The world is usually sad at any given time, it just depends on who’s paying attention. As technology gets better and we spend so much time keeping tabs on each other from a far, we’ll just notice it more frequently.
The advance of technology/the fragmentation of society and community. We’re not evolved to spend most of our days looking at screens, disconnected from those around us. There’s never been a greater awareness of all the threats that face us as a species, but we still feel just as powerless to address them. Our societies are dividing along tribal lines, but the tribes generally aren’t those around you – they’re strangers who happen to have the same traits or opinions. So you don’t feel a real sense of community or connection – it’s all artificial.
contrast with what could be, almost all sadness is comparison with a better world. You lose someone, you’re comparing the world to one with them in it, to massively over simplify.
Never in the history of the species has a better world been possible. It really seems like we could end war, hunger, homelessness and bigotry. We could get everyone to see a doctor, and not require them to work jobs that endanger their health, as a species we are fully capable of being past that.
I know, preaching to the choir. But, we aren’t past that. We aren’t even close. People are humungous bigots. People die from starvation, and can’t find a place to live. Many jobs will shorten your life, a fair few will outright kill you in the first decade.
Just the massive waste of it. For WHAT? I ask over and over? So Elon Musk can buy twitter? Influence politics? I know people think all rich people AREN’T like him, and you’re RIGHT! Many of them are WORSE!
We don’t need billionaires, and in fact the existence of them is preventing us from solving problems. That’s why this world is so sad, among other systemic reasons. We hate the poor, as a species we think that the very poor deserve it.
We’re not huge fans of people in the gap either, those trying to get out of poverty get the shaft worse still. You’d think, hating poverty we’d want to get people out of it, but that’s where you’d be wrong about humanity, it seems like we want to get more people into poverty as fast as possible.
we’re in a pretty sad state as a species. Not even getting into our declining mental health, social ties and institutions, those are just symptoms of the rot at the heart of our species. When the living start to envy their ancestors thinking maybe the generation who just died had a better shake….. it’s one of the major signs of societal collapse.
I’m no end of the world believer either, I wish. End of the world would be a relief, put the poor sad species out of it’s misery.
4 comments
The world is usually sad at any given time, it just depends on who’s paying attention. As technology gets better and we spend so much time keeping tabs on each other from a far, we’ll just notice it more frequently.
The advance of technology/the fragmentation of society and community. We’re not evolved to spend most of our days looking at screens, disconnected from those around us. There’s never been a greater awareness of all the threats that face us as a species, but we still feel just as powerless to address them. Our societies are dividing along tribal lines, but the tribes generally aren’t those around you – they’re strangers who happen to have the same traits or opinions. So you don’t feel a real sense of community or connection – it’s all artificial.
TLDR: the Internet.
contrast with what could be, almost all sadness is comparison with a better world. You lose someone, you’re comparing the world to one with them in it, to massively over simplify.
Never in the history of the species has a better world been possible. It really seems like we could end war, hunger, homelessness and bigotry. We could get everyone to see a doctor, and not require them to work jobs that endanger their health, as a species we are fully capable of being past that.
I know, preaching to the choir. But, we aren’t past that. We aren’t even close. People are humungous bigots. People die from starvation, and can’t find a place to live. Many jobs will shorten your life, a fair few will outright kill you in the first decade.
Just the massive waste of it. For WHAT? I ask over and over? So Elon Musk can buy twitter? Influence politics? I know people think all rich people AREN’T like him, and you’re RIGHT! Many of them are WORSE!
We don’t need billionaires, and in fact the existence of them is preventing us from solving problems. That’s why this world is so sad, among other systemic reasons. We hate the poor, as a species we think that the very poor deserve it.
We’re not huge fans of people in the gap either, those trying to get out of poverty get the shaft worse still. You’d think, hating poverty we’d want to get people out of it, but that’s where you’d be wrong about humanity, it seems like we want to get more people into poverty as fast as possible.
we’re in a pretty sad state as a species. Not even getting into our declining mental health, social ties and institutions, those are just symptoms of the rot at the heart of our species. When the living start to envy their ancestors thinking maybe the generation who just died had a better shake….. it’s one of the major signs of societal collapse.
I’m no end of the world believer either, I wish. End of the world would be a relief, put the poor sad species out of it’s misery.
it boils down to greed and selfishness. the poor are doomed. the lower middle class is doomed as well. and those higher up look down at the rest.