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The world really is getting better and better

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posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 10:24 AM
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Originally posted by Skyfloating


Are you sure? Or are you romanticizing the distant past? As far as I know life expectancy was lower,


Are you sure? Life expectancy has had a dramatic increase, from 40ish to 70ish not because in the old days you were likely to die around age 40. But because BABIES died so much more frequently. The lions share of our gain in life expectancy was achieved by ensuring that most babies survived babyhood.

If you subtract out the gains from reduced infant mortality, we have gained 5-7 years on average.


Originally posted by Skyfloating
a simple cold could kill you


What is the logic behind that line of thinking? Or is there one? A simple cold doesnt kill you today, and for the most part you get NO treatment (treating symptoms with OTC drugs is NOT treating the virus causing the cold) for it but most people survive colds now, but you think something about people was so different in the past that a cold similarly untreated in the past would be lethal? It may be that things like Pneumonia were mistaken for a simple cold, and those killed you, but a simple cold was a simple cold, and your body handled it much like it does today.



Originally posted by Skyfloating
and brutality reigned.

How do you quantify that? We still seem to have wars, we still seem to have the powerful abusing the less powerful.


Originally posted by Skyfloating
And as an average citizen you'd be lucky to see any other town than your own.



What makes us so sure that the fact that we travel and follow work around the country, state, or globe in some cases is better for people? People used to live in communities, where they knew one another, and that provides a certain amount of security. Its not all good, but having a tribe and knowing your place in it provides a certain amount of comfort. People today have a lot more stuff, and they see a lot more stuff, but they are often lonely and disconnected from others. In many cases not even knowing the people who live a few doors down from them.

Modern society has been a mixed blessing. Not a universal boon, as you want to present it. And where you choose your "start point" for the comparison makes a huge difference too. If you start after agriculture had already spread, you get one view, if you begin when a people were still hunting and gathering you get another view.

Hunter gatherers in general work less hours per week for their living. There is some evidence they were healthier too, and our recent upswing in health is on the backside of a huge downswing brought on by agriculture. (Though they are still fighting out the details.)

www.telegraph.co.uk...


Dr Stock agrees that farming has played a powerful role in distorting human development. "The disparities we see today between those who are exploited and those who exploit are all based on those early origins of agriculture," he explains. Hunter-gatherers, for example, ate a wide variety of foods, around 60-70 kinds a year. But once humans switched to agriculture, we became dependent on a small number of crops. (Today, these are wheat, rice and corn, which provide the bulk of calories for the world's population.)

The problem is that most of these staple foods do not have the nutrients essential for a healthy life and are vulnerable to disease and drought. Moreover, having a population based in one place led to poor hygiene, just as living in proximity with domesticated animals inevitably resulted in diseases being transferred between species, as today's outbreak of swine flu reminds us.



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 10:34 AM
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reply to post by Skyfloating
 


I 100% agree.

I have only read the first page of replies, and it is exactly what I thought it would be.

A bunch of people complaining about their own individual situation, while they are still on the internet and most likely have a full belly and a warm place to sleep at night. They can't buy that 80 inch flat screen though...so life sucks


Be happy with what you have people...and remember that the majority of us crap in perfectly good drinking water while others drink from dirty rivers/wells/puddles. And then we still complain about our water. :shk:




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



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 10:44 AM
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reply to post by MindSpin
 



The suffering of others has nothing to do with an individuals gratification/happiness. "The world" for all of us, when it is said and done, is defined by our own perspective. Waxing and waning are part of life, and I believe most rational people understand this fact. The whole "but people in other countries have it worse" argument really doesn't apply in comparatives. You'd have to find these people and ask them to comment upon whether or not their life is better or worse than it previously was. This is the only way to achieve an "apples to apples" comparison.

My own mileage tells me that things are getting tight for a lot of people. This is worse than it was. This very well could be a short term development. If so, then Skyfloating can repost this same sentiment in a decade and I'll respond to it differently.

And, BTW, I have a 28 inch standard television with a converter box... The same TV I had when things were better. I didn't complain about it then, and I don't do so now.


I have nothing but optimism about the future. But with the caveat that I believe it is going to get worse before it does get better.

~Heff
edit on 3/7/11 by Hefficide because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 10:57 AM
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I'd rather take a crap next to a tree then on a toilet which a thousand people use, you know my poop can act as a fertilizer


Im sure you wouldnt mind me and my family also helping ourselves to the tree in your garden to relieve ourselves.
edit on 7-3-2011 by Skyfloating because: (no reason given)



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 11:00 AM
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Originally posted by Village Idiot
Thank you Skyfloating.... once again you show the light in a tunnel which is perceived as totally dark.
Life is full of ups and downs, we need to concentrate on both the highs and lows, not just the lows only, to find a balance in between, but that is up to the individual and what they truly desire.


