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I have heard of lot of pesimistic opinions as to the overall nature of mankind. While I understand that wars go on, and that horrid stuff happens, do you think that humanity is as bad as it has ever been? Or are things getting better?

I'm of the opinion that humanity has never had a more promising point in history.
-We have the UN.
-Human Rights are widely acknowledged (if not universally upheld)
-CHARITIES exist.
-People are concerned about the environment, and action IS being taken.
-Democracy is prevalent (if not perfect)
Over all, a lot better than 300, 200, or even 100 years ago...mostly.

Please, post any thoughts or arguments as to your opinion of mankinds state.

We are either totally bonked in the universal sense or we will be bonked by our selves, quite simple really.

If we evolve beyond the stage we are at now, I would call it an evolution to a new species. We have the capabilities but the walls are higher than ever, and the more people we have the harder it is going to get, regardless of technology comforting some of more advanced nations.

What I want to see is serious international talks, leading to direct and efficient action against the ails of our species, and our planet. I could be all dismal and say that we are too war-like, and I could be all elitist and say we are too smart (HAH!), but neither would be the truth. Humans are social animals, and because of this we are inextricably in the same boat, at least to the degree that we are on the same planet, and we HAVE to deal with each other, it is our nature.

If this generation "rebels" in a serious way (like a serious way, not a seriously serious way... if you know what I mean) major changes can take place. People have access to information to make them independent of the "evil" corporations, yet they do not seem to have any good alternatives most of the time. On the other hand there are a LOT of people that are willing to dedicate their lives to making this world a better place in pretty much any way they can.

Before I make this an essay, I'll finish it up quick.

Take the actions you need to in order to see real change, and these changes will come to pass. If you idly observe from a distance, and contribute nothing, you can expect nothing. If observing is the only way you can keep your head on straight in this crazy world, use your ability to keep a safe distance to teach others how to cope with some of life's issues. Some arguments cannot be won by logic and perseverance, yet they always seem to last longer than any other tool.

Take your tools and keep chipping away until we hit the jackpot, because it is there, you just need to dig for it.

Emperors Faithful wrote:I have heard of lot of pesimistic opinions as to the overall nature of mankind.

That is normal human behavior. There was some old Egyptian writing complaining about how kids don't respect their elders anymore and people had loose morals or something along those lines. We've been complaining about the present for thousands of years. The past and the future are so much better you see.

Wrexasaur wrote:
Take your tools and keep chipping away until we hit the jackpot, because it is there, you just need to dig for it.

Love that. It reflects my views almost exactly.

We are long overdue some major cutback in the size of population, virus, climate change, war or meteor may well tilt that balance soon or we might go several centuries or even a couple of thousand years till it happens but happen it will.

But wipeout? Highly unlikely given our global coverage and adaptability. Humans are going to be around for a long time most likely.

"cutback in population", sounds just great. Be careful what you wish for...

Humans are not any better than we ever were, we just can't afford to be as bad as we once did. See Kant.

December 21, 2012 we're all supposed to die anyway because the Mayans said so.

But if that doesn't happen I think that slowly but surely people will improve. The biggest problem will be the middle east and I kinda think that as long as there's oil to fight over, there will always be something bad happening around there. Maybe one day we won't need oil anymore, but I don't expect that day to come in my lifetime...

The problem with calenders is that you put the information on them, not the other way around, so a conspiracy theory old enough to laugh in spite of all logic and simple obviousness.

Unless some dude had an intergalactic connection to a giant asteroid so big we can't even see it coming decades if not centuries away, I think we will be just fine.

Necros wrote:December 21, 2012 we're all supposed to die anyway because the Mayans said so.

I know you're being sarcastic here, but I still have to nitpick:

The Mayan doomsday theory is blatantly wrong because their records state that they're expecting a royal anniversary sometime in the 4000s.

Necros wrote:December 21, 2012 we're all supposed to die anyway because the Mayans said so.

1: thats just when the mayan calender ends it doesnt say wee all die
2: Other prophecys Say The world will change forever.
3: How many "the sky is falling" prophecies have there been.

2012 isn't going to be the end, it's going to be a transformation. Perhaps that new species descended from us will appear.

EVOLUTION DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY

Orkeosaurus wrote:EVOLUTION DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY

Glad to see I scared you so badly. Humanity as we know us are not a product of evolution. We were cultivated by the Greys over the course of two and a half million years. 2012 is when the new models come out and the rest of us become obsolete.

YOU IDIOT THE GREYS ARE NOT IMPORTANT ITS THE REPTOIDS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EARTH THAT ARE THE TRUE THREAT

NO ITS THE MOLE PEOPLE.

CRAAAABBBBB PEEEOOOOPPPPLLLLLEEEEE

Somebody better stamp me cause Im about to go postal......

Mankind does alrite.. I look forward to our mono culture and unified corporate dictator ship.

Obey, consume and remain unhappy citizens.

