The world really is getting better and better

Originally posted by randomname
your chart just proved the majority aren't happy with life. there's less than ten countries that are really happy, the rest of the world are less than really happy.

The science presented proves not that everyone is happy but that the world is getting better.

I hope that clarifies the misunderstanding.

Originally posted by boondock-saint

thanks for the thread
But I ain't biting.
This article below is symbolic
of what is going on in
ALL countries.

thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com...

Modern Day Slavery

Yes. And what about that refutes anything posted in the OP

Originally posted by ladyinwaiting

But complacency moves against us in many ways and we begin to tolerate things that don't have to be; circumstances that exist that are within our power to change.

Anger and discontent are useful tools in society. They move us to correct injustices.

The subtle hint here is that optimism leads to complacency. It can. But it doesnt have to. And the opening post is not really that "optimistic". Its realistic. Just wait til I get optimistic...

The world is getting better and better. Hmm well kind of, for every thing that is changed and uplifted another problem takes its place, and the world is getting better in small leaps and at a snails pace.

But I know all those who are in the sticks would say, your not looking at the big picture, look here and here, stuff is getting worse, and i say. I have seen the bigger picture, and your have just begun to see things for what they are or were, and some things have touched you and you see them now, not because they didn't exist before, but because you didn't bother to look at them before, what you don't see and know, does not exist. And welcome to the past.

Every time I think of the world getting better the ending from Escape From LA springs into my mind, because the whole world getting better thing is determined by so many perspectives, it really cant be defined by any one thing or person, though personally I do believe it is getting a little better, at least if you judge it by what it was in the past.
And welcome to the human race.

reply to post by Hendrix92TheUniverse


I agree with a lot of that, but as far as the 50% not paying taxes and getting a "hand out" is ridiculous. Those 50% own less than 1% of the total wealth.

I PROMISE YOU, the majority of those 50% are not lazy. Considering there is almost no social mobility in America, they were more than likely BORN into the "lower class." Try being born into poverty and getting out of it. Let me know how that works out for you.

This is why it is on the stronger and more intelligent to protect and serve those poor CHILDREN, which means supporting the parents for a time, until the chain is broken.

But you see, people like you, think this idea of welfare is repulsive. What's repulsive to me, is knowing there is a problem and blaming others as to why the problem can't be solved. The poor children born into poverty, that inevitably become poor adults, get the blame and the ones that can actually solve the problem, sit on their wealthy butts and condemn.

All that being said, our disagreement, not matter which side you are on, doesn't exactly compliment the OP!

Originally posted by XLR8R
Us, north americans had it pretty good for the past 60 years or so. We flourished like no other countries did. And with such expanssion of personal, regional and national wealth, pardon me for saying so, but we kind of went on to be spoiled little brats who take the simplest things for granted. And we know that's it's the little things that truly makes us the happiest. Now it's time to pass the torch to the next recipient of the cushy life. It's history repeating itself, providing the world of the human animal with some kind of weird equilibrium. But that's just my opignion.

Thats a lucid description of EXACTLY what is going on. Spoiled Brats. Their curve does not go up for a few years (since 2008) and they are livid. The curve is going steeply upwards in China now. After that it the Holy Grail of prosperity will leave China and go elsewhere. Meanwhile, the world as a whole keeps being pulled up with it.

I do understand that things are getting better for some, but is the right direction we are heading? Should we only concentrate on making life more comfortable on the physical plane?

Originally posted by woodwardjnr
Good thought provoking thread. We as a species have come along way. life for the majority has never been easier. Improvements in medicine have improved our standards of lives in quite unimaginable ways, with life spans increasing and certain diseases a thing of the past. But, there is a flip side, in a way human evolution has stopped, we have no natural predators, we can immunise against deadly virus's, so no longer is it about survival of the fittest and smartest. We have removed ourselves from nature and live in a man made created bubble that protects us from the former threats we had to adapt to. I am also seeing a social change, an end to the welfare state and reduction in workers rights, a job for life with good benefits is thing of the past (unless your a banker). In my opinion we are going to see things get worse for the middle and working class's after we have witnessed the biggest transfer of wealth in memory. The looting of the public sector by the banks has left this world in a precarious postion. I think we could seen an end to the middle class with the reduction of social mobility in the west.

Everything has its good and bad sides, doesnt it.

Capitalism has also had a huge effect on our natural world. The demand for constant consumption is totally unsustainable, we have finite resources, yet use them at rate with no possibility of replacing them.

Does Capitalism (buying and selling) have this effect, or is it Environmental Pollution that is having this effect?

Originally posted by Beyond Creation
It all comes from within. A projection.

To what one objects is to what one objects within them. A separation.

What one projects is what one feels about it or understands of it. A meaning.

Yes.

