"When civilization ends, it ends fast!"

This quote comes at the end of a trailer, recently aired.
I can't help but think of all the prophesies that says this is going to happen.
Not the end of the planet, but the end of systems that have been in place for thousands of years:

1) Religious
2) Political
3) Military
4) Commercial and economic industrial complexes

Out it's ashes will rise the new systems, but things won't be worse like the media always portrays, they will actually be better.

originally posted by: Blue_Jay33
Out it's ashes will rise the new systems, but things won't be worse like the media always portrays, they will actually be better.

Hell yeah. I'm often accused of unchecked optimism but I truly believe the future holds a wondrous reality for us all.

I don't think ashes will need to be made entirely before that but I'm sure there will be some shake-ups of some sort.

Doomsday cults have been around as long as civilization itself.

If there's civilization, there's always someone predicting its demise.

Planet Earth is massively overpopulated and unsustainable at current population levels, and sooner or later Mother Nature is going to fight back.

Personally, I also think the end of our modern civilization is going to be very quickly, and will be cause by something very large (atomic explosions) or very small (Bacteria or Viruses).

I think one of the most feasible doomsday scenarios is that a virus that we've forgotten how to fight (or have never had to fight) gets released from melting ice caps, and wipes out large segments of the population very, very quickly.

There's been quite a bit of speculation that past mass extinctions have been cause by viruses being transmitted as populations of animals migrated into new areas.

We are definitely seeing the beginning of a new mass extinction. Several reports show that more than 25% of all species on Earth will be gone within the next 10 years or so, mostly the result of climate change, but also thanks to overpopulation and pressures of survival (and the ease of access of a fast buck from hunting endangered species) in a world that's not designed to sustain 7 billion people.

Mother Nature is notorious for enforcing balance, and I believe we're seeing the start of this.

Earth has been overpopulated for way too long, and it's time that Mother Nature decided what to do about it.

a reply to: babybunnies

Yet there is a compound effect to that as well

In the Late Middle Ages (1340–1400) Europe experienced the most deadly disease outbreak in history when the Black Death, the infamous pandemic of bubonic plague, hit in 1347, killing a third of the human population. It is believed that society subsequently became more violent as the mass mortality rate cheapened life and thus increased warfare, crime, popular revolt, waves of flagellants, and persecution

a reply to: babybunnies

The Earth isn't even close to being overpopulated. If everyone lived as densely-packed as they do (on average) in New York City, the entire global population could live in an area less than the size of the state of Texas, leaving the entire rest of the world open for farming, energy needs, etc.

Our current practices are unsustainable, no question, but were we to develop and use entirely sustainable methods to manage our resources, the Earth could easily support a population several times larger than the current one.

a reply to: admirethedistance
Not sure about that, if we'd never wiped countries worths of forests, replaced them with concrete and bring about the worlds 6th mass extinction (which has been recognized as fact) then yeah, you could say we're not over populated, but I'd still disagree. If we all still lived as hunter gatherers 7 billion is still way too much to maintain a healthy balance even at that natural level, especially one without conflict.

People underestimate the size of 7 billion, if the 'living' human race was measured in time... you'd only represent 1 second out of over 230 years.

originally posted by: Blue_Jay33
a reply to: babybunnies

Yet there is a compound effect to that as well

In the Late Middle Ages (1340–1400) Europe experienced the most deadly disease outbreak in history when the Black Death, the infamous pandemic of bubonic plague, hit in 1347, killing a third of the human population. It is believed that society subsequently became more violent as the mass mortality rate cheapened life and thus increased warfare, crime, popular revolt, waves of flagellants, and persecution

As far as I know, the Bubonic Plague did not kill "one third of the human population".
It killed about one third of the European population.
There's a huge difference between the two.

As for the European society becoming more violent, well I could believe that could be true, seeing that they were already densley overpopulated in a concentrated area at the time.

a reply to: babybunnies

Not so sure about the earth being overpopulated when you take into the fact that everyone alive today would fit standing up and side by side within the state of Texas.

a reply to: ArchangelOger

Actually, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, everyone on the planet would fit in Los Angeles, with room to spare...

a reply to: ArchangelOger

Yeah, but Texas is f'n huge.

Live In balance, old ideals kills not rules.

originally posted by: babybunnies

We are definitely seeing the beginning of a new mass extinction. Several reports show that more than 25% of all species on Earth will be gone within the next 10 years or so...

Hey, it's happening, but no credible reports are claiming those rates within that time period, unless by "or so" you mean the next 50-100 years.

a reply to: admirethedistance

Yea, cause that means... anything at all. I mean, standing shoulder to shoulder, we would magically have food tossed into our mouths... except cities don't exist without outside resources, and tremendous energy to harness at our standards of living.

originally posted by: admirethedistance
a reply to: ArchangelOger

Actually, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, everyone on the planet would fit in Los Angeles, with room to spare...

What makes this a pointless observation is the fact that it's not possible to live like that and each of those idividuals need to eat, drink, and move. Plus the fact that we're sharing this planet with a lot more than just our species.

a reply to: admirethedistance

Now let's take to your account that the resources are being heavily exploited by the huge societies, the earth could sustain any specie if it has balance.

originally posted by: pl3bscheese
a reply to: admirethedistance

Yea, cause that means... anything at all. I mean, standing shoulder to shoulder, we would magically have food tossed into our mouths... except cities don't exist without outside resources, and tremendous energy to harness at our standards of living.

I thought we already did that?

a reply to: Temudjiin

What?

Live in such a way that we are causing our own demise (if trends continue, which they can't).

That's the point of my post. Did you not get it?

originally posted by: Cuervo

I'm often accused of unchecked optimism but I truly believe the future holds a wondrous reality for us all.

... all of us who are allowed to survive, that is. Do you think it will be you?

It will be wonderful for the controllers of this planet, with all the technology we've built for them allowing them to travel where they will, to do what they will with whomever they will (and exterminate whomever they will). Perhaps they'll even go to the stars someday.

The rest of humanity (what's left of it) will be told that the supersonic jet in the sky is a manifestation of our Divine King's jealous anger, and we'll be waving phallic symbols at the sun while we diligently labor away to seek their favor.

originally posted by: pl3bscheese
a reply to: admirethedistance

Yea, cause that means... anything at all. I mean, standing shoulder to shoulder, we would magically have food tossed into our mouths... except cities don't exist without outside resources, and tremendous energy to harness at our standards of living.

Ummm...I never said it was feasible or that we could actually live that way....I was just replying to ArchangelOger's post that said everyone on Earth could fit standing up, side-by-side in the state of Texas.

Reading comprehension...

a reply to: NthOther

Freedom doesnt exist if you dont know what chains you