Where Did We Go Wrong?

Our world is not a harmonious place to live right now.

We have bore witness to war, genocide, famine, poverty, disease, crime, political corruption, and financial meltdown. We have bore witness to the destruction of our once beautiful and pristine environment and the torture and inhumane slaughter of our fellow animals who inhabit it. We have bore witness to societal attacks against individuals for who they are and what they believe, and the cruel and violent violations of human rights and civil liberties which have followed.

Yet despite all of this, I can fathom only one question: What happened?

We were blessed with the intelligence to harness the world's vast resources and expand our domain across its far-reaching landscape. We were blessed with the intelligence to communicate and cooperate with one another to achieve great things. We were blessed with the intelligence to build a society and a culture that we could all contribute to and prosper as a result of.

We built instruments to view and study worlds beyond our own. We developed mathematical and scientific systems to allow us to decode and understand that which we could not previously comprehend. We built trains and automobiles to travel greater distances in shorter periods of time, and then we mastered aircraft to go even further, even faster. We set foot on the Moon. We built a satellite that has left our Solar System. We built a rover to explore and transmit images of Mars - a planet 34 million miles away at its closest. We built a global communications network that allows us to send messages to and speak to people on the other side of the planet.

Yet through all of our great potential and through all of our great achievements, we can't stop fighting. Fighting over power. Over money. Over resources. Over whose God and whose holy book is best. Over race. Over gender. Over whether homosexuals can get married, or whether they should even be allowed to live. Over tiny islands that no one can even point out on a map. Over George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin. Over material items we have no vested life-altering interest in. Over celebrities and their personal lives that we're not a part of. Over who has what rights, when, and where.

When is enough enough?

Why can't we all live on this planet? Why can't we all eat every day? Why can't we all drink clean water? Why can't we all be educated? Why can't we all have basic human rights? Why can't we all have freedom? Why can't we all be kind to the other forms of life that we share this planet with? Why can't we all be individuals? Why can't we all act how we want to act, dress how we want to dress, talk how we want to talk, believe what we want to believe, and be who we want to be? Why can't we all treat each other with respect and decency? Why can't we all love each other?

There are plenty of reasons why that is not our world. There are no reasons why that cannot be our world.

As an advanced, intelligent species, we were capable of achieving this. We were given so much, yet we did so little with it. Why? So some of us could have more colorful, numbered paper than others? So some of us could fence off a greater portion of dirt than others? So some of us could have shinier, more expensive material items than others?

When we look at what we have become, it's heartbreaking to think of what we could have been.

Beautifully written and heart-felt. I agree that mankind has the potential but sadly, there is too much greed and corruption in the world.

Where it went wrong is when we decided to invent something called money.

Money is the main thing wrong with this world today. It is what wars are fought over, it is what crops are poisoned for, it is the reason we go to our slave drivers every day from 9-5, it is the reason there are people starving across the world, it is the reason corporations prefer quantity over quality, it is the reason the government doesn't work for the people any more, it is THE reason, and we are slaves to it and the system set up around it.

Those who have it want more of it, and they'll do whatever they have to to get it, even if it's starting wars based on complete lies and killing thousands of innocent people in the process.

Look in your wallet, that's where we went wrong in my opinion.

Originally posted by Night Star
Beautifully written and heart-felt. I agree that mankind has the potential but sadly, there is too much greed and corruption in the world.

I have to agree with Night Star, greed and corruption. Add to that the flaw within humans that desires power. Whether that is political, religious or just plain brute strength it doesn't seem to matter. There also seems an unfortunately large percentage of humans who will pervert whatever level of power they have to the detriment of others.

reply to post by DivisiveConformity

Where Did We Go Wrong?

I'm not sure we "went wrong" ....

Man is still a brutal, tribal, primitive species. Technology isn't an accurate gauge of cultural advancement.

I'm actually surprised man has lasted this long; as a species we haven't even reached adolescence.

A few advanced, intelligent thinkers are anomalies rather than the norm and being articulate or expressive with a language doesn't necessarily mean intelligent or advanced cognitively.

When we look at what we have become, it's heartbreaking to think of what we could have been.

In the not to distant future, remnants of the human species will look at a destroyed technology and gaze in wonder...then go back to fighting each other over the meager resources that are left.

Same as it ever was....

