Will Mankind Survive the 21st Century?

Hello ATS, Ladies and Gentlemen

This is going to be an all out, knock down and drag out slugfest of a post. Be prepared to defend your stance, views and or opinion. Don’t reply if you can’t handle the heat.

I call upon all ATS members across all fields of interest to participate.

With all that is going on in the world, I feel that we may not survive the 21st century and make it to the 22nd.

We are running out of space Our population is bulging at the seams, we are starting to fight over natural resources, and our food production and sea farming are starting to be taxed to the limit. In some parts of the world they use the control of food as a weapon. We have millions dying every year from starvation and diseases, which the more advanced nations seem to turn a blind eye towards. And only when it threatens the wealthy nations with things such as AIDS and avian flu: You can fill in your favorite here etc, only then do we respond.


A. Does there need to be a NWO? Do we need a big brother to help us with population control? Can we trust NWO elite?


What else is going on?


There’s major racial, religious and political conflict all around the world and there seems to be no answer to it. We kill each other in the name of our different versions of God. And we fight over scraps of land because of ancient heritages and racial claims. We have issues with each other over stupid things such as Hair, Eye and skin color. Let’s throw in the proliferation of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. How long will it be before it boils over into all out regional & global conflict?


B. Do we need a spiritual and or a conscious awakening or the return of Jesus, the messiah or Mohamed to help us go beyond our human ignorance?


And that’s not all.


We seem to be in some sort of mad dash of technological development, we are advancing at such a rate that every year we learn more than we have in the past 5 years, and the year after that so on and so forth etc. We seem to rely more on our technology to try and solve our problems than we do our own valuable, rich and extensive history. The ancients knew a lot more than we give them credit. We fail to learn how things that worked in the past can be applied to this day and age. Instead we choose to ignore the teachings of our ancestors in favor of our technology and think by invading outer space and the development of other sciences, we can advance even more technology and save ourselves from the mess we have created here on Earth.


C. Have we lost touch with nature, the Earth and the human side of our being? Are we to be slaves to a microchip?


But wait there’s more!


Our ice caps are meltingwhether it is a natural phenomenon or its speed has been increased do to mankind’s actions or inactions, does not really matter. It will change the Earths geographic appearance. Cities like NY and Hong Kong; you can fill in the blank and name a coastal city near you. Will be under anywhere between 5’ to 12’ of water. It’s not a question of if but of when! How will the world deal with a mass migration on such a tremendous scale? And what will it do to the world’s economy?


D. Can mankind set aside all our differences and work together for the common good?


And if that’s all you had to worry about.

We are passing through the galactic plain which brings us to the 2012 crowd. Some feel that our days are numbered either we are headed for a massive disclosure or that we are headed towards a massive extinction relatively soon. Have we been visited in the past by the Grays, Reptilians: Fill in your favorite ET here? And does this mean that what we view as our human history is nothing more than ancient myths? And that we are really here because of genetic experiments and that we have no real future do to the possibility they will soon be here to harvest what they have sown all those centuries ago. Or will they come here to enlighten us and teach us how they themselves solved these problems?

E. If they exist can we trust the little gray guys to help us navigate through this quagmire?

We seem to be in a real mess here. No matter how you slice it, we have major issues here on Earth. Please post your opinion, and feel free to add anything you have that you think will enlighten us. Quote anything you have that will answer some of our world issues. Add whatever you feel that I have left out.

I feel that unless we have some sort of World Government or a global awakening that we will never pull together to solve or at least address some of these issues and unless we have some sort of change in our spiritual nature and give up on racial, religious and cultural division man is on his way out. We need to respect other views that don’t always meet our own and realize we need to restrain ourselves and develop only environmentally friendly technology.

We need technological advancement in medicine, agriculture and in environmental pollution control. Things like TV, Cell Phones, Radio and the internet and all the forms of technology can bring us closer together as a global community but it can also keep us in virtual reality and away from total reality to the point of becoming inhuman. We are in danger of not caring for our fellow man for they have become a faceless name or number on a screen.

Has our future already been planned out and decided for us?
Just who exactly is running this monkey show we call Earth?

Is it God?
The NWO Elite?
The little gray guys?

Or are we here as a result of some random Amino Acids that got together and had sex?

Thanks for taking the time to read.

