Are we going to make it?

[bakaKanadajin]

Food prices are going up. Companies like Monsantos are stealing biodiversity from the common lands and peddling GMO instead. Fresh water and food riots are no longer uncommon. The oceans are emptying and dying. Corporations are stronger than ever and the law no longer favours the individual. Most modern medicines are cheaply manufactured for-profit products and they're killing us. Regardless of who we elect the pattern continues. War is rampant.

Through all this governments seem weaker than ever, the common person is worse-off than before and the emerging technologies and individuals who could potentially change things are largely suppressed.

This isn't supposed to be a doomsday message or some kind of end-times thread, but, what do you think will happen in the next few decades, within all our lifetimes?

 

[Kirakira1232]

I dont know...I'm a pretty hopeful person. While yeah the world is pretty screwed up at the moment, that doesnt mean there isnt a chance for some redemption or some change. The light at the end of the tunnel I guess ne? In the next few decades the world will have to deal with the effects of globalisation, the food crisis and the emergence of Asia as a super power.

At the core of it though I think we should strive to understand each other as human beings, not paint things so black and white but look at all the shades of grey. Cross cultural communication i think is going to be very important in the future...

 

[Mars Man]

While it might have been good to have had some slightly more concrete descriptions and/or definitions of some of the terms or concepts presented or involved in the OP, I think I would be correct enough in taking 'we' to be the Homo sapien, and 'make it' to be able to continue in our efforts to propagate. (although I would actually love to expand 'we' to 'all life forms' here on earth)

My estimate is that we will continue to propagate. There is very little reason , comparatively speaking (in a universal sense) to think otherwise. (note, very little, NOT none!) When thinking about and considering a subject such as this, I always strongly recommend those involved to keep their postitive, creative flows open, and to think of the big picture--which means a lessening of the anthropocentric projection into the natural state, and an increase of the opposite.

I voted for the first one, although it didn't really so fully fit what I would have loved to have voted for--maybe it was the closest.

 

[Revenant]

It's true that economy is the largest driving factor when it comes to politics, but all politics is decided by the masses, and the masses are subject to the twin powers of pleasure and pain. So say the environmental damage caused by corporations is negatively impacting A LOT of people's health (meaning almost no one can pass it off as not really a problem), then corporations will have to change. As I've heard it put, "If you're a part of the problem, you can expect to be a victim of the solution". It's kind of hard to suppress or ignore the desires of the masses.

In short, given what we are discovering, I think there's a lot of hope. Science is making new connections everyday, and a lot of those findings will eventually find their way into practical use. The science of happiness (perhaps the most important science, given that we all strive for pleasure and away from pain) has made some important distinctions that apply to most people (those with normal wiring).

I'm sure there is more suffering down the road, as there has been throughout history, but the trend has generally been two steps forward and one step back.

 

[Daviddh]

Most modern medicines are cheaply manufactured for-profit products and they're killing us.
I'll have to disagree with this actaully...I see it as quite the opposite, modern medicines are saving lives. Obviously, they are going to be for-profit. The sheer amount of research a company puts into its products is ridiculous. Also, there is also generic brands which are exactly the same as brand name medicines, except with some inactive harmless ingredients so it will not violate the copyright. Although it is quite inexpensive, one must wait for the patent to expire on the brand name which takes years.

Wow...looks like my Pfizer INC. project that I did last semester for my business project can actually be used outside of class >.>.

Through all this governments seem weaker than ever

That's a capitalist economy for you. Yes, the U.S. does have some socialist ideals; however, it is more capitalist. History has proven that time and time again that people want less government in their lives during prosperity. However, only during times of problems do people start to cry out for government, i.e. The Great Depression.

I say, "Make up your minds people!"

Regardless of who we elect the pattern continues. War is rampant.

Well, one must keep in mind...other countries do not like the U.S. and a few others to be the only country with nuclear capabilities. As long as the other leaders continue to be defiant, the U.S. will try to stop it and eventually lead to war.

As for religion, I find it ironic that people are being murderers and violent when their religion teaches nonviolence. However, if you study the sociology behind it...one can be more understanding. For example, for one, the "soldiers" are being taught incorrectly about violence. Second, organizations such as Al-Queda will provide food and shelter for a soldier's family (when you have constant bombings around you, who wouldn't want them to be safe?). Third, they are growing up with violence around them; they may even grow up with having their families killed in front of their eyes.

And on that note I will stop and elaborate further in a future post... No, I do not believe we are dooming ourselves...the world has always been this violent, we just presently have the technology to broadcast it so it comes to us as a "shocker."

 

[Revenant]

I wonder if the death toll due to us killing each other has actually decreased as far as a percentage of population would go. We seem to be getting better at resolving differences without resorting to bloodshed, partly cause there's little to gain from bloodshed, as opposed to centuries ago when bloodshed meant an empire and all the wealth that came with that. Now that we are so interdependent, even countries not involved in a difference of opinion would work to stop a war cause the economic impact of a war wouldn't be beneficial for them.

 

[Goldiegirl]

It just seem that history repeats itself...well now that I have lived enough history to have a repeat! This time reminds me of the 70's. Gas/petrol was in short supply and was rationed. I remember waiting in long lines with my mom at the filling station to get the car filled up and you had to go on odd or even days based on your license plate number. My mom would have us all ride our bikes to the grocery store and park rather than drive and we turned off lights, and didn't use the air conditioner, kept the heat turned down. It was an energy crisis, similar to now.

My favorite Del Amitri song says it best...."Nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all, the needle returns to the start of the song and we all sing along like before....."

Anyhow, I don't believe that modern medicine is killing us. I survived a serious illness, that took 17 surgeries in one year and "modern" medications to keep me alive. With out the medications we have now, I wouldn't be here. So I must beg to differ. I do believe more needs to be done in health care in general, and no one in this day and age should be with out care.

