Can we really do "this" any longer?

The same thing is going through my mind but you have said it well. I wish that I shared your optimism about the future. I see only the dumb and ignorant breeding and multiplying, this planet is theirs and not ours.

“I see hope."

So often the stories that appear in places like this are dark and foreboding at best. CIA Mind Control Experiments, Alien Abductions, Microchips in Vaccines, Jackbooted Government Goons Wielding Moon-based Particle Beam Weapons, FEMA Camps...the list goes on and on.

Laying aside the truth factor of these articles and the subjects they explore, they all possess one thing in common: FEAR.

We live in a world dominated by a system based on and perpetuated by FEAR. FEAR of losing control. FEAR of someone else having more than we do. FEAR of losing what we've somehow come to believe is rightfully ours, even though we've stolen it from someone else. FEAR of what "THEY" might do to us in the middle of the night. FEAR of what might happen if we let "THEM" get away with it.

We live in a world where hope is often equated with naiveté. When one expresses hopeful ideas, he or she is often challenged by those who feel that they are the ones who fully understand "how everything works".

"I used to think like that when I was young," they tell us. Which generally means “before I dumped my vision and bought into the cynicism of a fear based system." They hurl words like "Idealist" and "Dreamer". Seeking to drag us into the gutter, they tell us to get our heads out of the clouds. This is nothing more than the natural drive of a system to perpetuate itself.

So how does one maintain a hopeful approach while standing knee-deep in the quagmire of fear?

There's an old axiom that's been paraphrased a million times that says something to the effect of, "Trust in God, but tie your camel." War exists. Murder exists. Rape, theft, violence, and countless other manners of abuse exist. But those who are aware realize that these are simply the symptoms of the disease known as FEAR. And no disease can be properly treated until its symptoms are fully brought to light.

At this time, we are being shown exactly what the symptoms are. We can catch the disease ourselves and run away, or open ourselves to LOVE and facilitate the cure.

Smile at strangers. Volunteer. Donate clothing to homeless shelters. Pick up garbage along the banks of a river. Vote in local elections. Pray. It’s easy to laugh these measures off as simple and ineffective, but all these things lead to the healing of self, and by extension, community.

We are entering an era when the collapse of national systems will necessitate the bolstering of local ones. Those who understand this will weather the storm. Those who don’t will come to realize that the foundations of their houses are built on sand…


[edit on 7-1-2010 by standingwest]

[edit on 7-1-2010 by standingwest]

[edit on 7-1-2010 by standingwest]

Nice post. You sound a lot like me when I was your age.

This hamster wheel of working and buying stuff doesnt fulfill anyone.


[edit on 7-1-2010 by Copernicus]

Originally posted by TeddiRevolution
My thoughts and feelings exactly. I'm 19 as well. Every adult I encountered in my life has said the same thing.

"You are young, we all felt like that but eventually you grow up."

What equates to growing up?

Simple. You end up losing most or all of the idealism you acquired in school that lead you to dream about how great things could be. It is replaced by the sad reality that too many people work to derail the good things with petty, short-sighted actions that end up making things worse, not better. I used to wish that I was born in an era with Star Trek technology and social equality. Now I've come to the conclusion that we'll probably never get there. Why? I could point out the health care debate as an example, but instead let's look at energy. Instead of looking for ways to increase the energy available to the average person - which would improve their quality of life and help take us to the next technological levels, we have the eco-nazis and AGW people telling us we all need to cut back "to save the planet". And they seem to be winning the race. I recently read an article on using thorium instead of uranium for nuclear power plants. This was proven to work by 1965 and has every advantage (below) over using uranium, but no one did it.

Thorium vs. uranium power reactors:
simple design - complex design
small footprint - huge footprint
no fuel/control rods - requires control rods that can malfunction
self regulating reaction - requires constant monitoring
and the three key differences IMO
waste cannot be converted to weapons - waste IS converted to weapons
100 year waste storage - 100,000 year waste storage
$10k/yr fuel cost - $50m/year fuel cost
US has a > 100,000 year supply - at least some must be imported

Why didn't this happen? Where would we be by now if it had?

