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Q: Ｉｓ ｔｈｅｒｅ ｈｏｐｅ ｆｏｒ ｍａｎｋｉｎｄ？
Things need to change
I’ve been feeling very down lately. I’ll try and be as clear as possible．
When I’m bored I’m always cruising through the information superhighway and reading all kinds of articles. Yesterday, I think I reached the limit on how much bad stuff my brain can take.
Is there still hope for humanity?
I think humans have been a doomed race from the very day they evolved into Homo sapiens. The most evolved species on Earth. Is it our intelligence that makes us such an uncompassionate and dangerous species? Is our ability to hate stronger than our ability to love? Or do we love to hate? Is it in-built into our genetics like a protective reflex back-kick of a deer? Does hate protect us?
Why do we make divisions among ourselves? Why do find differences among ourselves? Be it race, age, height, gender, religion or language. I’ve never seen a bunch of brown dogs attack a bunch of black dogs? Is it because they’re colour-blind? Do we need to be colour-blind not to make differences among ourselves? I don’t think so because then we’d just come up with more differences.
So what is the objective? Who is the perfect human? I know in math, continuous differentiation of x4 /24 will end up at 1. Is that what we’re trying to achieve? Is that why we keep differentiating? To finally be perfect?
I also know that when you differentiate 1 further, you get 0. Is that where we as a species are heading?
I’m no Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela if you think that’s where I’m going with this.
I’m going to go much deeper.
In the first chapter of Dale Carnegie’s How to win friends and influence people, he stresses the point that everyone wants to feel important. To feel needed. To belong. This produces a pyramid like effect doesn’t it? I mean, in order for you to be important, other people must be less important right? Look at any pairing of siblings. The younger one, due to much justified attention provided by ma and pa, will usually stir up feelings of jealousy among the older sibling. And then the competition starts. The goal? Attention. Why? Importance.
Very messed up isn’t it? That we’re born with this desire to feel more important than other people before we can even walk and talk.
Is this why we create differences among ourselves? To feel important? I’m not qualified enough to know the answer.
I think we as human race are capable of being guided into integration. The inverse operation of differentiation. Instead of looking at our differences, we should look at our similarities. We are capable of evolving further. We’re capable of taking the desire to feel important completely out of our genes and thus eliminating the need to seek out each other’s differences. Then maybe we can all feel important.
But Importance can be derived from much more than just a parent’s love. It can be derived from respect, physical appearance, physical or political power, intelligence and wealth. wealth. Wealth.
I stress wealth here because it’s the only item that is required in order for a human to exist normally in these times. This also makes it the most important, followed by political power.
So, it must be right to say that people with both these items guide society. I mean, they’re at the top of the pyramid we’re all striving to climb. They’re our leaders. Our guides.
But happens when the pyramid crumbles from the top?
‘’Communities tend to be guided less than individuals by conscience and a sense of responsibility. How much misery does this fact cause mankind! It is the source of wars and every kind of oppression, which fill the earth with pain, sighs and bitterness.’’-Albert Einstein, 1934
Leaders don’t only come in human form. They can come in form of the media, mass opinions, communities, social groups, companies and worst of all, our own subconscious.
My homepage is Yahoo! US. I really don’t know why. Not a day goes by without me seeing a sad number of sensational and irrelevant news stories. Watch this adorable cat hit a cookie out of a baby’s arm. Kim Kardashian gets married/divorced/plastic surgery/boyfriend/acne. Is this what has become of the great nation the whole world looked to at the turn of the 19th century? Zombies running after 42’ flat screens and pepper-spraying fellow humans to get Xboxes on black Friday sales day?
I know that this is not only in America. It is everywhere in the world. We’re being driven into stupidity by the media and the elite are getting rich of it. Why? They love money and power. Why? Importance. Nothing else matters.
This is what makes me angriest. You reach the top by crushing everything at the bottom. And then what? When you get to the top then what? Gloat? Do back-flips?
These are the people guiding society. Their greed is fuelled by the struggle and suffering they undertook to get the top. They have to step on others to do this. The stepped on, on reaching the top, just repeat this vicious cycle.
In the documentary the Zeitgeist, powerful nations and organisations are shown to plunder the world’s resources and enriching themselves, causing worldwide poverty and turning Earth into one big corporation.
It was found out that only 20% of World Bank projects are viable. The money from the other 80%? Wasted? I think not. Just rotated among thugs.
Is this some form of entertainment for these people? Do they sit in swivel chairs, planning how they’re going to mess with the world today? Does other people’s suffering give purpose to their lives? Make them feel important?
Poverty breeds hate. No one likes to see someone else basking in wealth. The media repeatedly projects the image that wealth is importance. So what do you think the poor will do? Resort to crime obviously.
People keep saying that South Africa was such a wealthy and happy place before black people took over? But for who? I grew up in South Africa. In a nice neighbourhood. Went to the neighbourhood school. I can assure you I was the only black kid in my class for 2 years. And this is in Africa. My neighbourhood had no other native black South Africans in miles.
I come from Uganda, a country comparable to the UK in size, small landlocked country in the heart of sub-Saharan Africa, source of the river Nile and a former British colony. You know Idi Amin Dada? The last king of Scotland? Yeah, that country.