 

[Haruspex]

Modern medicine isn't killing us directly, but its only there to keep us alive.
Most people have a lack of vitamins, so they fall ill from time to time, which brings cash to the pharmaeutical companies, so, I think I'll have to mention a musician myself, namely Dave Mustaine, and Megadeth, an album of theirs titled "Killing is My Business... and Business is Good!".
Modern medicine saves you from death, but it will never grant a decent life by itself.
And thanks to those pharmaeutical companies many progressive and new kinds of medicine get banned, bought up and sunk and whatnot, because they're lazy bastards, they don't want a change, they want money, and you will pay because you don't have a deathwish, and they know that well.
Its easier and cheaper not to ill, but they won't let you do that so easily.

 

[bakaKanadajin]

Modern medicine has its applications, there's definitely a few things it does that can't be done any other way and it does save lives. That being said, the way the modern medical field is moving these days is pretty scary.

Right now the US and Canada are attempting to harmonize and eliminate naturopathic options, lower standards, and further increase the amount of direct marketing (BS pharma ads) in the public arena. And I guess everyone here forgot about Vioxx, here's a quick stat:

FDA analysts estimated that Vioxx caused between 88,000 and 139,000 heart attacks, 30 to 40 percent of which were probably fatal, in the five years the drug was on the market.

.

There is a lot of good 'modern medicine', that is, tried and tested operations and procedures, that are good and necessary, but in terms of treating chronic illness and selling 'lifestyle' drugs for the aging and deteriorating Western population, modern medicine in its newest and most profitable form is definitely killing us. In terms of an industry or field, it doesn't operate much differently from the big oil, the banks or the auto industry. With regards to oil or cars, we feel the pain most directly in our wallets when we pay at the pump or pay for repairs on parts manufactured with engineered obsolesence, but with regards to medicine we do pay for the same shortcuts with our lives.

 

[Anohito]

I "voted" for the third option. I took "we" to mean the human race. The human race may take a substantial portion of the rest of the world's life with it, but other forms of life don't have the same destructive tendencies that humans obviously do. These destructive tendencies can express themselves as what might be called the "Shooting Star" phenomenon, that is, one's life should be brief and one should leave it in a "blaze of glory," like a shooting star/meteor. The attitude of such people is sometimes expressed in the saying, "Live fast; die young; leave a good looking corpse." Unfortunately, the saying is basically empty bravado. I doubt that people who die from alcohol or other drug abuse leave good looking corpses. I doubt that the American actor James Dean left a good looking corpse after he died in the auto accident (conveniently for those who seek to perpetuate the "shooting star" phenomenon, any photos of him after the accident are almost never, if ever, seen).

And, of course, there are other destructive tendencies, some of them already mentioned. One problem the human animal has is what I call the "My *ss is golden" syndrome. This is an all too common attitude that "Negative consequences happen to other people, they do not happen to me." One very common expression of this attitude is the way far too many people drive, going too fast, weaving in and out of traffic. And that is a relatively minor example of the MAIG syndrome. When you get to the arena of world politics, then there are enormous possibilities for mischief created by this syndrome. When this syndrome is combined with an innate callousness (this is too often seen in areas where making money is involved), then the possibilities for negative consequences, at least for other people, become even greater.

There is one matter that nobody has mentioned, so far. It is such an obvious issue, that its absence from the discussion strikes me as strange. Since people so far seem unwilling to mention the "elephant in the room," I will be a good little boy (at least for the moment*) and will not mention it.

* Yes, I know...that is so uncharacteristic of me.

 

[Uchite]

Until humans start realizing that "we belong to the Earth, the Earth does not belong to us" we are on the road to disaster. We have been for several thousands of years and are getting closer to it all the time. War, greed, ego, selfishness, hatred, racism, bigotry, religious fanaticism, prejudice, infidelity, dishonesty, cruelty to animals, lack of harmony, lack of empathy, impatience with each other, "goal oriented" ego-driven "drive", always wanting to win and be "number 1", hunger for more and more, inablilty to enjoy the moment, lack of genuine health care, treating humans as "numbers", failure to realize that we are not alone in the universe and we don't own and control the universe, taking life itself for granted...

Yep.

As Genesis said in "Cul de Sac":

You know you're on the way out
It's just a matter of time
You thought you'd rule the world forever
Long live the king
And don't spare the loser.

How sad and how true.

 

[Mike Cash]

Getting rid of the ethanol insanity would be a nice start.

 

[Revenant]

Aside from a very slight possibility of humanity self-destructing with nuclear weapons, I don't believe humanity faces any kind of doomsday.

In fact the trend throughout human history has been very positive. Less bloodshed, longer and healthier lives, and ever improving technology. Doubt any of that? Look at the statistics for 'the noble savage.'

I do believe that humanity faces some new challenges, but humanity has been fairly good at solving problems. It'll involve some self interest and co-operation as usual. All the same mechanisms that got humanity to this point, the status wars, empathy, and self-interest can probably be employed to get people to live more ecologically (if that's humanity's next major challenge.

 

[bakaKanadajin]

Mike Cash you can say that again. Talk about governments signing on to a losing gameplan.

Revenant humanity has been good at avoiding problems I don't know about solving them. By and large the current environmental crisis and food shortage is a good example of how there's a dark side to every up side. We here are in the West are definitely benefiting from improved tech. and whatnot but not acknowledging that this has come at the expense of the planet's overall health and at the expense of peace and prosperty in less developed parts of the world would be missing the elephant in the corner.

I think the elephant in the corner is so big now a days that even those of us living comfortably on the other side of the room have to start worrying about being stepped/crapped on.