For one thing, any country enriching uranium (like North Korea and Iran) could not claim it was for "peaceful purposes", it would only be for weapons.

So, this is just one (large) example leading to pessimism, but as you look around you'll see many more, such as how islamic terrorism is like a cancer slowly turning free western societies into totalitarian societies in an attempt to fight it. Many more than you will see leading to optimism.

Sorry, but I WAS idealistic once, too ...


[edit on 1/7/2010 by centurion1211]

Those that are pessimistic about the future will move to a more negative parralel earth reality. Those that are postive about there future will move to a more positive parralel earth reality. However we have to act on our passion/joy/excitement to make the change. Be the change you want to see in the world.

Originally posted by redzi0n
Those that are pessimistic about the future will move to a more negative parralel earth reality. Those that are postive about there future will move to a more positive parralel earth reality. However we have to act on our passion/joy/excitement to make the change. Be the change you want to see in the world.

Meanwhile ...

Back in reality.

Sorry, but

you think something bigs gonna happen in 2010?..

lol..

well i dunno about you, it seems its already happening, everyones having a weird feeling. This is our animal instinct that everyone has, and its kicking in.
BIG TIME.

I'm a long time reader on ATS and, after reading your post I had to sign up and post a reply.
I am 39 and live in the UK and I can assure you, what you are feeling and thinking has nothing to do with your age. I have been feeling like I'm on a merry-go-round for a few years and I just want to get off. Get out of the system. I really dislike how modern society are driven by greed, power, selfishness, posessions etc. Don't get me wrong. I don't believe it is their fault. They are doing what they have been taught/programmed to do. I don't watch much TV for that reason. They are called programmes after all.
I have recently started to play the national lottery with 2 aims:
1: I would move 'off the grid' and be self sufficient with a collection of like minded people.
2: I would personally go to under developed countries and bring tools and seeds etc and ensure clean water for as many people as the money would let me. I would work VERY hard on the projects myself.

RE: 2012
I think that our 'Awakening' is all part of the run up to 2012 and that we have lots of changes to come before then. I don't worry if people think i'm a nut anymore. I tell any who will listen about a whole range of things. Tesla and suppressed tech. Vaccines and the dangers. The aluminium in deodorant. The list is almost endless.

I have also noticed that some music is changing. Have you heard Uprising by Muse and the latest Black Eyed Peas album, The E.N.D? I ask you. Listen to them and tell me if you think they are feeling the same way as we are.
Thanks for your time.
Stealer (has nothing to do with theft btw)

reply to post by centurion1211


I don't see many people protesting in washington, do you?

I don't see many people protesting in london, paris, tokyo, berlin, rome, etc...do you?

Change will not happen by itself! A lot of people need to demand change for it to happen. Bribbed politicians are all too happy to continue doing what they are doing even though they know a lot of the decisions they make are blatantly wrong.

Usually the *rights of many* are not compatible with the *rights of the few* to put it mildly. It's called *predation* of the weak! To use a simple analogy what would a lion eat if all the animals were as strong as him/her?

I agree, and I'm listening to muse-the resistance right now funnily enough. I'm 18 and I know a lot of people that are thinking along the same lines as everyone here. About half of the people I know are waking up to some degree about how the world isn't run like we are taught, history is not what we are taught, and the path we are headed down isn't going to be good for the people of the world. Climategate has actually done a lot to change the way people around me view the world.
I agree with you that we cannot do 'this' anymore. The only two paths I saw myself headed down for a long time were either being rich and completely materialistic yet still miserable and knowing I wasted my life, or being an extremely poor perhaps homeless person just refusing to be a part of a machine like life of work-sleep-work-sleep-------------die.
Now however I see there might be a third path of earning a living and being somewhat happy. Not in the sense of conforming to society, but trying to find the truth about our past by being an archaeologist plus being able to travel around the world and experience different cultures and ways of living.
The most important thing in life is to be able to have a sense of humor and permanent skepticism (Not blindly believing authority, but also not blindly believing other explanations, conspiracy theories), but thats just my opinion. Also if you can manage to get rid of fear. It is very hard to manipulate/ control someone with no fear.
Good post, good luck.