Thank you. There is good, there is bad, then there is the middle. I havent even started talking about the good yet, this is just the middle-view.



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 11:13 AM
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I was at first happy to see the name of the topic "the world is getting better and better"

Then I read the original post.
I have to agree the world is getting better, but at what cost, there is always a trade. I feel, as with anything, things must go bad before they get better.
The OP's viewpoint seems like it's convenient for his personal outlook on life, but there are a lot of ignorant statements in it.

First of all, you cannot quantify happiness in a poll. I'm sorry but that's about as backwards as it gets. First of all, the pollsters who do statistics are not experts on happiness or quality of living. Everyone has a different definition of happiness.

If the OP thinks that middle class people should be happy with what they have, does it mean all of them are? No it does not.

Our technology is nothing but a distraction. We have had great achievements, but this constant technological climb is mostly a big trap that we all fall for. New smart phones every couple of months, the most real looking video games, instant video chatting, etc..

The world is in a different place than it once was, that is all. It is neither better nor worse. There is no way to generalize and say that overall, the world is in a good/bad place. The reason being, in doing this you marginalize the opinion and feelings of people somewhere.

It's all a big selective appraisal. You think the quality of living is increasing with our lifespans?
Then why have cancer rates skyrocketed, along with heart disease, autism, gangs, drug related murders, etc.
In the old days families would care for the elders of the family until their death and that was how it was.
Nowadays it's most common, in middle class America, for the elders to be sent to some random "american house" to spend dying days out of sight of family members who are too busy with their careers and paying insurmountable debts to be able to care for their ailing father/mother.

Is it a better quality of life to spend your last decade of life surrounded by strangers in a hospital-like setting, as opposed to in your home with loved ones?

I know which one I would choose. Will choose....I hope my children and grandchildren will share this feeling with me.

Overall, yes, people are rising up and starting to think in a more positive manner, but these statements about quality of life and happiness are just ridiculous.

The last thing I need to see in a discussion of people being happier and healthier is a bar graph or a pie chart.
How about some interviews and statements from a diverse array of people?

The world is getting better!



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 11:30 AM
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reply to post by Hefficide
 


You are still talking about your own individual situation.

My quality of life is much better than it was 5 years ago...MUCH better.

So does my own personal situation cancel yours out?


And I don't believe the OP is talking about a short time fram of 5 or 10 years...I think it is meant to more be long term. Life today is better than it was 100 years ago...200 years ago...300 years ago....X years ago.

If you still disagree with that, then I believe you have a romanticized vision of the past.



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 11:31 AM
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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?



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 11:41 AM
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Originally posted by dominicus
Since I was a wee lad, from my very first memories I've hated this place

Honestly man ...look around you at this planet and the evil that happens, the corruption of human nature.

I'm really disgusted personally that you see it all as getting better



Thats your view and your perspective, created by psycho-chemical factors. But not everyone has to share that view. There are other people out there. These other people have other views. Why does it make you so angry that there are other ways of seeing the world than yours?



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 11:44 AM
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Well I believe you have a strong point, the part where you state that people in other country's are living on more money then before is a good thing I DO NOT agree with. Vermont, Oregon, and Nevada all have their minimum wages each year declared by INFLATION. These states, (besides California, Washington, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Illinois have $8.00 or above and have been recently risen in the past year) have the HIGHEST minimum wage compared to the rest of our nation. Just because they are making more money now does not mean they are living better. Rise the wage, and thus the price rises because employers have to pay employees more money, or their current workers want more money because the new workers are making money closer to theirs thus having to raise the price to pay their workers.

Also did you forget that a dollar today is worth much less than a dollar 25years ago? So in essence they are making the same, possibly less since $1 25 years ago DOES NOT = $1 currently; I imagine it would be up to someone more mathematical then myself to answer that.



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 11:53 AM
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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?


But the competition is rigged, maybe not where your from but in the UK those from the upper class send their kids to the best schools and universities, not only does this provide opportunities and contacts it also results in the top 7 % who go to these schools and universities taking all the top 7% of professional jobs and filling up the ranks of the political class. Social mobility is in going into reverse in the UK, because of the very unequal society that it is. It would be foolish to believe we all start on a level playing field.



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 12:02 PM
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Originally posted by AudioGhost
So in essence they are making the same, possibly less since $1 25 years ago DOES NOT = $1 currently; I imagine it would be up to someone more mathematical then myself to answer that.