SLAY



[edit on 4-8-2008 by SLAYER69]

This is a very good question. I personally think that two biggest problems that threaten Human race are:
1) Nuclear conflict between East and West. So far people managed to deal with it for half a century, so there might be hope.
2) That technological progress that you have big hopes for. It will help us to manage different threats/crisises, make our life easier and improve us ... until there will be no more us but "them".
I mean - soon (decades) people will be able to change genetic information of their offsprings for better or even due to fashion considerations. Technological implants or even replacements for our organs that will increase our performance in this century. Where it will stop? Where is the border between enhancing Human race and exchanging it with different race or even model? This is a greater threat, as far as i see it. I do not want Pentium (or AMD) 12 with 8 cores as an offspring even if it will succeed in "life" more then obsolete Homo Sapience.

As for environment, over population and even conflicts - we encountered those problems throughout the history. Greek city states created colonies due to overpopulation issues. Egypt lost a lot of its power due to environmental stresses. Those problems were less severe but we were less capable.

Originally posted by ZeroKnowledge
Egypt lost a lot of its power due to environmental stresses. Those problems were less severe but we were less capable.

Sumaraia went the same way, infact most of the middle east is mankinds first true environmental disaster area.

1) Nuclear conflict between East and West. So far people managed to deal with it for half a century, so there might be hope.

Well with the way things are going with Iran and Korea no one realy knows how it will play out.

Where is the border between enhancing Human race and exchanging it
with different race or even model? This is a greater threat

As I stated earlier

" We are in danger of not caring for our fellow man for they have become a faceless name or number on a screen. "

Complete BS, there is so much abundance on this planet, the myth of scarcity puts fear in the hearts of many men. Humans will move forward,but it wont be a pleasure cruse. Evolution

Originally posted by LeeHawt
Complete BS, there is so much abundance on this planet, the myth of scarcity puts fear in the hearts of many men. Humans will move forward,but it wont be a pleasure cruse. Evolution

Evolution is one thing what about stagnation and or the possibility of devolution? One good crop disease and we have world pandemonium.

What abundance? Chopping down the forest to build new home and then pat ourselves on the back when we replant forests only with one or two types of commercially needed trees then say see we are not all bad, meanwhile we are creating DEAD forests because no animal life will live there from lack of plant life diversity.

We will be losing the Amazon forest in the next 40 or 50 years one of the major sources of Oxygen not to mention what we are doing to Africa all these play a vital natural role in atmospheric and environmental control.
I don’t know about you but the thought of reaching 9 billion in population scares the CR@* out of me.

MANKIND WILL NOT SURVIVE!

We are simply a disaster waiting to happen. Science won’t help us we just seem to be in a head long rush to the end. If we don’t start taking notice Mother Nature will do whatever it will take to survive and if that means the end of us as a species she will pull the plug she has done it before. And she will do it again. Human ignorance thinks that we have the time to develop technology in time to save our rears when in fact the hour is later than we realize.

Nuclear weapons, insane money grabbing elite, human nature, and climate change will bring about the end of mankind.

Note: I didn't say global warming, I said freakin climate change, two completely different things, so piss off in advance

Originally posted by ben420
Nuclear weapons, insane money grabbing elite, human nature, and climate change will bring about the end of mankind.

Note: I didn't say global warming, I said freakin climate change, two completely different things, so piss off in advance

WOW the first sentence says it all,

Nuclear weapons in the hands of either religious zealots or an unstable regime does not make a pretty picture. When the Soviet Union collapsed there was a mad dash to secure its nuclear assets in the smaller former republics. No one outside of Russia is really sure if in fact they did secure them all.

Human nature? So you’re basically saying mankind is evil or bad? With no or little redeeming qualities?

Do you think we have what it will take to stave off the end of mankind? Or are we screwed?

With regards to climate change what type are you referring to if not global warming? What do you think are the causes and what time frame do you foresee?

Recent examples of the end being near.

The Russians going into Georgia, Korea testing nuclear weapons, Iran thumbing its nose at the west, China becoming an economic rival to the US, Obama might win the white house.

All signs of the end nearing.

Nuclear weapons, corporatist elites, fascists, religious fundementalist fruitcakes with an armageddon fixation, greed, lust for power, ignorance, racism, corruption, nationalism, pollution, starvation, plague........ all pretty grim. And all, seemingly, on the menu for us over the next few decades.

Despite all these horrors, I like to think mankind will survive. We'll be pushed right to the very limits of our endurance imo, but we will survive.