Can an Old Guy comment?

You know what? I never did "grow up". I never did accept the "work/sleep/work" routine. I refused too.

When I was your age I was crossing the oceans on a USCG Cutter, I learned right then that the whole working for someone else gig was not for me.

Do I "work"? Most would call it that but I don't.

I do what I love to do and have made sure it can provide me and mine with what we need to live "within the system" we have to live within.

I truly believe that it's ALL about figuring out what you LOVE to do first, then figure out how to make money at it.

I know the whole monetary/materialistic system seems ridiculous but it's the system we've built and continue to use. You certainly are not "trapped" in this system however. If you can do without all the "stuff", the cars, computers, fancy home, conveniences then you can certainly opt out. There's millions of square miles of empty wilderness in North America where you can truly live as you are able or want to.

I think that as social creatures we want to be "a part of" something though so it's a very rare person who can actually make that work.

As a small business owner who does exactly what he loves to do life is really pretty wonderful. It's hard to imagine at 19 I know that, I remember it. It's also hard to figure out what you really, really LOVE to do.

It's a process that you will most likely "fail" at many times before finding what it is YOU really love doing. I "failed" several times before I finally got it. It's part of really figuring out who YOU are.

I don't consider these "failures" a bad thing at all, to me they're no different than an artist who has to keep adding color until he finds exactly what he wants. Every color he tried before the "one" was a failure but it led him to what he was looking for.

Springer...

reply to post by TheOneElectric


Everything that we do in life is our decision. Being a debt-slave is our decision, no one forces us to do it. The more people begin to wake up, the more we will all realize the individual roles that we play for the whole.

Our current system is help up by the energy that we put into it, and this current monetary/political system is just a game. It needs our support to continue.

Humans are evolving, there is no doubt in my mind, and it is simply a choice.

Google Video Link

When I was 17 I was sure the world would come to an end very soon. I was wrong. Prepare for a long, glorious life.

I personally enjoy listening to the older folks who always say something like "I was idealistic once as well...."

It would seem that some people grow old and bitter when they are forced to believe they cannot change anything.

But we can.

The man of one thousand retirements will always be the one to tell you when to quit.

You can change the world OP, and do not let anyone make you believe otherwise.

At 19, I have serious doubts to ANYONE'S wisdom. They just haven't lived long enough to get a wealth of experience to show them how the world works.

I'm pretty sure it's not all Work/Sleep/Work/Sleep. Some days I feel like that, and I work a little more than people I know, but I still manage to squeeze enough play to make the work worth slogging through...

What I'm sensing in this message is ennui. A sense of dissatisfaction with the status quo. I hate to tell you this, but for most people, life is a big long stretch of boring punctuated by moments of excitement.

Maybe if you get lucky, or make a superior effort, you'll be different... The point is that you gotta work hard just to not have everything fall apart let alone exceed the standard that most people are living. But make no mistake, you DO have it better than your parents, or even your grand or great-grand parents as well. You're likely healthier and have more opportunities than they did. You just have to buckle down and work for them.

Staying out of debt is great and for most people it makes you happier, but it means you'll go without certain "things". Set the bar lower and you'll probably be happier.

Guess it all comes down to knowing how the system works while not falling for the belief that buying into it is a requirement.

Being able to tell the difference between needs and wants.

Toys are fine, but if you can't drop a match on them and walk away, then they've obviously become an addiction.

Main problem is, the current comsumer-based economy we live in depends upon your believing that you not only NEED toys - but that you need to purchase BIGGER and BRIGHTER versions of the SAME toys every year. Planned obselesence and perceived obsolesence are the hook designed to lock you into a cycle of ever unattainable physical gratification. The current system has dehumanized us to the point where our only value is measured by how much we spend.

Man operates on 4 levels: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. Lavishing attention on one to the exclusion of the others is suicide.

I have been shown the future and you see it too. The people of earth are waking up, and this process is accelerating. I was working a job for 18 years and then I realized I was on a merry-go-round of never ending debt. With a mortgage, 2 car payments, insurance etc etc. I quit my job, sold house, paid off vehicles and credit cards. I did all this in early 07. Bought a mobile home on some property and paid it off with proceeds from sale of house. I am still unemployed. I live in AZ. I am no longer on the merry-go-round. I have children your age and do not want to see them fighting their whole lives for what I gave up. I feel that all the money in the world is about to self combust. And the world will do just fine without it.

