On the other hand, people are great! Concentrate on the good in humankind.
What was that old MTV thing about problems and solutions? All you can do is make the world a better place for you and your family and friends and hope it knocks on. Cheer up, the world is a beautiful place. If every one could see the world is paradise, instead of wishing for one, well...

I've pondered this many times. Initially I try to conclude (like the first response to the OP) that it's just the corrupt elite who are letting humanity down, but then I watch my fellow humans at the bottom of the pile throwing cigarettes out of car windows, stuffing themselves obese with factory farmed food, cheating on their spouses, driving drunk, voting for warmongers, and working for immoral companies (this one applies to me). This is just the tip of the iceberg. The average person might not have their finger on the red "nuke" button, but we live inconsiderate, selfish, meaningless lives in our own smaller way.

There's a small glimmer of hope, so I don't suggest we need to make ourselves extinct, but we've got a LONG way to go.

Astyanax, we are the most intelligent beings (except maybe for aliens) on this planet, therefore we must try to maintain it for the other life forms. Also, we destroy needlessly. Most animals, for example, eat what they need to survive. We take anything whether we need it or not. Animals dont build cities, dislocating hundreds of species, making some extinct. If we are too "successful" than most of the rest of the species may die out, crushing the balance. We must maintain the planet or the ecosystems will break down around our ears. We need them, but they don't need us.
And yes, the earth does not feel, but it is all our home, and we are desecrating it.

Unless humanity as a whole makes a conserted effort to turn things around, we will be in deep trouble. Cythraul, my sentiments exactly.

[edit on 27-6-2008 by sobek52]

OH - MY - GOD.....

This is why I say only ATS can kill ATS.

This self loathing, pathetic look at oneself and the rest of humanity is disgusting.

Hey buddy, GET-A-LIFE. Stop this nonsense.

Is Humanity Perfect? NO!!! But, I think we're doing the best we can.

Accept it and move on. Do something useful. Do something good.

Don't be a complainer. Be a doer. If you don't like that some one throws garbage out of there car window along the highway...get out and pick it up!!!

I'm tired of people complaining and whining. You sound like the teacher from the old peanuts cartoons....wa.wa.wa.wa.wa.wa.wa....

If you are that pissed off at society then put a bullet through your head and end your miserable exsistence.

But - stop trying to bring the rest of humanity down.

Look, too many people think "I'm just one person, what could I do?" But if everyone pitches in, we could really help. But, the people with influence and such that could really help, are often more concerned with getting money, power, etc. If people really made an effort, than we could do something. But, also, we are divided by language, race, ideals, etc. so it won't be easy. BUT IT NEEDS TO BE DONE

Originally posted by tomfrusso
Don't be a complainer. Be a doer. If you don't like that some one throws garbage out of there car window along the highway...get out and pick it up!!!
...
But - stop trying to bring the rest of humanity down.

It seems to me that I'm the one with a pragmatic take on the issue, and you're the only one letting it bring you down. I could go around picking up everyone else's litter, but how would that help them to become considerate people? Do-gooders do not outnumber the selfish. They can not undo the mess. Burying your head in the sand and pretending we're a shiny, happy race of people is not a 'positive' outlook - in fact, I'd argue that it's a more negative outlook than mine.

Originally posted by sobek52
I really do have a dim view of humanity. Over the centuries we have utterly failed as our planet's caretakers. We search for the slightest reason to exaggerate and create an excuse to anhilliate each other. Always, we search for greater means to kill. We have enough armament, some in the hands of the worst humans, to destroy this planet many times over. Also, we behave like an adaptable virus. We enter an area, adapt to utilize it, use up and totally deplete the resources, and leave to make another place desolate as well. Now, with space travel advancing, we have a chance of colonizing and screwing up the other planets. Don't give me the stuff about preserving nature and planting new trees. We do more harm than good. We cause harm to Earth and our own race. The world deserves better caretakers. Best case scenario for the world, a plague wipes us out, and clears the way for evolution to create a better ruling race.

Wow, that was one of the most arrogant and pathetic rants i'v read in a long time. I can probably guess that you're a just a moody teenager with all the answers to humanities problems....

Originally posted by sobek52
But we do kill the planet. Due to global warming and all, every year, an area the size the state of Maine becomes desert. Don't even get me started on deforestation. We pollute the oceans, killing the life within. The atmosphere is being poisoned as well. And yes, I agree, some attempts at solving this will backfire.
[edit on 27-6-2008 by sobek52]

It's called a natural climate change....

The Earth's climate has changed since it first came into existence, we've only been around in a tiny fraction of that imr so I think it's extremely arrogant to assume that we could be affecting the climate in anyway, considering that natural casues such as volcanos cause much higher increase in CO2 etc

While I do agree with getting rid of the hamful crap that is pumped into our atmosphere, using propaganda is bad in my books.

Originally posted by BloodthirstyCapitalist

Originally posted by Cythraul
as being some sort of cognizant, self aware entity; Its not. There is no "Gaia", and the world doesn't give a tiff about what we do.

actually i have read a book that has scientific proof that the earth, mainly plants and trees, can detect when there is a change in human presence and will adapt to the changing situations. plants can sense change and do adapt, so im not saying your wrong, but it seems to me like that would indicate the planet is, in a sense, alive.

[edit on 27-6-2008 by mrbooms]

Originally posted by BloodthirstyCapitalist
So the problems of humanity include the fact that not everyone agrees with your own myopic view of the world, and vote for the politicians you support? How does Cheating on your spouse affect the entirety of humanity? Obviously you're just expressing your opinion, but it doesn't seem as if many of your points are germain to the topic at hand.

My post was a dangerous one. Anyone who is guilty of any of the things I listed is bound to take personal offence to what I said. I make no apologies. I condemn many things and attempt not to be guilty of them myself (I don't always succeed, so I'm no better than others, but I try). Cheating on your spouse represents a collatoral failing. If we can't even respect the ones close to us, how are we meant to respect the rest of society? Cheating represents a hedonistic mindset, which has big negative implications for the wellbeing of communities. I didn't give examples of harmless things which merely annoy me, I gave examples of small but costly flaws in our accepted social activity. Therefore my post is directly related to the topic at hand. We minions don't have the power to cause catastrophic detriment to the world, but we do have the absility to cause small, accumulative social and environmental problems.

It would take a long time to explain it properly, and I'm at work now and only have a few minutes, but I'll give it a shot here... Effectively no one gives a rat's arse about the ubertotalitarian secrecy that runs everything to begin with. There will be NO significant enough scientific advancement such as the discovery of new truths, energies, methods and technologies that will steer us in an eco-friendly enough direction until we FIRST eliminate government by official secrecy (by getting rid of the National Security State, at least in US terms)... Hell, basically no one is able to see, or not enough people are aware of, THE most lopsided pie chart in the history of the universe: Human population took all the way from before known/recorded history until 1938 to reach 2 BILLION!! A relative instant later, 70 years, how huge is the number now?! Picture that pie chart. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?!! Or in tandem with industry as we know it, we've REALLY "screwed the pooch" with this kind of exploding population.

Need to be clear that I don't support any sudden, violent-by-definition depopulation of humanity. We simply need to start addressing reality and figuring out the most civilized way(s) to solve the problems.

what is it exactly you are comparing the human race to? Weve done a damn site better job than any other species on the planet in maintaining it. Of course there will be by- products & yes war & territorial protection is something that ALL species partake in. The fact you can sit at a computer and complain about the human race suggests to me that you arent living in the woods meditating?