reply to post by CosmicEgg
People do not and have not ever lived entirely alone. We are pack animals like so many others.
This is a misnomer. Everyone is alone and isolated on this little island we call "self" or "identity."
Do I really exist? Or am I merely a sequence of characters generated as part of some subconscious schizophrenic projection of yours?
This is why I say reality is subjective in nature. Ultimately, one must come to an understanding of what they accept to be real and what they accept
to be perceptive delusion. Everyone forms their own unique and personal concepts of reality and priorities.
In that respect, we are all alone. We talk, create art, music, and other forms of expression in an attempt to bridge the gap between the concept of
self identity... but the one true reality is that we can never truly know the heart and soul of another. Not here, at least (arguably, the prospect
of it being possible in an "after life" of some variety has potential - it's a comforting thought, at least).
And we die alone.
You seem to be unable to understand that this is just one of many directions we could have taken with our alleged intelligence.
Why must it be only one direction?
We *could* do what's right for everyone.
That's a very interesting standpoint to take.
What is right for everyone?
Or have you really given that much thought?
If you attempt to apply a one-size-fits-all "right for everyone" to the issue... I doubt you'll find that the one size is actually capable of
fitting everyone. In which case... the premise of there being a single act that is "right for everyone" is logically flawed.
If you attempt to apply individualized "right for everyone" concepts... well... what if what is right for me ends up being wrong for someone
else?
Now - you can assert that what is "really right for me" is what would "really be right for everyone" - and that if it isn't, then I am some kind
of problem.... but you're establishing a dangerous precedent, there, and paving the way for "behavioral cleansing" ... also known as
witch-hunts.
After all... if "they" didn't exist, then it would be far easier to do what was right for everyone.
We *could* do what's right for our planet.
There's another interesting one.
What is right for our planet? The ecology and even mineralogy of the planet have evolved alongside the plant and animal life. The pollution of
hard-shelled creatures fuels the calcium-rich limestone and sand-stone deposits that make coral reefs possible today.
I think it's safe to say that our planet will one-up us, regardless of what we do. Life is a force well beyond our control. We simply have the
illusion of control because we realize that our participation is a
voluntary privilege.
We *could* forget the idiotic concept of money and ownership. Those are imaginary things in any case!
The concept of bartering is present in any social animal to some degree or another. Further, it is known that many animals can and will exploit the
labor/efforts of another. Hell - there are entire species that do nothing but go around stealing # from others (birds are particularly known for
this).
The system of money attempts to present a unified bartering medium that is more fluid.
Communism works on the tribal level, where each individual is known and his/her contribution can be personally felt by those who interact with him/her
most. It falls apart on larger scales where people can slack off at the expense of others.
We could try to get rid of the idiotic concepts of greed and sloth... but to do that, we'll need to create a hive-mind self-replicating race of
machines to exterminate and replace us.
This is what I mean, and what you are unable to comprehend. Our cleverness as a species is very, very badly applied. We have failed. Now it's
time to clean up the mess and start doing things right.
You keep asserting this...
But have yet to even back it up with some kind of logic. You're not even using circular logic, here.... just... "Meh, humans suck. We need to do
better than what we are doing, now."
Generally speaking... that's the goal of anyone looking to make a product or service.... make someone's life better - offer something that reduces
the time needed to perform certain actions... if you want get really down and dirty with the nuts and bolts of human endeavors - it all revolves
around the limited time in a day that we have. Even if we were to eliminate age-related death, it would come down to how much time we had that we
didn't have to sleep/eat.
Do you understand now or shall I draw you a 3D model? I honestly hope you're deliberately obtuse.
There's really not much to understand.