Is it just me?

I am not sure how to write down my thoughts in English when it comes to this specific topic, but I have the feeling that we are increasingly confronted with a dreadful environment. In only ten years time, we have gone through the invasion of Iraq, major natural disasters like Japan and Indonesia, the horrific terrorist attacks and the related War on Terrorism that killed more than a million people worldwide. Our Western world - once known as the beacon of liberty is rapidly turning into a authoritarian monster that values liberty and privacy little. Corruption is peaking and left unpunished, the few elitists care only about self-enrichment at the expensive of billions. The gap in wealth distribution is growing bigger and bigger while food shortages are leading to massive revolutions and problems across the world. Instead of cohering, the world is rapidly becoming a divided place while corporate monsters are polluting the environment in the name of greed and world leaders are increasingly paranoid and aggressive against one another, than cooperatively trying to make the world a better place.

To me, it seems that the world is - at full speed - heading towards a massive and unprecedented economic, social and political crisis, leading to an environment that could easily instigate another world war. Being only 24 I don't have as much life experience as many other members on this forum, so I'm curious to find out if people share my perception, or whether the current scale of distress is no different from other times.

Originally posted by Mdv2
I am not sure how to write down my thoughts in English when it comes to this specific topic, but I have the feeling that we are increasingly confronted with a dreadful environment. In only ten years time, we have gone through the invasion of Iraq, major natural disasters like Japan and Indonesia, the horrific terrorist attacks and the related War on Terrorism that killed more than a million people worldwide. Our Western world - once known as the beacon of liberty is rapidly turning into a authoritarian monster that values liberty and privacy little. Corruption is peaking and left unpunished, the few elitists care only about self-enrichment at the expensive of billions. The gap in wealth distribution is growing bigger and bigger while food shortages are leading to massive revolutions and problems across the world. Instead of cohering, the world is rapidly becoming divided while corporate monsters are polluting the environment in the name of greed.

To me, it seems that the world is - at full speed - heading towards a massive and unprecedented economic, social and political crisis, leading to an environment that could easily instigate another world war. Being only 24 I don't have as much life experience as many other members on this forum, so I'm curious to find out if people share my perception, or whether the current scale of distress is no different from other times.

You are not the only one, im only 20 and i feel the same way you do. I dont want to be subservient to governments or the rich but thats just how it is i guess. kind of sad.

Something is building fer sure.Although fear of nuclear annihilation during the 70's and 80's has somewhat dulled the fear

reply to post by Mdv2

Only if you and all of us continue to think negatively. This is what they want, is "NEGATIVE", we have to continue to think of all the positive that comes out of the negative. We cannot have positive without negative. We are energy, all of us. Yes, it is Order Out Of Chaos. But that is how our spirit, or soul is born. We have to learn to deal with both sides. Yes, it is sad sometimes, but don't we always cope? Don't we always rebuild when a disaster happens? Aren't we excellent at rebuilding ourselves? In soul, mind and spirit?

I had someone being really negative tonight. I have family back in Joplin, and I use to live there, and am going back. He said, Wow, you are going to move back there after all this? And I said, hell yeah, my family is there and that is what is important to me, no matter the disaster, this is very rare back there. Joplin is a mess. But......my family is more important to me than what can harm a human body. At least I can be there for them in person, not out here 2200 miles away feeling helpless to help. But, actually, I was able to warn them out here before the authorities could them. I got to hear the first cop say on my online scanner, that there is a tornado on the ground on 20th and Maiden Lane, he was very scared. Just as soon as I texted and tried to call my family, boom, everything was silent, no getting ahold of anybody!!

Point being, it will always be okay, no matter what, no matter what. Earth is a school, we don't die. They are testing us every day of every year of our life. We don't die sweetie. Only on this level of hell that we live in. Just learn how to cope. I am 56 and have been through hell and back, but I am still a very positive woman. I kept my family up back there when I couldn't even be there. I helped my friends. And I still have no clue if a lot of them are still alive. At least I found 3 so far. Do ya get my point sweetie? All this on this earth is a game, just learn how to navigate, be who you are, and enjoy yourself even with the trials we all have to go through. Always, always, go through your pain, learn, listen to your soul, live, love and just make the best of who and where you are.

reply to post by stardust1955


Thanks for the input. I agree with and share your urge for positivity and I am all but a doom thinker. Surely, we'll manage, we have always done and I continue to live my life happily. However, from a purely rational point of view, I have a strong feeling the environment around me is changing for the worse, and quickly. That's why I'm wondering if this is just my perception due to a lack of life experience or a feeling shared by others too.

reply to post by Mdv2


24 here, and ditto.

To much stuff cooking in the pot for dinner to never get served....

Politics are falling apart, they were always in pretty sad shape, but present times have got to be the worst. It's like a bad reality tv show.

See a decline in current events is not negative feelings.

