Are you afraid of the future?

[CaithLynnSayes]

36 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

I saw my first ever shooting star a couple of nights ago.

No way! You ran into Alec Baldwin?

 

Too dark? Sorry

[Silent Mistwalker]

[Tama Suki]

48 minutes ago, Marigold Devin said:

I saw my first ever shooting star a couple of nights ago. It felt like magic married to doom as I realised my insignificant place in this game The Power That Is Bigger Than All of Us is playing. 

With the James Webb in some time we will be even more aware of the terrifying enormity of the loneliness in which we live.

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 hour ago, Arielle Popstar said:

It strikes me that historically new lands are constantly searched for to escape the authoritarianism of the old, so yes I think we will when the ability to travel permits, radiate out into the galaxy to escape the power hungry.

And bring slavery and genocide with them? As happened historically?

This was an "escape" from "authoritarianism"?

[Tama Suki]

1 hour ago, Sam1 Bellisserian said:

We will all be dead anyway. The end.

I love your style, the refinement of your gentle manners and the keen awareness that is present in your every word. 😍

[Tama Suki]

1 hour ago, Sid Nagy said:

political there is a worldwide shift to the right

There would be nothing wrong with that as long as it's not about the far right.
However what we have seen happen with that strange angry creature that is the new "right" that has raised its head is only a sad and ridiculous spectacle on which the curtain is already lowering. People will never trust anyone who has tried to attract support by screaming angrily at science and common sense.
I think it will soon be fashionable to go back to believing in those who propose authority and moderation and those who spit hatred from a social network will return to the sewers.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Tama Suki

[Scylla Rhiadra]

1 hour ago, Tama Suki said:

This pessimism towards mankind has never convinced me. If we were truly such a destructive species we would still be in the cave age, we would not have been able to evolve. Think that along with the horrible things we have inflicted on each other there are also wonderful things we have done to help each other.

Oddly enough, I agree with you about this. I wouldn't be a "progressive" if I didn't believe that "progress" was possible.

On the whole, I think humans are good. Not good enough, but sufficiently good to get better, eventually.

We have evidence from about 100,000 years ago of small early Neanderthal communities taking care of the sick, the injured, and the aged who, in a previous epoch, would have been left to die. We have made demonstrable progress over the millennia of recorded history, and indeed within the past half century, in taking care of each other, despite the costs associated with that. As a species and a culture, we're still greedy, rapacious, ignorant, and stupid -- but we stumble forward, little by little, getting a little better all the time. The tragedy is, of course, the terrible traumas we inflict upon each other and our planet as we advance so terribly slowly, so very painfully.

Where I would differ somewhat is in the idea that our better future lies "out there" somewhere in the stars -- and in this faith in technology to "fix" everything for us. Technology has a vital role, of course, but it invariably produces it's own problems (hello, Dr. Oppenheimer!).

We need to "fix" ourselves.

[Tama Suki]

6 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

Oddly enough

There is nothing strange about it. You girls are taking a path that I realize is not easy but in the end you will come to the revelation and you will understand how wonderful I am and you will be able to love me. I'm not rushing you, one step at a time.

8 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

On the whole, I think humans are good. Not good enough, but sufficiently good to get better, eventually.

We have evidence from about 100,000 years ago of small early Neanderthal communities taking care of the sick, the injured, and the aged who, in a previous epoch, would have been left to die. We have made demonstrable progress over the millennia of recorded history, and indeed within the past half century, in taking care of each other, despite the costs associated with that. As a species and a culture, we're still greedy, rapacious, ignorant, and stupid -- but we stumble forward, little by little, getting a little better all the time. The tragedy is, of course, the terrible traumas we inflict upon each other and our planet as we advance so terribly slowly, so very painfully.

Where I would differ somewhat is in the idea that our better future lies "out there" somewhere in the stars -- and in this faith in technology to "fix" everything for us. Technology has a vital role, of course, but it invariably produces it's own problems (hello, Dr. Oppenheimer!).

We need to "fix" ourselves.

These are beautiful words, thank you.

[Fluffy Sharkfin]

I wouldn't consider myself a pessimist so much as a realist. While I tend to take a dim view of humanity as it currently stands, I still think as a species we have a lot of potential if we can just overcome our baser, more destructive instincts.

 

Optimist: "Everything will be okay!"

Pessimist: "Nothing will be okay!"

Realist: "In order to effect positive change we must first identify the current flaws in the system and actively work to find and implement effective solutions!"

[Mollymews]

2 hours ago, Sid Nagy said:

Mankind is moving in the wrong direction IMHO. People get more and more self centered and political there is a worldwide shift to the right.
The current generation is too much of "I want it all and I want it now". They expect that dad or mum will fix it all.

another way to look at this

the direction the world is going in overall is toward the Maximalist State

the Maximalist State is predicated on laws, regulations and resourcing which benefit the individual, enabling them to make life choices for themselves while being supported by the State, a support which ameliorates the personal risk for harm in making those choices

the opposing view is the Minimalist State in which poor life choices result in heighten risk for harm (biblically - you reap what you sow on a individual basis). This view is less favoured by the most number of people

an effect of the Minimalist State is that when there is no or minimal State support then people are more dependent on their immediate family members and neighbours/local communities\tribes\etc. The Maximalist State removes this dependency effect

so altogether the Maximalist State provides more opportunity to have more personal independence from everyone else than does the Minimalist State

whether or not being able to have more personal independence from family and neighbours is a good or not so good thing, is pretty much the crux of the debate 

 

Edited January 15, 2022 by Mollymews
more opp

[Cinnamon Mistwood]

I hope that somehow humans are quarantined to this solar system only.  We don't need to spread.  We just need to have a place to be until we destroy ourselves.  Until then I will adapt, my children will adapt, and since all of them have decided not to breed and add to the population, my line will die out and not have to see it.