And those of us who survive will be presented with a chance to make this world a better place. To change the way we treat each other, the way we percieve our world, our history, our place in the universe. Failure to take this chance will mean that somewhere down the line, this will all happen again.

One thing IS for certain though: certain sections of humanity and their outdated ideals of "screw everyone else" need to GO.

reply to post by SLAYER69


Every Century is the last one we will see.. those in past times swore by their holliest of holy books that the end was neigh. Every generation has it's time that they believe the World just won't take it any more. Every day some crack pot scientist finds a new rock coming to kill us, a new pathogen coming out of Africa, and cures for cancer actually cause cancer. The majority of American's believe in their life time Jesus will come down to Earth on a cloud, with a harp orchastra and magically raise them bodily from their trailer parks into the World we wish we had but never had the energy or will to make.

Greed, lust, destruction, hyper growth of the uneducated class, fools bent on domination and pain, suffering of others, death and mayhem, wars, plauges, natural disasters so horrific only a violent God could think them up..

These are the things that not only come with us in every century but is in fact what we as Humans are made of. It's in our DNA .. we would get bored of life without strife and suffering, a demented following that we can cast away lives for .. with time we get better at it.. newer more genius ways to express our desires for death and destruction, control and power.. if anything the 21st century will be interesting, perhaps exciting.. hopefully it won't end though. I certainly look forward in 2070 sitting with my great grand kids explaining to them why in my day men wore their pants around their calves and what it was like to live in a "democracy".

But think of it like this kiddies... sure the ol'bastards are f'n our country and our World up .. but when we are middle aged, well .. we can mess up the World for everyone else.

It think at one point when this world has gone through so much crap
People will start thinking "I will not subject my future son or daughter to this kind off world"
And when somthing like that happens, as people are so outraged with this world that they will not even bare children is when change will come about
when somthing as beautiful as having kids is not wanted by the majority not because they dont want to have kids from their own choices but because the system is so messed up they wouldnt like them to see the horrors of it is when people finally have had enough
And if child birth is ever restricted by the powers that be like in china , then there will be massive outcry , try telling that maternal wife or girlfreind of yours she cant have kids, What you think her reaction would be

reply to post by SLAYER69

Will mankind survive the 21st Century?

No. Not on purpose.

Overcrowding is a myth. Ever been up in an airplane? There's empty land everywhere. People are forced into cities for cheap labor.

The food shortage is a shortage of brains. There are millions probably billions of acres that could be planted.

The energy shortage is a hoax, as well. There's enough energy reserves in America to last 2,000 years ... besides, if we take the hydrogen and oxygen out of water for fuel, we can really go to town.

Global warming is a hoax, as is well documented across ATS.

Most of this is globalist propaganda to scare you into trusting big brother's hand

-_-

Well, to form my opinion, I look at the Laws of Nature as Set Forth by the Creator...Whether or not any particular person believes in a "Creator" is a bit irrelevant & has no call to slam me for mentioning one. Creator or not, even the most die-hard atheist has to admit that the Laws of Nature are real & "governs" the ecology that spawned every living species in existence. After all, every branch of real Science has developed from the observation, investigation & experimentation with the Laws of Nature.

That much being so, what has the science of Ecology have to say? Humans are not the first species in the history of life to have overpopulated its environment...Even if it's relatively local. The only real potential for any significant difference has to do with humanity being over-populated across the whole world. However, many other species shows such a widespread existence in nearly every eco-system in the world too...Insects, for example.

I would postulate that, when humans are numerous enough to confront the eco-system's "population bottleneck" (which ecological experts claim we will be reaching around 2050 or so), then Nature will deal with humanity in the same way it deals with all other species that overpopulates...Massive starvation, famine, more diseases, new generations being born weaker, etc.

Until the population drops to a more ecologically supportable population, humanity will suffer these problems. In short, humanity itself shouldn't go completely extinct, because we've evolved an intelligence that goes a step beyond other animals, in that some people will be prepared to stave off complete extinction for at least a few generations...In small, isolated pockets. This is because our intelligence, forethought & creative inventiveness makes us more adaptable than many other species. I should note here that insects are thought to be the world's oldest land-bound species...They would have been the first to leave the waterways & "colonize" the land. They're still with us today & probably still be around when humanity finally recovers & maybe even after we finally go truly extinct. This will happen eventually anyway, unless we learn how to colonize other worlds, because our planet & solar system won't last forever...Still a few billion years left perhaps, but not forever. At least that's what the Astronomers & Astrophysicists figure...From their observations of space, our sun will eventually go nova, which means that it'll start to expand & likely to increase its size until it eventually engulfs planets out as far as the orbit of Mars. Then eventually collapse & burn out into a dead hulk.