Personally, I agree with Gene Roddenberry's future: It gets a lot worse before it gets a lot better. before star trek it took world war 3. Does that mean its inevitable? Probably, considering the unrest and the vehemently opposed sides on the political spectrum. What is this going to end up being? Well, that all depends on nukes. who gets them? The side with a bunch of extremists is the one that is far more likely to launch them. note that that is either religious or political. There needs to be something to keep them in check, which is preferably SANE people as the heads of each side. If this war is conventional, then hope that the more progressive side gets in, because then we can be all happy like the the federation. If the war becomes nuclear, then be prepared to be bombed back into the stone age, and start getting complete copies of encyclopedias. and watch out for the giant cockroaches. After we rebuild, hopefully someone is like "yeah, never do that again."
and hopefully they listen.
A prediction on when this will happen?
I would say, between 20 and 70 years. This depends largely on China, india, and the United states. Russia too. Why them? because these are some of the most probable areas where a revolution will occur. my money is on china and the united states more than anyplace else. China because of its massive population and probability of people's lives being interrupted too far. The united states because of the political and religious spectrums. Russia too because of practically the same reasons as China, just with more KGB (or whatever the hell it is now, but its a lot more agents per capita than what China has, which makes it less likely)
India because of the massive gap between rich and poor. Seems to me that that's been a major cause of revolutions in the past, and should be no less a cause now.

Enjoy yourselves while it lasts! Note: If you are riding on a strategic bomber and the doors get stuck, just remember to wear a cowboy hat and ride the bomb to its target. Yahoo!

This thread has been......

The funny thing about a unified Globotech so to speak, is that is that it could work theoretically. One corporation would make sense, being that is their primary goal in the first place; which would be to dominate the market entirely. The way it could work would involve a lot of government institutions working in unison with independent businesses. While none of these small businesses has the ability to stand up to the Corporation on its own, all of them can stand up and work together, ultimately toppling the corporation if need be.

The essence of a corporation is actually a bit deeper than just controlling the market with an iron fist, it actually represents efficiency and coordination. If we learned to redefine our concept of money in itself (in other words value... not paper, but value) the worlds economy could be streamlined to a point where we could feasibly R&D pretty much anything with relative ease.

I think the world needs more small businesses in general, perhaps where I live is in overabundance of gift shops, but those don't count. I have no desire to buy 20 dollar freaking candles. The fact is a corporation will actually have a much harder time selling boutique products, mainly because of increased overhead (overhead can take a HUGE chunk out of profits) and lack of a direct niche market. On the other hand I will most definitely pay my butcher an extra 20-50 cents per pound so he can stay comfortable. The money that is made by a neighbor is usually spent in the local economy. Rent, Food, etc... all of this money usually stays in the neighborhood in one sense or another.

This would mean that the competition would be quite elite, so to speak, among the small businesses. Jobs are more than plentiful on the planet, we could efficiently house and feed everyone, AND provide moderate health care if people would get up and do something. Stop relying on politicians, they are the reason that these corporate "monsters" can run rampant. If you give the cookie monster a cookie, you better expect him to eat it and ask for more... again, and again, and again, and again....

Think about it though, if a company sucks so bad at what they do, why in the heck shouldn't they go out of business? It's not exactly death for "everyone" involved, matter of fact, in a healthy economy there would be jobs waiting if this type of thing happened. There is always room for expansion at Globotech, just make sure you remember you have the bullets, we have the guns; it works out to be fair.

This would make a pretty good book, I cant imagine people thinking well of a "Good" corporation... I will have to call it something else.

For Globotech to work for the people, I do think the people should be directly involved in it's decisions. For huge global decisions, information regarding the TRIPLE VERIFIED FACTS will be handed out to everyone via computer, tv, or what have you. After a week or so of review, a vote can be taken and a decision can be made, essentially in a democratic fashion.

If Globotech were carefully kept in an R&D role, things could work out very nicely. The People and the government feed the planet, while Globotech performs the R&D needed to keep things running smoothly. When votes come up for a Globotech decision, they will make internal votes BEFORE anyone casts there votes. There will be no politicians besides people on soap boxes during the international vote, so people can freely use their minds to think about the situation.

This could all work in theory, but I think we have a bit of evolution to go before we get there, perhaps a few more wars and people will get the message. Inaction does not mean pacifist, it means inaction. Pacifism is an interesting thing, and I can imagine it being our "salvation" so to speak. No other form of rebellion has ever proven more reliable, not fast, but reliable.

okay, short of an Apocalyptic WW3, does humanity stand a chance?

WW3 doesn't have to take place, that would be some serious stuff.

No you dont stand a chance.
Stupoid humans we are coming. RAGNORAK IS COMING.

RAGNOROK? kewl! That means SPAZ PUPPEHZ!!!

Humanity cannot evolve...
We have killed natural selection within our species by going out of our way to ensure everyone being able to live and to reproduce, we are a species doomed to either stagnation or artificial (whether its biological or mechanical) evolution at the hands of scientists.

I for one hope it is the latter.

Pfft, nonsense. We'll all be eaten long before then when the zombies rise.

January 1st 2012: Zombie Gibfest @ Your Local Street! Lasting all year! Bring your own ammunition, tickets free.

sA

In the Immortal Word s of Sister Bessy: "We a' so Scrood!"