If I had to point to the main stumbling block to our malaise and leading to our eventual demise.....we have lost the ability to tell BS from truth and we believe our own BS.

read the story of babel.

you forget God and the purpose of existence.. and u are first given signs. keep deviating and u are given more signs. keep deviating and u get more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs and increasing signs, and more signs and more signs and increasing signs and more signs and increasing signs..

then u are destroyed.

We didn't go wrong, you are still breathing, the world is still spinning and somewhere right now someone is getting lucky, laughing, crying and dying.

Seems like it is working just fine to me.

Originally posted by Thorneblood

We didn't go wrong, you are still breathing, the world is still spinning and somewhere right now someone is getting lucky, laughing, crying and dying.

Seems like it is working just fine to me.

edit on 5-8-2013 by Thorneblood because: (no reason given)

until it stops working. then ull come on ats to cry and complain with a topic titled " where did we go wrong". lol

reply to post by Night Star


Thank you for the kind words!

Originally posted by olaru12
Man is still a brutal, tribal, primitive species. Technology isn't an accurate gauge of cultural advancement.

I agree that it is not an accurate gauge of cultural advancement, and I don't necessarily disagree that we are a primitive species, but just to establish a theoretical side to this discussion, what would you say if I took what you said about a few advanced, intelligent thinkers being the reason we are as well-off as we are and said that perhaps a few demented, evil thinkers are the reason we are in as much trouble as we are? What I mean by that is, what if the majority of us aren't brutal and primitive, but not stupid either, but we've been led astray by a few bad thinkers using the technological developments of a few advanced thinkers against the masses?

That doesn't sound very theoretical considering many realistic parallels can be drawn between that and the real world, but I'm basically theoretically challenging the notion that we as a whole are primitive, brutal, and power hungry. Perhaps just as we have intellectual anomalies, we have evil, controlling anomalies as well.

That's just a thought, though. I'm not disregarding your viewpoint. It's a logical and completely possible one. But I'd love to hear your take on that theory.

Originally posted by filledcup
then ull come on ats to cry and complain with a topic titled " where did we go wrong". lol

I'm not crying or complaining. I'm asking genuine questions as to why we are not better than we have become. We spend all day beating our chests about how great we are as a species, yet we cannot master the very simple concepts I outlined in my post.

Does this make you feel better?

Great post.

I've been lurking for a bit here, but felt the need to post this as it reminded me of it.

reply to post by Thorneblood


It supports my point, but it doesn't make me feel better about the state of our world. It simply reinforces the notion that we can be better and that our selfish and greedy wants and demands are futile in the grand scheme of things.

Originally posted by filledcup
read the story of babel.

you forget God and the purpose of existence.. and u are first given signs. keep deviating and u are given more signs. keep deviating and u get more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs and increasing signs, and more signs and more signs and increasing signs and more signs and increasing signs..

then u are destroyed.

I'm familiar with that story. So are you saying that God is in the process of Smiting us like bad little children??

Has it ever seemed odd to you that God would have such contempt for his creation simply because they all joined together with a common purpose and language?? He seems to be upset over the fact that when humanity joins together they are capable of accomplishing anything they desire. Such a unified humanity capable of great things seems to anger God which then results in Him smashing and dividing us. Ever pondered on why this is??

reply to post by DivisiveConformity


Civilization is a very thin veneer on the animals we really are. Limit the resources of a group of people and they will eat their own children or each other. I'm sure you don't need me to point to the evidence.

However I can point fingers with the best of em. Of course there are manipulators that take full advantage of human nature and its dysfunctionality. But as Pogo said........"we have met the enemy and he is us"

As I grow older I tend to live in the present and let the world and it's inhabitants evolve or devolve on its own.

I used to be a political activist but philosophically found hedonism much more appealing.
Sorry amigo, I just don't have the energy or inclination to maintain the anger level I used to live with.

My Don Quixote days are long gone....

Originally posted by DivisiveConformity

Originally posted by filledcup
then ull come on ats to cry and complain with a topic titled " where did we go wrong". lol

I'm not crying or complaining. I'm asking genuine questions as to why we are not better than we have become. We spend all day beating our chests about how great we are as a species, yet we cannot master the very simple concepts I outlined in my post.

sorry, i was just teasing for laughs. time for me to hit the sack. didnt mean to imply that u were crying/whining about it. only to convey the message:

reply to post by olaru12


I agree that if you control one's environment, you can make its inhabitants do ugly things. Every life form is going to do what it has to to preserve itself. But I respectfully disagree with your inference that that makes us primitive. I believe every life form, no matter how intelligent or advanced, has an instinct to preserve itself; an instinct that goes beyond intelligence.

