. 2. Because when the Cold War ended, all those terms became meaningless lol. How about [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_country#List_of_emerging_and_developing_economies]Developing countries[/url] or ones with a [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index]low HDI[/url] or anything to get the message of poorer countries across. 3. If you take it as literal EVERYONE (again) then sure, there are people who are aware of such things. If you aren't an idiot though then the point about the general populace in western countries being horribly ignorant to the rest of the world is true. They may not think things are a-ok in Gabon, but they probably don't know it exists either. Yeah, this is a terrible post.

So how do you propose on fixing things?

I don't get why people are worried about not living up to our potential. We are moving forward, progressing scientifically and culturally, that is all that matters. As long as we don't get into stagnation, regression or extinction then there's no hurry. On a Cosmic scale, one human generation is insignificant and we ourselves are bound to slow down once we aren't limited by short lives.

[QUOTE=Devodiere;35282578]I don't get why people are worried about not living up to our potential. We are moving forward, progressing scientifically and culturally, that is all that matters. As long as we don't get into stagnation, regression or extinction then there's no hurry. On a Cosmic scale, one human generation is insignificant and we ourselves are bound to slow down once we aren't limited by short lives.[/QUOTE] People tend to be more egocentric on such matters. Yes, as a whole humanity is moving forward (a bit sluggishly in my opinion) but what's on everyone's mind is, [I]what's in it for me!?[/I]

Mitigation is what pushes us, yet too slow.

[QUOTE=Marbalo;35286798]The fact that irks me the most is all that supposed scientific and cultural progress you talk about is only motivated by conflict and war. We went to space solely because we wanted to beat the commies there. We invented at least half of our every-day technological devices because of war funded experiments. For example, the computer. It just seems like the only time a country is unified and motivated to create something new and innovative, it's because they're at war with another foe and want to out-do them. If this is how humanity is destined to function - only advancing and creating something better and new when we're at war - then we're a despicable species. Although, I am aware that even during times of peace we constantly evolve and innovate. However, I would argue that we're doing it in a much slower pace than we did during, for example the Cold War.[/QUOTE] Effort does not dissipate in times of peace, it is only focused on other fields. During the Cold War a lot was placed in government-sponsored scientific advancement, which unfortunately was not completely beneficial. Carl Sagan for example was quite pissed off that so much effort was put into militarization rather than peaceful scientific advancement. After the Cold War though much of this effort was redirected elsewhere, mostly into the private sector where the benefits of it are always slaves to the almighty dollar and are even less ideological. Culture too is reflected in this way with a changing attitude to conflict in response to the state we are in and what people care about. In some ways it is just a different path with rather than effort being wasted on bombs, it is wasted on greed. We still advance and it is getting to the point where the private sector has far better equipment than government institutes. We always move forward, but we respond to our current conflict rather than some arbitrary scale of advancement. Also conflict is a far more fitting term than war. Conflict in war, hostilities, international trade, internal trade in a free market, even cultural conflict. They are different fights and we have not reached the point where we waste all of our effort.

I must agree with Rome in that life is much better now than it was then. I also agree younger generations that look only at the "now" see the "then" as obsolete because they are so engrossed and enraptured by the technology and media given to us today, and as a result, take both then and now for granted. However, there are exceptions. I suspect that most of the people posting on this thread, for example, recognize the issue at least, and contribute by voicing their opinions on this site. I enjoy history myself very much, not only my nation of America's history, but the history of European, Middle-Eastern, African, Far East, and other such cultures of the world. I must quote, however, that "if we do not know our history, we are doomed to repeat it". Given that the younger generations haven't had a Cuban Missile Crisis, or a World War I/II, they may get a wake-up call sooner than later; possibly in the form of a nuclear conflict, or engaging Joseph Kony and bringing him to justice. Hopefully, our future as humanity will be bright and peaceful. Hopefully.

Every single generation ever since the beginning has said "This is the end! Everything's downhill from here! Back in my day..." and yet nothing ever happens.

I believe we will face roadbumps, that will start something new, not end everything. I'm going to explain it the easiest way I can, it's like a singer learning to move through the "breaks" in his voice, after you bridge the break, theres more notes accessible to you, now just the same with society (I hope :P)