I'm pretty optimistic, I know it can be changed... will it is the question, and I believe it will, but at the same time -- before anything good can happen, something equally bad will have to happen.

Being observant doesn't cast your glass half empty. And to the OP, I believe what you see is the truth, for I see it in my neighborhoods too...

Then again, I'm from Florida, one of the states that seems to be of the aggressive type.

The military threats to the western world have greatly reduced since the end of the Cold war. Back then we had a real possibility of a "total war". But I agree with OP's analysis on the instable situation, that with economic and social problems usually comes conflict. The risk of a regional war or proxy wars seems to be greater and greater for every year that goes by.

Is it possible that the "stigma" for going to war have been reduced with conflicts like Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya?

Nowadays it's just numbers, 'how many troops do you need and how much is this going to cost us'? The moral and ethic lessons of WWII have slowly been forgotten..

But for the West to endure a new World War it would need nations like Russia and China (or a united Middle East) to stand on the other side. I don't see that as a possibility in the near future.

I agree, with adding the secret war of ideologies where science is almost unstoppable. Science is just a new religion or ideology which at the core can't be integrated with religion, scientists being the preachers telling everyone how reality is and so is in the process of wiping out all faith. Way things are going I would say religion will continue to lose influence over the next few decades going underground to avoid ridicule and become largely eradicated within a century, maybe two without wars.

As more and more people in the west lose their faith and exchange it with modern science believing it to be the solution to everything the mass becomes ever greater. No more hard work of thinking what life is about, how to cope with it's adversities, just taking a pill and everything's fine again. Just accept what other people thought would be right, never stimulating deep thoughts that shape an individual, always staying at some superficial level without any critical thinking. Everything is set in DNA, the intelligent become rich while the less intelligent remain poor, the poor families stay poor while the rich families stay rich.

More and more people turning to science and reject the idea of anything science hasn't proven, one cannot be a scientist and believe in some afterlife (recently a certain scientist killed the idea of heaven for many other scientists, forcing a lot to choose between either). So this changes concensus and everyone not accepting concensus is put outside of society, which is more and more governed by science. Not accepting science one is made to look dumb and ignorant, even crazy and it is very difficult not to doubt oneself when so many do, to give up one's faith so to be fully equal to others in society.

How science can put individuals outside of society is because of psychiatry (and MSM) which in some countries can take away one's freedom legitimately on the "scientific" assumption mentally ill people will sooner or later hurt themselves or others and need to be locked away from public or be medicated so severely they'll have little thoughts left and no longer pose any problem to 'the system' and there will be no conflicting truths.

There is still the freedom of religion in most western countries but with the decline of religion and advancing science (at least in the west) sooner or later anyone believing in things science does not agree with can be labeled mentally insane and put into some camp far away from the healthy individuals, so not to infect or expose them with their ideas that might lead to 'mental insanity' or simply so they can't bother the "healthy" individuals with their beliefs. Might appear unrealistic now but will not in several decades, maybe half a century or just a few generations away.

I am 30 and agree something is cooking and I believe it will hit the fan when the economies of the world finally crumble. Capitalism can only last so long in my opinion. But on the upside I don't think there would be a mass release of nuclear weapons just controlled strategic ones.
-BD

Originally posted by Mdv2
reply to post by stardust1955

 

Thanks for the input. I agree with and share your urge for positivity and I am all but a doom thinker. Surely, we'll manage, we have always done and I continue to live my life happily. However, from a purely rational point of view, I have a strong feeling the environment around me is changing for the worse, and quickly. That's why I'm wondering if this is just my perception due to a lack of life experience or a feeling shared by others too.

edit on 24-5-2011 by Mdv2 because: (no reason given)

At nearly 60 I can honestly say I have never seen it this bad before we may pull back from the brink, I don't know. But everything is after all, exactly the way it is supposed to be. Think positive it just might help.

reply to post by Mdv2


This is just the way the world is when everyone wants to have power and are greedy...
We have seen the future by looking to the past, The names of the countries might have changed, but the results are going to be desided soon....by the ones that are in power.
We are at a crossroads in the world and there are so many people afraid to stand up and do the right thing, well the political powers that be, are all after the almighty $$ and so they are worthless to us...selling there country for there own profit or agenda.
We have a non leader right now and he is against everthing that we stand for and has done many things to ruin and undermind our freedoms and our ways of life.

I don't know if it will come to a bloody revolution in every country or not, but the people are sick and tired of having there governments not listen and take our freedoms and our money and our way of life...they have been doing it slowly , but they are speeding up the process as of late, so get what you can while you can....
We are in very unstable times, this is true...I just don't know how much longer we have till it all comes unraveled.

I think you know where I stand.. and my feelings that we are heading towards conflict and confrontation..

In my over 40 years I've not seen it like this and my feeling is that the situation is progressively deteriorating...

