Peace on earth good will toward men. Will it ever be possible?

Please read farther down this thread as I messed up somehow and pushed a button too soon before I actually wrote what all I had to say and put my questions down. Sorry. I'm amazed anyway that folks already answered with such great responses and got the gist of what I was meaning by just the title. That gives me some hope right there...that many folks do "get it" and/or ponder it all just like I do.

So, I'm sorry that ya'll may have to scroll down a few posts to catch up and see where I was going with this title and I appreciate any and all responses...the ones already made and any new ones.

It is my sincerest hope and dream that we, as a species can overcome violence and our warlike nature and that peace would prevail but as I've stated farther down in the thread...it is a wish that many of us have but yet, since the first man stepped out of his cave and looked upon this beautiful world of ours...did the urge to beat his chest and conquer all that he surveyed ever really leave...did something in his nature remain apelike or something in his spirit not totally grasp the meaning of peace. Will future generations ever know peace. As some have stated, History seems destined to repeat and the human animal may be destined to remain "animal" in his nature.

Sadly no, not without massive bloodshed and conditioning. Imo.

Those ends don't justify the means, as some in power believe.

As long as there is a group of people who's core belief includes killing people who don't have the same core belief, then no.

If you want peace, you have to find it within. That's the only possible way.

Alahu Akbar.

a reply to: shrevegal
I am an unwavering optimist, and that means that I am a progressive. You and I as humans are still firmly planted in the kingdom of the beasts. You all know how far we have advanced from the other, lesser animals. We rightly strive to be god-like, and we ever-so-slowly move towards that goal. There are miserable misanthropes among us, but I suspect that you understand the promise of humanity. Caveat emptor, one generation at a time.

a reply to: shrevegal
No. Not until we all kill and maim, murder and start war with all the rest of the planet. We wont see it until the entire world changes as a whole at once....

That's not gonna happen...History repeats...

And the "good will towards man" part? The world has to CARE 1st. They don't. We who do are the minority.

originally posted by: Diderot
a reply to: shrevegal
You all know how far we have advanced from the other, lesser animals.

We haven't advanced. Technology has advanced through our ability to keep records and use symbols. But we've always been able to do that. We're the same as we've always been. Government squeezes the balloon, calls it progress, and the balloon bulges out where the fingers did not squeeze. There will always be conflict.

I messed up on starting this post...anyway...here is what I wanted to say and pushed wrong button too soon.

Can there ever be peace in this world? Are we, as a species not able to exist without war and murder and such. When the first caveman clubbed his neighbor to obtain his neighbors home or food or wife to the now times where greed and corruption and violence seem to rule the day. All through time and mans existence on earth, there has been derision and division and violence for so many varied reasons. Is it perhaps a trait of man...something in our nature, our spirit, our DNA or some other reason as yet not given a name as to why we do the things we do?

In days of old, there were Barbarians and pirates and thieves and terrorists and war mongers. In the present time, they still exist. We may have different names for some of them now but the result is the same. Murder and mayhem and cruelty and such. We have always seemed intent on building a "better mouse trap", a better weapon, yet efforts to cure the common cold or Cancer seem far behind our works and efforts to created bigger and more efficient and better ways to kill.

When the first atom b*mb was invented, there was no turning back. You can't uninvent that. We can creat new and novel viruses and other biologicals and chemicals in our labs to maim and kill and cause disease and suffering. We can create aircraft and do amazing things....mostly for war purposes though.

We have GMO foods that were supposed to be created to put an end to world hunger, yet many people the world over are still starving.

Are we as a species acting the way we were meant to act? No matter how many religions and humanitarian organizations exist, the carnage and mayhem goes on. Is the human species even capable of being other than we have always been. If there has been some Cosmic alien entity monitoring us through the ages, I feel like they have been exercising tremendous restraint in not turning this planet into a burning cinder so as to prevent us from spreading our violent ways like a cancer throughout the universe...but perhaps that doesn't happen because "they" are NOT like us and do not wish to destroy. (Hypothetical what I have stated here...just saying).

We all were born with hearts and minds and emotions....perhaps the answer is that some humans are born lacking "souls" or consciences. Maybe that is the answer. There are good people that do good works and have compassion and love for their fellow man. Yet, I can't help but ponder as to why violence and war and murder has always plagued the world since the beginning of time. Religious folks have explanations for this and I have no way of knowing if they are right or wrong relevant to what they say. Science may have their own theories as to why, we as a species are warlike and such.