Changes! They are a coming!

see vids at youtube.com/torchofaz

& myspace.com/torchofgod

TOG

Ok seriously, what's with the "dream killers" in this thread? You know who you are. The people who keep saying, "You'll grow out of it.." and so forth. Your ideologies are forced. You learned to accept because you were beat into submission by the system. You learned to find your "happy" place.

Don't tell anyone to learn to accept it or anything else. Push them to seek higher, do more, be better, and change the world. Just because your dream got smashed doesn't mean you should bring the hammer down on anyone else.

Yes, I understand people probably have always to an extent said, "I feel the world is ending and things must change!" At one time you were that person and due to people saying things to you like, "It's just part of being young. You'll grow up and conform." Now you're spewing that same negativity to other people.

The OP is right. I and MANY MANY other people feel something deep within ourselves. It IS time for change. A big change. Like I said before, I'm 29 but this is just not cutting it for me.

Here's the problem I have:

What is it we're working for? It's all about materials. Paint the picture whatever color you like, but it all boils down to how much you bought in this life. That's what people are judging. It seems the happiest people though tend to be the ones who don't chase the materials. Who don't work the 9-5 jobs. They chase their spirit.

I for one will not say, "You'll grow up." Instead, I say, "Let's break the chains of tradition. Let's be different. Let's change the face of this planet forever." Enough is enough.

I remind the "dream killers"... how did you feel when people said those poisonous words to you? Think about it...

Thanks for this thread. It brings back a lot of memories and I think it’s something everyone thinks about at one point or other. I’m a member of Generation X. We had parents that were born in the 50’s. Our parents were the ones that were kids during the 60’s movement of free love (my mom was 13 in ’68 - the height of the Vietnam war). They were also the ones that got to discover what a government will do to suppress an idea like communism while throwing massive amounts of money to the military industrial complex. The parents of Generation X are the ones that got beat down by the system in epic fashion and became the older folks in Congress today that make no sense to pretty much everyone.

My generation didn’t aspire to such heights. We ushered in the music now thought to be “oldies”, you know: Nirvana, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam, etc. Our rebellion was believed to be one of technology. We saw the rise of computers and pretty much every electronic device we use today. We believed that these things would make us happier, and that they’d do more work for us so that we could enjoy our lives more. We haven’t seen it, and most of us believe it won’t happen.

Your generation is facing the same questions. I can only offer this advice. First off, make it a goal to shun debt as much as humanly possible. Most in my generation (and the generations prior) felt a need to have more than the neighbors and to have newer stuff than everyone else. It was some sort of status symbol. It’s a lie. All of it. Most people don’t know the difference between “need” and “want”. In most cases, people buy what they want, not what they need. If you try to live a simplistic life and never buy anything new (because everything depreciates quickly) unless it’s already on sale, then you’ll likely remain free from the crushing debt my generation faces because we simply had to have it all. Most in my generation can pull out their wallets and purses and show you at least seven credit cards. My brother has eleven. I have just one, that I pay off completely every month.

Debt is hell, and you need to avoid it at all costs. Don’t fall for the marketing you are inundated by every hour of every day. Save your money and buy things you really want with cash. I drive a vehicle that’s a decade old, and it still works great because I maintain it rather than let it crumble. My computer is five years old and it’s still fully functional because I bought a good one. The point here is that you can escape this burden by making sure you don’t weigh yourself down with debt and buying tons of things you want rather than things you need. How many people of my generation do you see that have to park outside because their garages are full of crap? It’s true. My folks generation is just as bad.

Best wishes to you. It’s been a fight for me to remain as free as I am. It’s a struggle to see marketing as something to get me to spend, spend, spend. Perhaps your generation will see all the mistakes my generation has made. Perhaps you won’t follow blindly down the same path. Sadly, from what I’ve seen thus far, your generation isn’t going to break free. Be the exception, and do your level best never to be the bad example.