I was posting earlier an extract from John Maynard-Keynes book (the Economic Consequence of Peace which he wrote after attending the Paris Peace conference in 1919 and based on the Versailles Treaty made the prediction that in 20 years we would again be at war)

"There is no subtler, no surer means of overturning the existing basis of society than to debauch the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose"

What has always struck me was this notion that "not one man in a million is able to diagnose" the problems we face.. it was true in the depression and in the build up to WW2 as it today and the build up to whatever it is we face.

Originally posted by 12voltz
Something is building fer sure.Although fear of nuclear annihilation during the 70's and 80's has somewhat dulled the fear

Call me crazy but I have a feeling we havn't seen the last of those days.
ESPECIALLY if the U.S. goes ahead with their missile shield in Europe and Russia doesn't get partial control of it.

Nope its not just you. It's most of ATS, in fact...

One way I tend to think of it: Regression toward the mean. In a nutshell, things that are "unusual" (i.e., unusually good or unusally bad, etc.) tend not to stay that way for too long, in any system. I say we have been in an unusually prosperous period as a planet for the last 50 years. This is a smaller cycle within a larger cycle of 200-or-so years, within which time humanity has achieved unsually high standards of living relative to the rest of its history. Do the math.

I been watching events for over 20 years and am 40. Nothing in those years has prompted me to think conditions are changing to the point where the world is rapidly heading toward a major crisis (with the exception when I was younger watching the first Persian Gulf Crisis 1990 - 91). We see a far greater convergence of crises emerging on the world scene, not only wars, but deteriorating economic conditions and sovereign debt crises, natural disasters and massive social and political changes sweeping through a number of countries, particularly in the ME and NA. Much of the world is noticing this too and either continues to ignore or take heed or just go with the flow.

Originally posted by thoughtsfull
I think you know where I stand.. and my feelings that we are heading towards conflict and confrontation..

In my over 40 years I've not seen it like this and my feeling is that the situation is progressively deteriorating...

Yes, my friend, and I generally agree with your viewpoints. To me it seems that the world is purposefully pushed to the brink of massive social unrest. You know, people swallow a lot until it has become too much. We are paying the bill for crimes perpetrated by bankers while they are left unpunished. Especially in the West, people do not quickly rise up as our social conditions are relatively high, but the austerity measures will lower our level of wealth quickly and more people will be left unable to pay the bill at the end of the month. If change doesn't come and for some countries like the US I don't see that happening, people will eventually take back what is rightfully theirs. That is when people have too little left to loose not to take a chance and personally, I feel we are quickly reaching that tipping point as can be seen in the Middle East (food prices), Greece (austerity measures).

reply to post by Mdv2


Thanks it is always good to read your posts as there is always some good insight into things I have missed.. which is easy when your stuck with an island mentality..

The UK is getting into the position too.. albeit at a rate that people are not realising how messed up things are becoming as the establishment are allowing all the destructive economic forces to come to bare to take what little people have left. (I am now not sure if they can do anything tangible to prevent the inevitable)

Tho in my opinion the UK the establishment played a very calculated move when they upped the student tuition fees ahead of any other austerity measure, the student protests stood alone..

Which has given rise to the notion in the minds of a lot of the people I know that any, and all protests are limited to militant students.. that massive smoke and mirrors trick to create a divide might buy the UK establishment some more time.. but not much more than anywhere else. As you say, we are fast approaching the tipping point.

Which is why I wonder if they are playing those games and tricks so early on to keep protests down to a minimum because they're trying to find another outlet for the anger that is building.. and the only really suitable outlet I can see satiating the level of anger that exists in Western society is some kind of major conflict..

So I do worry what method they will use to project that anger elsewhere...

Originally posted by thoughtsfull
Which is why I wonder if they are playing those games and tricks so early on to keep protests down to a minimum because they're trying to find another outlet for the anger that is building.. and the only really suitable outlet I can see satiating the level of anger that exists in Western society is some kind of major conflict..

So I do worry what method they will use to project that anger elsewhere...

edit on 31/5/11 by thoughtsfull because: (no reason given)

That pretty much says it all. As soon as the extent of their corruption is exposed by economic collapse, which I believe is to come, people will finally realize what has actually been done to them. The only way to divert attention from the truth (and 'project anger elsewhere') is to put the blame on somebody else and this somebody is going to be an "enemy" of the West.

reply to post by Mdv2


That certainly sums up how I feel.. and while some get their hopes up that real decent and fair change will come the establishment are pushing through with what ever plan they have to maintain the status quo..

I agree with the OP here it is just nuts now....Here in Canada we just inked a deal to spend 35 billion dollars on attack jets. What the hell do we need attack jets for? The only countries around us here are the US and Russia if you want to fly real North.
Now there is rumblings in, on the news the the UN has turned into a invading and occupying force instead of a peace keeping force...........No kidding:-)
S&F to the OP and yep we are going down I just don't know yet whom " we is"
Regards, Iwinder