Those who are not familiar with my country’s politics, we’re currently ruled by a president whose been in power by military coup since 1986. A guy who’s hell-bent on staying in power. A puppet for the western elite. In the last 25 years, our country has not developed significantly. We have 5 Hydro Electric Power Dams and even sell electricity to neighbouring Kenya but no normal Ugandan household can have electricity for two days straight. Corruption runs deep. It also has many heads. It’s like a hydra. Cut one head off and two more pop up.
Now, large oil deposits have been discovered on the Uganda-Congo border. Guess what? Britain, China and Obama’s 100 US soldiers came right in, one after another like lemmings.
No one normal citizen is going to benefit from that oil.
I’ll give one more example; to outsiders it’s easy to insult and discriminate Africa, say Africans have the lowest IQs and hate development. How can Africa develop if they can’t even have fair elections to elect good leaders, non-puppets of the western elite who won’t threaten their own citizens with military power so easily provided by the great nations?
In the film Schindler’s List, Schindler says that the only reason he wasn’t making money before was because there wasn’t war.
Is this what we as a human race have come to? Funding wars and brutal regimes to make money? Money to make us feel important? Important so that we can feel different?
Is this the cause of the world’s problems? Racism, discrimination, poverty, diseases, unemployment, murder and greed.
Could it be as simple as that?
‘’A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive.’’ -Albert Einstein, 1954
Too bad an Albert Einstain can’t be born every 50 years.
We can have all kinds of stupid arguments about race, characters, appearance and different cultures on internet forums but the real problem is much deeper than just personal opinions and ignorance.
So I’ll ask again, is there hope for mankind?
I don't even know where to begin or what to say. That was to the most touching thing I have read in what now seems like ages.
In my younger and more idealistic days, even now at times, I think about all the things you discussed above, and it brought me nothing but pain and a feeling of hoplesness. Now I suppress these feelings and do my best not to think about how dispicable and evil, most people in power across this globe are.
I have never been able to understand the reasons mankind do the things they do, or the evil people that care for nothing except money and power. I think the current system is too far entrenched to be changed, so as sad as it makes me feel, no, I have no hope in mankind anymore, and your words have just helped confim these feelings.
NileRafter24:
I think about this stuff everyday. I feel so powerless to these things and forces that produce unhappiness throughout the world. So I'm always looking for the good things. The things that make me smile everyday. Makes life a bit more livable.
if you really want to be depressed read chinasmack.
and no there is no hope for humanity
NileRafter24:
That may be one of the most depressing sites I've read. Its really hard to imagine what earth will be like in 50 years. A sad planet we're on, this one.
Jnusb416:
Today's article was especially disturbing. I don't even know what to think of that kind of person, but it's not the first time something that horrible has happened. I highly doubt it will be the last.
crimochina:
sth like that sadly happens all over i read about a guy in NJ threw his 2 year old in a river, still alive a strapped to a car seat i wish i got my hands on him bofore the cops, how could sb do that to their child
Run for President or in my country Prime Minister id vote for you
kchur:
Don't worry, it's probably just Mattaya. There's a whole thwack of exactly three thumbs down today.
I also often think of these sorts of things, and it really can only lead to depression. But what else can you do? You can't ignore it, right? So there's several options for you: 1) You can think about it. 2) You can ignore it, like most of the world (who only care about superficial things). 3) You can use the knowledge that you have to make a difference. Yes, it sounds corny. Even if all you do is discuss it with your friends, I think it makes a difference. These sort of deep conversations are like food for your soul. Pain is something that we all feel and can share with eachother.
There is no true answer for this topic. It's sort of like "What happens after you die?" These sort of conflicts have been around, ever since Adam and Eve ate the apple. They made the choice, and they dealt with the consequences, the consequences of making their own choice. It happens every day, and those consequences affect everyone, not just the person who makes the decision. Unfortunately, we don't have any control over these sorts of things.
As for differences, even if everyone was completely the same, except for one little thing...say...everyone was a clone, except one person had a freckle that no one else had...people would make a big deal out of it. That person would either be more beautiful, or more ugly, or just strange, or who knows what. No matter how insignificant, people will always notice differences, it's just what we do. If we notice similarities, it is because we like to see part of ourselves in others.
All of these things, good or bad, horrible or miraculous, they come from the choices we make. And no matter how disturbing they are, or how much they make us think that the human race has gone too far, can you really say you would rather have a world without choice? I think you've already felt that, how hopeless it is. I mean, that's exactly what it is, hope is impossible in that sort of environment. Perhaps we are creatures of choice, but we survive on hope, don't we? It's that hope that drives us on, that tells us that someday, somehow, something will change, and maybe that change will be for the better. Without that, what are we? Monsters? Demons? A curse on this planet?