What the media is guilty of attempting, and if I've understood this thread, is not only selecting to report on events that have no direct meaning to the audience but leave a deliberate imprint of helplessness, fear and separation, all the time pulling on the proverbial 'heart-strings' that have been laid bare.

Q. ''the world is fuc##d and what can you do about it!?''

Precisely.

The news-media does not have the intention to help the world get better by pointing out all its bad sides. The intention is to sensationalize, exaggerate, blow out of proportion in order to sell papers.

By daily rapid firing with negativity, the populace goes into a state of apathy where they do nothing other than sit in front of the internet ranting about how bad stuff is. Meanwhile they dont notice that their heart-chakras are completely clogged with alienation.

Originally posted by goodtimesarecoming

I often say to myself...'every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better'...something I read a long time ago

I have now also added...'every day, in every way, the WORLD is getter better and better.

Loving the screenname

Originally posted by Skyfloating

Originally posted by woodwardjnr

Does Capitalism (buying and selling) have this effect, or is it Environmental Pollution that is having this effect?

Environmental pollution is a by product of excessive consumption of the buying and selling of consumer goods. Take plastic bottles for water. You dont need a plastic bottle for water. It runs out of a tap, yet millions of plastic bottles of water are consumed every day. Thats just a tiny example of the unnecessary crap we create to make money, It results in things like the great Pacific Garbage patch en.wikipedia.org...

edit on 7-3-2011 by woodwardjnr because: (no reason given)

Originally posted by Reflection
reply to post by Hendrix92TheUniverse

 

I agree with a lot of that, but as far as the 50% not paying taxes and getting a "hand out" is ridiculous. Those 50% own less than 1% of the total wealth.

I AM ONE OF THE 50% THAT OWN LESS THAN 1% OF THE WEALTH

I PROMISE YOU, the majority of those 50% are not lazy. Considering there is almost no social mobility in America, they were more than likely BORN into the "lower class." Try being born into poverty and getting out of it. Let me know how that works out for you.

I WAS BORN INTO POVERTY, AND WORKED MY ASS OFF FOR EVERYTHING I HAVE

This is why it is on the stronger and more intelligent to protect and serve those poor CHILDREN, which means supporting the parents for a time, until the chain is broken.

GIVE TO CHARITIES, AS DO I

But you see, people like you, think this idea of welfare is repulsive. What's repulsive to me, is knowing there is a problem and blaming others as to why the problem can't be solved. The poor children born into poverty, that inevitably become poor adults, get the blame and the ones that can actually solve the problem, sit on their wealthy butts and condemn.

I AM FAR FROM WEALTHY. INSTEAD OF TYPING ON THE KEYBOARD, GO OUT AND HELP YOUR COMMUNITY, AS DO I

All that being said, our disagreement, not matter which side you are on, doesn't exactly compliment the OP!

Welfare is definitely repulsive to me for your information. I believe in charity, not the government stealing my money to give to others, many of whom don't want to work. In a free society, we can choose to help our fellow man who truly needs help. We don't need the government taking our tax dollars, and donating our money to others, based on sometimes illogical assumptions of wealth and ability, while the government keeps a hefty percentage for themselves. And if you lay out a perfect blanket of protection, how many lazy will take a nap in that blanket? I say, more than necessary. I would venture to say that I help people I don't know almost every week, both financially and emotionally, but that is just me. I take a great interest in the welfare of others, but our Constitution, was written to safeguard this country as a Republic, safeguarding the liberties of the citizens with the rule of law. And to me, there is nothing more heinous that a government which no longer represents the citizens, basically stealing their money to give it to those you refuse to fend for themselves.

Granted, there are citizens who cannot fend for themselves, but there are charities, to whom I contribute, who do take care of these people.

Taxation on one group for the benefit of anther group is theft, pure and simple.

We have to think in terms of individual liberty and responsibility, and Constitutional Law and Charity, go hand in hand with that concept.

This is what I believe, this is what I know.

I would appreciate any respectful discourse on the matter.

"The world really is getting better and better!"

Wow. Just wow.

reply to post by Hendrix92TheUniverse


First off, I don't know what percentile of wealth you are in. If you are in the middle class, I don't blame you for not wanting to give up your hard earned dollars to help the poor, it's a struggle for those in the middle. Especially near the bottom of the middle, wherever that is. But as a society, can't we agree on when enough is enough?

I just don't understand when people are so against welfare, but have no problem with multi-multi billionaires, that can never get enough, when there are so many in need. The top 1% own 40% of the wealth. If they gave up only half of that to the bottom 50%, they would still be rich beyond belief and those 50% could actually have a life and start contributing to society. But Noooooo, greed and the never ending need for more and more is ok and being poor and "lazy" is not.