As I said, I don't necessarily disagree with your conclusion that we're primitive. I don't necessarily agree either. I believe our minds and our society have been ravaged by an elite few in this world for so long that we have come to resemble a dumb, primitive species. But if we were to rewind this bad movie that we're living and if we were to introduce a peaceful, loving culture with adequate education, lifestyle, and rights for all from the beginning, do you think we would still be as dumb and primitive as we behave now?

I have to say no. As you stated, controlling one's environment can produce terrible results. Our environment has been controlled for a long time. Our society has been artificially shaped to what it has become. Our minds have been suppressed and divided to prevent us from achieving our potential. So I can't help but think that we can be the advanced, intelligent, peaceful species that I condemned us for not being in my original post.

Call me a naive dreamer, but I think only taking our current intelligence level into consideration does us a disservice. I think in order to discern whether or not we are capable of those great feats, we must take into account how much different we would be had there not been thousands of years of corruption that preceded us.

Besides the time of Garden of Eden.. When has the world ever been right?

Originally posted by mOjOm

Originally posted by filledcup
read the story of babel.

you forget God and the purpose of existence.. and u are first given signs. keep deviating and u are given more signs. keep deviating and u get more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs and increasing signs, and more signs and more signs and increasing signs and more signs and increasing signs..

then u are destroyed.

I'm familiar with that story. So are you saying that God is in the process of Smiting us like bad little children??

Has it ever seemed odd to you that God would have such contempt for his creation simply because they all joined together with a common purpose and language?? He seems to be upset over the fact that when humanity joins together they are capable of accomplishing anything they desire. Such a unified humanity capable of great things seems to anger God which then results in Him smashing and dividing us. Ever pondered on why this is??

the problem is that man gets carried away with technological development and forget their original creator. they become pig headed, and as we forget God we praise the men and their inventions and forget that it is only because of God these things are possible. we start disregarding God because we prefer the inferior magic of inferior gods.

apparently this is a bad thing. scientific progress must go hand in hand with spiritual progress. and one good reason, is the intellectual and spiritual morality that is gained from God allowing us the wisdom to utilize the technology safely.

a primitve ppl would invent guns to kill eachother. a wise and spiritual ppl who understand the unity and makeup of existence will make a gun only to shoot nails in building construction. and noone would aimit at a cat just for fun.. etc.

yes we are decrepid, degenerate apes.. many of us. some have moved out of the realms of primitive thought, and others are still in the process of moving out. we can only hope that the numbers moving into a new evolution will increase till wise men are in the majority. in politics, and in science and all other fields.

Originally posted by mOjOm

Originally posted by filledcup
read the story of babel.

you forget God and the purpose of existence.. and u are first given signs. keep deviating and u are given more signs. keep deviating and u get more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs.. and more signs and increasing signs, and more signs and more signs and increasing signs and more signs and increasing signs..

then u are destroyed.

I'm familiar with that story. So are you saying that God is in the process of Smiting us like bad little children??

Has it ever seemed odd to you that God would have such contempt for his creation simply because they all joined together with a common purpose and language?? He seems to be upset over the fact that when humanity joins together they are capable of accomplishing anything they desire. Such a unified humanity capable of great things seems to anger God which then results in Him smashing and dividing us. Ever pondered on why this is??

the problem is that man gets carried away with technological development and forget their original creator. they become pig headed, and as we forget God we praise the men and their inventions and forget that it is only because of God these things are possible. we start disregarding God because we prefer the inferior magic of inferior gods.

apparently this is a bad thing. scientific progress must go hand in hand with spiritual progress. and one good reason, is the intellectual and spiritual morality that is gained from God allowing us the wisdom to utilize the technology safely.

a primitve ppl would invent guns to kill eachother. a wise and spiritual ppl who understand the unity and makeup of existence will make a gun only to shoot nails in building construction. and noone would aimit at a cat just for fun.. etc.

yes we are decrepid, degenerate apes.. many of us. some have moved out of the realms of primitive thought, and others are still in the process of moving out. we can only hope that the numbers moving into a new evolution will increase till wise men are in the majority. in politics, and in science and all other fields.

look at this. many would marvel and sing praise for this accomplishment of how great and grand it is.



but isnt a real live bird 10 gagillion times more amazing?

we need an intelligence to create a robot bird. can we imagine the intelligence needed to create a real one. we listen to science and its atheist agenda, but it is rather obvious common sense, that something much more intelligent created the first bird.