If you take all the good things, and all the bad things, and compare them...the bad will always outway the good, because there is just so much of it. What's important is the quality of that good. Despite how downhill we feel the world has gone, there are many good things too, like human rights, animal rights, and the constant fight for equality and freedom. Maybe it's an uphill battle, but the war isn't lost. We've fought this war for a long time, and we'll keep fighting it, damn it, if it's the last thing we do. Until the last light goes out. Then you can say the human race is doomed. Until then, we've still got a chance, so just hang in there. Keep noticing the little things every day that make you smile, it's totally worth it. And if you're ever feeling down again, you know you can always come talk to us. After all, we're all in the same boat together.
thedude:
Who the f**k would down vote this answer or the question? Are you sick in the head?
NileRafter24:
It's good to know they're still people out there with your kind of optimism Jnusb416. It really makes me happy to know that there still a lot of people willing to fight the good fight. With all the stuff going on in the world right now, it's really hard to stay optimistic but I'm going to take your advice and keep holding the torch up high. Keep holding it till there's nothing but a faint spark. As a species, we really need to move forward because we've stayed at this stage for too long and it might just very well destroy us. Thanks for the encouragement.
Yeah it's a hopless fight, but that doesn't mean give up the fight. We became rulers of this world because we were too stubborn to give up.
It's a battle that we're not going to get out alive, but we should still go down swinging.
Interesting post. I'm offended not as a human, but as a math major 
. There are many ways to arrive at 1 and 0 (34^0 and 4-4 for example), but they have nothing to do with humanity.
I think your travels, experiences and education have led you to a great understanding of people, unfortunately not everyone shares them. Therefore, many people hold views from misunderstanding and fear of difference.
My advice would just be to surround yourself with good people who you can share your informed views with, and can share their informed views with you.
Until a human being is a human being, there is no chance for manking to get better, but only chances for manking to survice.
yes for mankind but not likely for a kind man in China (helping an elderly lady who fell and get sued/loss in court for causing hurt)
mattaya:
I know exactly what story you are talking about. I read that story on the trip here. That is ridiculous how the lady sued him for her hospital bills. Wasn't it up to 10,000 RMB? I guess that saying "Nice Guys Finish Last" has been taught in China before.
It depends on your answer to the all important question: Is there a God? If the answer is "yes", then the evidence supports that there is absolutely a chance for mankind. If the answer is "no", then evidence points in the direction of no hope at all. Funny how one thing can make all the difference.
Shining_brow:
Blah! Rubbish! Religion has been the cause of so much pain and suffering in this world, it's diabolical!!!
kchur:
I'm not religious at all, but that is a weak argument. Read some Portuguese history and you'll realize that black pepper and cinnamon have been the cause of more death and suffering than you can possibly imagine. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop eating tea eggs or putting black pepper on my mashed potatoes, man.
Is there hope for mandind???
ABSOLUTELY!
NileRafter - you've just fallen into "The Trap (tm)"... the trap that says we have no power, no influence, nothing...except that granted by those 'at the top'! "oh, woe is me, look at all the bad things on TV and the other media... I need a good government to make things ok now.. they're the only ones who can make a difference.. blah blah blah!"
EVERY minute of the day, EVERY day of the week, good stuff happens! So, you turn on your TV or homepage, and you see stupid stuff, and bad stuff... what, that suddenly outweighs all the good, kind, compassionate, sane, intelligent, and wise things that happen all around the world that didn't get sensationalised?? NEVER!
How many people in the world choose to become doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, paramedics, firemen and women, police - to do some 'good'? How many people volunteer in this world to help others out? How many people choose to become teachers to help with giving an education to our youth? How many choose to go into research to find better ways to live, to cure illness, to make a difference?? How many people will donate money to a worthy cause - even if it's only a dollar or 2??
I make a difference - a POSITIVE difference - every time I step into the classroom. I give my students a BETTER view of the world, I give them hope, I give them a way to achieve their dreams!
The OP has made a few mistakes... Firstly, while people have this great desire for 'importance', we NEED those people above us for importance to have meaning! Those above give us something to strive for. It's like that saying "May all of your dreams come true - except one"... to give us something to keep us going. Who are you trying to impress when you're fighting with your siblings? Your parents.. your friends... others who you look up to! Do you think the US president doesn't have idols he looks up to - or Idi Amin, or even Hitler??
What happened in T-Square a couple of decades ago? What do you remember? Who was Gandhi? Who is Mandela?? Who is Mother Teresa ? (ok, actually, being hypocritical for that - but it's the image that counts!) And, who was Einstein?? Who is Ai WeiWei?
Humans will change only when they feel they have sufficient reason to change. For some, they'd rather die than change - it scares them. For others, it's already happened, and they are different.
In Australia, not long ago an oil company wanted to get into some shale oil in WA. It would involve destroying ancient 'relics' left by the aboriginals. A movement got involved, petitioned governments, made people aware, did a lot of ground work. The end result? While the goverenment said 'ok', the banks felt it was too much of a hot potato to touch, and the oil company didn't get backing it needed - so it fell through. It's now a World Heritage site!
As said before - we now have Human Rights. we have animal rights, we have a Geneva Convention, a UN.. all of those things within the last 100 years.
The question isn't "Is there hope for mankind?" - it's "will the evil bastards destroy us before humanity becomes great?"... and the answer is - NO!!!
You can only change yourself - but never underestimate the power that your actions, and words, have on others!
I, for one, will NEVER give up!