Laziness is not a result of charity. Laziness has to do with a bleak outlook on life and being uninspired. If you are a child that's environment is uninspiring, you will become an uninspired adult. This is why you could take a child from the most impoverished region of Africa, place them in a financially wealthy, emotionally stable and supportive environment and Wah Lah! You have yourself an ambitious asset to society. People are not born lazy. They learn to be lazy from their environment, just like they learn to be criminals from their environment.

So if the problem is the ENVIRONMENT and NOT the person, then isn't the solution in the hands of the ones capable of changing that environment? Can't we stop condemning the poor and incompetent parents and start supporting the innocent children? How else can the chain be broken?

I don't advocate "stealing" from the middle class to give to the poor. I'm advocating for a narrowing of the gap between the richest and poorest. Again, if you are in the middle class, I'm not saying you should give up what little you have. I'm just saying being against welfare in general is fighting the wrong fight. We need to be fighting the billionaires. Because the reality is, if we continue to CONDEMN the "lazy" adults in society that, like I said before, were more than likely BORN into that life, we will continue to have the same problem in the future, because those children of the parents you insist on condemning, are bound to end up exactly like their parents and you will be on this site 20 years from now continuing to condemn those very children, that are now the "lazy" parents. When do we break the chain??

Originally posted by Skyfloating

Originally posted by B.Morrison

That is interesting & true but the middle class today is still the middle class & we still have a class system.

You wouldnt want to take out the competition out of the game, would ya?

actually if you'd bothered to acknowledge the very next sentence I wrote you'd have seen I wanted the whole game to change. I don't like the game. I don't want it.

-B.M

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander

Originally posted by nightbringr

Im not sure how it is in the USA, but here in Canada if i decide not to work, the government will set me up with a bi-monthly welfare cheque and low rent housing and I will never be at risk of starving or freezing to death.

Its not like that here in the US. At least not now. Even if you spend long determined hours trying, you cannot get a mentally ill, elderly, homeless person into low rent housing here in the US in the middle of winter because the waiting list to even give an application is 2 years long. Thats 2 years to wait to have yourself put onto the actual waiting list, in case that wasnt clear.

In the richest country in the world, some of us who take the time to look see the helpless, the innocent, people who truly cannot do for themselves, freeze on the streets.

I guess it all depends where you choose to look. Many wealthy people go out of their way to avoid seeing those sights, and preventing their children from seeing those sights. Because its "negative" and unpleasant, and because seeing it might mean they might have to question their contribution to that misery. Famously, Siddhartha's father wanted to prevent him from ever seeing human suffering so that he would choose to be a king in the material sense. But fate intervened and he did see the suffering of others, and the rest is history.

I can see the OP's point, that sometimes the focus on the negative gets out of balance. Sometimes it does seem as if we are wallowing in misery, rather than looking at it with a constructive eye, and trying to figure out ways to overcome the issues that are making us miserable.

I just dont agree that a "what are you all whining about everything is great" post is the way to achieve that. It overlooks the fact that many of the people "whining" are not doing so well, and their suffering is genuine.

Understood and still not convinced.

The OPs point was that we are, in general, becoming better societies, with more of everything for everyone. Again, this is GENERALLY.

If you look at the links the OP provided, it makes very convincing evidence that we are advancing as people and itsa quite obvious to me as a citizen of the West that we are living quite well.

I think my brain is wired differently that most, and i tend to look at the good in life rather than the bad. It can be quite frustrating for my aquantences to argue with me about how terrible things are these days and how they wish they could go back to the "horse and buggy" days. Yet these same people would never part with their cars, their cell phones and their central air conditioning.

So. Lets backtrack a minute. The OPs point was as a whole. we are progressing. I see it. Of course there is poverty worldwide, the third world is still the third world. Dictators still reign supreme in many parts of the worlds and the democracies are filled with corruption. But what most people fail to see is if they want real change they need to make it happen themselves.

They sit at their computers and rage on and on about how unfair life is and how rediculous it is they have to work for a living, never once thinking of joining a lobby group, protesting, joining a political party or more to make real, actual change.

You talk about how you see homeless people on the side of the road freezing in winter or starving in summer, but have you once stopped to bring one home and feed or keep one warm? Have you joined a lobby group to protest exhorbitant defense spending? Spoke with your congressman about percieved injustices?

Perhaps all these things will get you nowhere, but at least you tried. Most of the people on here simply rage with no real plan of how they want to fix things. I respect those that DO, not those who preach to others.

I dont believe everything is perfect, but if i see somthing i want to change and i care enough about it, you can be damned sure ill do something about it or die trying.

Originally posted by Reflection
reply to post by Hendrix92TheUniverse

 

I just don't understand when people are so against welfare, but have no problem with multi-multi billionaires, that can never get enough, when there are so many in need. The top 1% own 40% of the wealth. If they gave up only half of that to the bottom 50%, they would still be rich beyond belief and those 50% could actually have a life and start contributing to society. But Noooooo, greed and the never ending need for more and more is ok and being poor and "lazy" is not.