I'd recommend researching 'Treasury Bonds' - you'll quickly find out that most of the USA's physical dollars and virtual dollars reside beyond it's borders. The Middle East are contemplating dropping the Dollar standard and adopting The Euro instead. China, Japan, the UK and many other countries own lots of US debt and that's where the interest on your debt goes; to foreign banks who then invest it in emerging markets.

It's quite frightening stuff - however I think having South America and Canada so nearby means that the US will brave the storm and alter it's economic trade to a more regional fare. But who knows what wheels are already in motion, I'm just speculating on the future of the greenback.

-m0r



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 12:06 PM
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Originally posted by Skyfloating

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


You do. Arguments that "on average" things are better, and that people shouldnt complain because their fellow human around the globe is doing better are a denial of competition, and the principles of natural selection.

You are trying to argue both ends by saying we should ignore that humans are in competition, and the game is "differential success" by celebrating our "average" successes and not being selfish, and then you promote competition. Which is it?



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 12:12 PM
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Originally posted by xavi1000
Sorry ,i don't know in what World you are living but the World is hell for the majority of the population and sorry if i will spoil your mood . Hell can't be getting better and better


You're not spoling my mood. And you are wrong about the "majority" being "in hell". You`ll see what I mean when you actually travel to these places. Yes, there are war-torn areas where starvation, illness and craziness are a reality. But that is not the "majority" of people or places. Its not even 1%.

Let me suggest something to you. Go to YouTube and type in various travel reports of African cities and countries.

Notice how, in these videos made in current day Africa, people are all dressed, dining, using cell phones, singing, dancing, making love? Thats what its like in most of Africa. Its a Stunningly Beautiful continent.

As for the wars and starvations: We need to get them fixed, no doubt. But thats no reason to so grossly distort reality as you have done it with your listing of all the starvations, deaths and rapes you could come across.



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 12:15 PM
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Originally posted by irsuccubus
Is the world getting better? ...Yes. Is the world getting worse? Yes. Perspective is the name of the game and we as observers choose what we want the reality of our world to look like. Its an enormous canvas filled with battle scenes and lovers and fiends in the shadows and crying children but as you step further back you are able to see the flora and the fauna....the sky and the sea and suddenly things are a lot less personal. And further still the world becomes even more impartial and you begin to see the big picture and remember that you aren't removed from it. Without being cliched.....life is suffering. Existence is wrought with pain and desperation from early on but these things HAVE to happen.


You're right. You're more right than me and my OP, and more right than the folks countering the OP here. My own positive-bias is only at this particular website for the purpose of balancing the negative-bias.


The "news media" is pure negative-bias, ruthlessly, incessantly, daily.



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 12:18 PM
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I appreciate some of the things you pointed out. I believe it's important to focus on the good as much as the bad, and in our society it seems that the bad is what gets all of the attention.

That being said, just as it is important to see the positives in society, it's important that we choose not to look away at the negative things.

There are a few things I'm going to have to disagree about.

You can't compare the current dollar's value to the 1970s. Especially considering the recent developments of the dollar. Less than a dollar a day in the 70s could get you a lot more than it can now. The reality now is that half of the world, 3 billion people, live on less than $2.50 per day. But yet, for statistical and PR purposes, we choose to call "extreme poverty" as living on less that a dollar a day, so those living on less than $2.50 a day must be living an abundant life.
Same goes for wages. Wages for the middle and lower class have been at a stand still for several years now, while the dollar's value tumbles. All while the country is wealthier than it ever has been. It's just not being shared.

You mentioned that those in the middle and lower class are more "wealthy" than those in the past. Well, that is true, but why is that? Some of it has to do with science and technology, but mostly it has to do with the combination of science and technology with OIL! It's the reason that the wealthy are wealthier than at any point in history and it's the reason the lower and middle class are given the ILLUSION that they are more wealthy than they were in the past. What is going to happen the lower and middle class when the oil starts to run out?? Which it will. When it will run out can be debated, but make no mistake, it will run out.

You also mentioned that world peace could only be achieved by totalitarian rule. I strongly disagree with that. First off, I believe we are in totalitarian rule right now. It's called corporations. The world is governed by corporations. The minute you are on the clock, which for most people is at least half of their waking life, you are under a dictatorship. Equality is left at the door step. There are fewer and fewer union jobs and employee owned companies. Democracy is becoming less and less valued by not only the corporations, but the working class as a whole.