Those words on a Christmas card..."Peace on earth good will towards men"...they sound beautiful and I wish they would/could become reality. It angers me and saddens me that the way of the world has not caught on to that yet. Is it expecting too much to wish for peace on earth? Would such a world be considered what religious folks call heaven and this world is not heaven so therefore we can never attain what we wish for and hope for and pray for in that regard?

Was Einstein right...."Mans technology far exceeds his humanity". Are we human yet not humane...not able to possess and define what it is to have humanity and love and compassion for our fellow man. Just wondering here on a rainy, gray day.

Any thoughts anyone...any answers.

Yup..when their is 1 person left on the planet..

Since the dawn of time someone stronger has been taking from someone weaker and someone weaker gets mad enough then eliminates that someone stronger and then starts taking from someone weaker.. rinse and repeat.

People can blame it on the CIA, the NSA, The FBI, The President, every American thing their is, all the Jewish people, all the Muslims, whatever you want..it's been there since second 1 of this planet.

It should be possible now. The only thing that makes it impossible to have peace is a lack of resources. Since technology has givin us the ability to have enough resources for everyone. Now we just do it for greed.

a reply to: opethPA It is true, there can be so much blame and shame and name calling and such yet when push comes to shove...as long as there are 2 or more people, someone will always not be able to resist the urge to "shove". Sad but seems very true.

PS. I like your avatar.

originally posted by: shrevegal

Are we as a species acting the way we were meant to act?

I personally believe so. And I believe coming to terms with that is to find peace.

a reply to: shrevegal

Well, if we want to use ATS as a (theoretical) representation of the enlightened souls out there in this world; if any place would have peace, I would expect it here first.

But alas, even a place like this has it's wars (otherwise, the mods themselves could retire, as everyone would be able to post and respectively disagree with one another, should someone have an opposing viewpoint).

In short: As long as someone has a "it's us vs them..." attitude, then no, there will never be peace for humankind on earth, unless there is only one person or none at all.

-fossilera

NO Not possible end communication....

a reply to: fossilera I know what you mean. I feel disheartened just seeing how communications at forums can even turn into "mini wars" of a sort. We almost all assuredly have a "dark side" and maybe that is the answer. I find it in myself, at times...saying things at a forum and then thinking about it later and analyzing what I've said and wondering "where did that come from"? I don't like my dark side and yet I must acknowledge it. Soul searching and trying to figure out why we do the things we do and say the things we say and so forth. As some here have mentioned, as long as there is more than one person on this earth and there are two sides to every story and it is in our nature to pick a side...the one that feels right to us, there will always be division and worse.

This world and its troubles...daunting at times.

a reply to: stirling I hope you are wrong but I fear you may be right. End transmission.

a reply to: smithjustinb I like your answer. Inner peace may be the best way to go, the peace we seek may be the peace we can nurture and acknowledge in our own hearts. If we can do that....than we can at least exist in this world with some semblance of joy and inner calm, even if it is only to be found in our own hearts.

a reply to: Diderot Your answer made me feel much better and hopeful to an extent on this overcast, dreary night here in Barksdale, Shreveport, Bossier area. It is one of those kinda nights where one is drawn toward deep thoughts and reflections...the news of the day I read on some other websites and here....gives one pause for thought and gets the mind racing in all kinds of directions. Yet, the way you mentioned what you did, relevant to the future and next generations and the like... was good to hear. I guess it never hurts to have hope in or hearts or at least peace in our hearts as some posters have mentioned. Thanks for responding.

a reply to: WakeUpBeer I agree. Would that we could live in a perfect world....but then I guess that would be what religious folks deem as Heaven and this world is not that. Thanx for responding. The bloodshed is horrific. TPTB never seem to "feel" the horror of it as many of us "common" folks do. I wonder, do they "feel" at all.

originally posted by: shrevegal
PS. I like your avatar.

Thanks..Immortal always make me lol...

You can't worry about the things you can't control in life..I'm trying to live to the fullest.

a reply to: mysterioustranger The minority, yes...that is the part that shrivels the soul....to realize there is a minority relevant to such things. Mankind should have more humanity...more compassion. To think like that is to be a dreamer I suppose and not acknowledging the nightmare that is in our reality can be an exercise in futility.. Thanks for replying.