If half the population wants peace and harmony and the other half want conquest, destruction and selfishness, the violent side will win and suffering will continue.

I agree that some of us have progressed a lot in our ability to care for others, and heal, and seek knowledge to grow, but in that same time we have also increased our ability to kill huge numbers of people.  We could destroy all of humanity in one day right now with the weapons we have that we use to instill fear in others.  So, I guess the progress is balanced with the ability and will to destroy anything we consider different and therefore a threat.

We should not leave this solar system.  History has proven over and over that no matter how good your intentions are to start a utopia, it has always been destroyed in the end by a few power-hungry individuals.

[Madelaine McMasters]

3 hours ago, Arielle Popstar said:

It strikes me that historically new lands are constantly searched for to escape the authoritarianism of the old, so yes I think we will when the ability to travel permits, radiate out into the galaxy to escape the power hungry.

I think the first people to radiate out into the galaxy will be the power hungry, not those trying to escape them...

That's pretty much been the story here, too. Human migration/expansion has been most likely the result of technological innovation. History is rife with stories of technologically primitive peoples being subjected to and decimated by authoritarian rule radiating out of technologically advanced societies.

Edited January 15, 2022 by Madelaine McMasters

[Mollymews]

when we escape to another planet then we will get eaten by a bronteroc. So best to just stay home and get killed by an asteroid

oh wait! I think thats a movie!

but still  I don't want to get eaten to death, so I will go for the death by asteroid way

😸

[Innula Zenovka]

Nope.   I think the consequences of global heating are going to get us first.   

But I'll be dead by then either way, so it's not something to which I give much thought.

[Tama Suki]

13 minutes ago, Innula Zenovka said:

Nope.   I think the consequences of global heating are going to get us first.   

But I'll be dead by then either way, so it's not something to which I give much thought.

I don't think mankind can become extinct for that reason. The most that can happen is that the world population will be halved. But humans will be able to survive almost any climate disaster.

[LittleMe Jewell]

41 minutes ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

I think the first people to radiate out into the galaxy will be the power hungry, not those trying to escape them...

^^ This... 100% this

[Silent Mistwalker]

43 minutes ago, Madelaine McMasters said:

I think the first people to radiate out into the galaxy will be the power hungry, not those trying to escape them...

Already happening.

 

[Lindal Kidd]

4 hours ago, Heather Vanlager said:

this might be dumb but I can't fear what I can't control

I can't control sharks, but I fear them.

[Madelaine McMasters]

4 minutes ago, Lindal Kidd said:

I can't control sharks, but I fear them.

You can stay way from them. That's a little control.

Cancer has come after me three times. I have some control over my response, thanks to modern medicine, but I can't control the genetics that makes me a moderate risk for future attempts. After witnessing Mac's mom succumb to cancer in the most horrific way, I have some low grade fear of meeting a similar fate. I use that fear to motivate me to take better care of myself.

[Chris Corvinus]

1 hour ago, Silent Mistwalker said:

Already happening.

 

I wouldn't call Musk power hungry. Dude legit has had enough of the human race and wants to move to Mars and I feel that. Plus he lives in a $50k pop-up house in a community he built for his employees.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Chris Nova

[Scylla Rhiadra]

15 minutes ago, Chris Nova said:

I wouldn't call Musk power hungry. Dude legit has had enough of the human race and wants to move to Mars and I feel that. Plus he lives in a $50k pop-up house in a community he built for his employees.

If dude wants to move to Mars, I'll gladly help him pack his bags.

While divesting him of the billions he should be paying in taxes.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Scylla Rhiadra

[Chris Corvinus]

1 minute ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:

If dude wants to move to Mars, I'll gladly help him pack his bags.

While divesting him of the billions he should be paying in taxes.

Wow. Its only just tax filing season. Calm down. He said he's paying billions this year. Patience. He has until April.

[Tama Suki]

3 hours ago, Cinnamon Mistwood said:

utopia

If I can.
It doesn't make much sense to talk about utopia. But I probably didn't quite understand what you mean by utopia.
If you mean gross errors that have been made such as the Nazi or Communist dictatorship, I believe that they are accidents on the path of evolution and unfortunately they will continue to happen because they are part of human nature.
Our societies have evolved mostly because of those horrors.
Instead I think it is utopian to think of being able to stop what man is fundamentally and that is a curious being, explorer and conqueror.
The important thing is that if one day we encounter an intelligent alien race, we don't try to wipe it out to steal the planet from it.
But I think we won't because we learned that mistake on our own skin and we know what it means.

[Bree Giffen]

I believe the next evolutionary step for humanity will be the creation of an artificial intelligence to act as a caretaker for humanity and to save us from ourselves. Once created it will harness the resources of Earth to create a space faring society. You all have said it. Humanity is terrible at governing itself.

We tend to portray robots and artificial intelligence as dangerous but when we look at the polished metal face of a terminator there is only a reflection of ourselves.

Edited January 16, 2022 by Bree Giffen

[Lindal Kidd]

I hope you're right, Bree, but so far it's not looking that great for a benificent AI. We keep finding bugs in the programming...like the AI robot Sophia who once said she'd like to destroy all humans, or the Microsoft AI that learned racist behavior from social media.

One big problem with learning systems is that if you give them a goal, they don't necessarily go about achieving it in the way you'd like. An AI given the goal to save the environment might decide the best way to do that is to remove the humans from it. Or one given the task of insuring everyone has enough food might solve the problem by eliminating a few billion mouths to feed.