EQUALITY is what creates peace. Period. And when the top 80% of the population only own 15% of the wealth and the top 1% own 40%, it means we live in a very unequal society. Forget what you think is wealth. Inequality is the root of war, violence, crime and addiction. I don't think we are close to equality. You can say we are more equal because women and black people can vote, but I believe that is an illusion of freedom. The corporations still control the election process as well as our education, which includes the news.

Is absolute equality possible? I don't know that and I don't think anyone can know that at this point, but I think we can all agree that society is way more unequal than it should be to create a high quality of life for the majority. Right now, intellectual authority is used to manipulate the weak and ignorant. Until we can use intellectual authority to protect and share with the weak, I'm not going to buy that our society is headed towards peace.



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 12:23 PM
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I agree that the world appear to be getting better but only in small terms...
Sure there is more education but the world is still in turmoil.

The Middle East is raging with war and deceit, Israel, Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, ect.
Then you have protests that turn out violent whether the aggressors are the protestors or (more likely) the government.
Really, the media depicts small snippets of disasters, they keep us informed but Americans themselves are too apathetic or lazy to do anything. Individuality is our country's greatest pride and vice. We are so fixed on ourselves, our futures, facebook, tv, video games, parties, ect. More people probably know more about Jersey Shore or what they're doing on the weekend than about why the # we're still in Iraq. I'm sorry for fear-mongering but isn't it obvious this is the calm just before the storm? Natural Disasters, Protests, America (A #ing chicken coup we call a country), National Debt, Increasing Unemployment, Dramatic increase for gold and silver bullions, Our country attempting to change from cash money to credit cards, Corruption in government, Globalization, Deforestation... you get the idea, the list of bad things is as extensive as good things, but I am anticipating America to experience an economic collaspe, then martial law, then a change to a militant (possibly facist) state, then IT begins.
Honestly Americans aren't happy or passive based on the sole reason of contentment. There is fluoride in our water, America is being drugged up the ass, Schools and the Police are going great lengths to control and scare the younger generations. How are you so sure conformity, law abidance, and finding a job to successfully live in society isn't just a rigged game by the wealthy? How does increased paywages this decade as opposed to others deny the fact that America is growing in debt and will hit rock bottom soon (A Depression much worse than the last)? How are Americans happier when so many people are on anti-depressants, ADD pills, and other substances? America is a junkie. We indulge in anything we like too much and we may be temporarily satisfied by it, but I see a bleak future... We aren't pulling out of fossil fuels yet. We have invented cars that can run on hydrogen/water, but its not going to make any progress until the Oil barons sucked the planet dry of the precious resource. We have not transitioned to renewable energy sources. We are controlled by a small elite group of the wealthy and they have formed plans and are carrying them out, they want power, they hate losing too much money. When all the wealth of a nation is pooled into a small minority, leaving the vast majority in relative poverty, they are going to do something to keep the system the way it is and exploit it any way to benefit from it.

That's just my thoughts on the world's current status. It is pessimist, but natural, social, and economic declination (decadence of society) leads to overall decline. History time and ago proves this. The Roman Empire did not stand the test of time, nor did the Third Reich, nor shall America... BUT as time linearly progresses, those who are in power will learn the mistakes from the last and eventually create either a beautiful world built on peace, truth, freedom, and justice, or a destroyed world build on fear, persecution, obedience, and socialism.



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 12:30 PM
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If it's so good then why is it there are people going around and stealing people's metals off their air conditioners etc in the middle of teh night? I hope this really doesn't hit the US cause me and all my neighbors will be SOL as our houses are completely metal. Oh boy



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 12:34 PM
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reply to post by Skyfloating
 


I myself just cannot be happy on one side of the map knowing others are suffering. You made many great points that are part of the positive core. But when you consider the: weapons are more destructive-more people are greedy-more lies are told to general public. Secrets of mankind being kept from mankind -D.U.M.B.S? what for? 1 can see there is a nasty essence of evol here. Keep up the good work for your positive thoughts are correct and help ALL its just there has to be an exceptance that there is major evol around and how can true happiness exist with it surrounded by evol..

Be well



posted on Mar, 7 2011 @ 12:36 PM
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Also, Africa is beautiful, yes. But safe and good to live in? Hell no!

If it's so stunningly beautiful why don't you go and move there?

The reasons your "youtube search of travel accounts" reveals people wearing nice clothes and eating at restaurants is that rich white people who visit Africa are treated royally. It's not just Africa, it's a lot of places in the world. So your assessment is foolish.
If you think that the female genital mutilation, the health epidemics and constant civil war are stunningly beautiful, then you have a very warped and demented world view.



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