Laziness is not a result of charity. Laziness has to do with a bleak outlook on life and being uninspired. If you are a child that's environment is uninspiring, you will become an uninspired adult. This is why you could take a child from the most impoverished region of Africa, place them in a financially wealthy, emotionally stable and supportive environment and Wah Lah! You have yourself an ambitious asset to society. People are not born lazy. They learn to be lazy from their environment, just like they learn to be criminals from their environment.

I dont believe most people are against welfare itself. They are against capable, fit people who will not work and would rather sit an their ass leeching from good, productive people.

Laziness is a result of their environment? Perhaps this can be said to be true, but is it an excuse? I would like to believe if i was born into abject poverty i would do anything and everything i could to rise above it. The world is full of people who have done just that, and those people inspire me. One good friend of mine is a shining example of this. He was born into poverty and wanted better for his children than was provided for him, so he worked his ass of at two miserable jobs, saved enough for an education and is now an electrician making more than I ever will. And he loves his job. Good for him!

reply to post by nightbringr


I just think that both you and the OP are missing the point that people do not experience "on average." They experience as individuals.

Its not "positive" to tell people "I dont care how your life is going, or if you are doing well or not, people on average are doing better so stop whining," and that is the OPs basic attitude. Thats not positive. Thats mean spirited disguised as positivity.

The nearly 1 billion people hungry in the world right now dont feel any better that the OP has declared the world better on average. They are hungry. The homeless in America dont feel better because "on average" Americans still are relatively wealthy compared to citizens of other nations.


Edit to add,

And absolutely I have helped the homeless. I have regular people I buy food for and try to help. How do you think I know there is a 2 year waiting list to get someone onto the waiting list for low income housing? Because I have spent hours on the phone calling everyone and every agency I could trying to get someone off the street.

I am not hypocrite when it comes to helping people. I dont just write posts about how we should all stop whining. One of the reason I know people have the right to whine is because I DO spend time helping those who cannot help themselves. From doing yard work and errands for elderly poor people, to my homeless friends. Homelessness has always been an issue I have cared about, from the time I was a teenager I have been involved in that cause.

Nothing is worse to me than someone not even having a tent or cave or shack to call home, and being harassed and driven like an animal from place to place because they dont fit in our human domestication scheme. MANY of them are mentally ill, and most of them dont deserve the abuse they get from people on the street, and pompous self righteous twits who feel obligated to tell the worlds people to stop whining.

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
reply to post by nightbringr

 

I just think that both you and the OP are missing the point that people do not experience "on average." They experience as individuals.

But the OP was about how we as citizens of earth are "on average" doing better. As a whole. I would love to help each and every person on the planet but i think we need to step back and make smaller steps rather than try and cure everyones ails overnight.

The links he posted showed how we as people on a whole are doing, not just in the West, or individual people. I think YOU missed the OPs' point. Its preposterous to think everyone everywhere will always be happy. Noble, but not realistic.

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander

Its not "positive" to tell people "I dont care how your life is going, or if you are doing well or not, people on average are doing better so stop whining," and that is the OPs basic attitude. Thats not positive. Thats mean spirited disguised as positivity.

Not sure I ever said anything about not caring, simply how people need to look after themselves and not expect others, especially their government to do it for you. Hell, i prefer the government to stay OUT of my business as much as possible! Please point out where it is i said i didnt care?

reply to post by B.Morrison


i personally enjoy competition when viewed as betterment of ones self, then everybody wins.

Not entirely sure why the only way to have competition and progress is how things are right now.. this is where some people will trample each other to death, literally, for something they "want."

i dont like that "game" either, and i feel we can do better than that. That is regardless of how one subjectively views this period of time compared to past periods of time. Due to the inherent nature of time, we have to go "somewhere," so we might as well try to learn from past mistakes, try new things, and consciously move through life. we can always "do better" and we can always grow, learn, and discover on many levels. i feel we should constantly strive to do this consciously, which would involve periodic changes to better incorporate the new growth on personal and communal scales. i dont think a plant grows towards the light because it isnt already perfect, the system makes movement because that is what it means to live.

How are we going to grow now? I think the question applies both personally and communally. the motion is continuous and happening anyway, so how are we going to decide to direct it? I think that if the base of our social and cultural structure and "story" is based on co-operation between others, and competition with oneself (with the support of others), would be more "sound" and productive than one of competition between us based on pride and profit (like it is now). I feel it is a goal to work towards to be more successful as a species, and it is as.. "simple" as a perspective shift. But to get to that time and place, i think the story, or plant seed, has to start somewhere.