Certainly, the natural balance of the Earth's eco-system may be thrown a bit out of whack from human interference, but as the ecology of life adapts to changes, the eco-system will eventually achieve balance once again...Maybe with some "new" minor differences than what we see today, but these differences will come about from the adaptations of life.

I also think that "Illuminati/NWO" groups already realize this & maybe they have deluded themselves into thinking that they will be "enforcing" the Natural Laws by hastening human depopulation before we reach that population bottleneck, that maybe they see themselves as "humanity's saviors"...Which is a delusion because the Laws of Nature will do that anyway, but what they really seek is to more secure their own progeny's survival & eventual dominance over what humanity is still left over.

So, while they've deluded themselves into thinking that they're "serving the Laws of Nature," they are instead trying to prematurely hasten events that the Natural World will force upon us anyway & manipulate the remainders of humanity into an eventual position of subservience...Under the rule of their progeny, of course.

In truth they are violating many of the Laws of Nature in the process, in order to hasten the depopulation...One of those Natural Laws is that all living creatures are born into freedom & inherent other equal Natural Rights as every other creature, such as the Right to Travel Freely, learn what they need to know & work to continue surviving (something akin to the Rights of life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness...the US Founding Forefathers were a bunch of really smart cookies!). By looking at the real Natural Laws, it's fairly easy to determine that while the "Illuminati/NWO" may think & believe that they're helping Nature, they instead pervert it with their selfishness & greed.

...Thus perpetuating the same mistakes of history when "rulers" try to achieve their selfish control over people & manipulate people into their own concept of an "ideal society."

Still, whether or not the "Illuminati/NWO" take action, it won't make much difference in the end anyway. I firmly believe that humanity, as a species, will still survive...But it won't be a pleasant time for humanity for a looong time, as Albert Einstein once said, "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."

[edit on 29-8-2008 by MidnightDStroyer]

frankly, even I, as a fairly hardcore skeptic, have to think that there's a pretty good possibility that we won't make it through the 21st century as something that makes sense to us now as being human.

There is, of course, always the possibility of nuclear war, but even that wouldn't be enough to kill off mankind outright. End civilization completely, sure, but not kill us off permanently. Frankly, I can't see future powers building too many more nukes than were possessed at the height of the cold war, since that's damn well enough to sterilize any countries you have a beef with, even if they get their retaliation in before you have a chance to fire. There isn't much of a point to have more than that.

Most diseases, even weaponized strains don't have the chops to kill off mankind even if they were released as a highly contagious pandemic. humans are diverse enough that there'll always be a few people immune to any disease; or at least that's how it's always gone so far.

A complete ecologic breakdown would screw over most of humanity, but still couldn't kill off everyone. Toxic pollution that doesn't lead to catastrophic ecologic destruction wouldn't threaten us much at all; it'd just lower everyone's quality of life: see Mexico city and Beijing.

That really just leaves a few possible dangers, most of which are less likely. An asteroid impact could kill us off, if it were of sufficient size (a fair bit larger than the one that got the dinosaurs), perhaps some kind of alien invasion, a super volcano eruption, or some never before seen kind of technological disaster.

Almost anything that could possibly happen wouldn't kill off all of mankind. We're damn resourceful, and spread far and wide. A war or disaster would kill millions, or even billions, yes, but not everyone. About the only things I could count on to kill off mankind at this point would be either a comet or asteroid impact of absurd scale, or a coordinated nuclear strike on all known inhabited areas set for maximum coverage instead of for achieving actual military objectives.

Either case is vanishingly unlikely; the first simply because it doesn't happen very often; the second because military leaders don't really see much value of nuking remote areas of rainforest and desert and such when there's a war going on.

If I was going to worry about something, It'd be Kurzweil's concept of a technological singularity, resulting in consciousness better at thinking than humans are, effectively rendering the human race to obsolescence. I suppose at that point, it doesn't really matter if mankind ends, but still, I've got some nostalgia for these mortal shells.

Originally posted by mdiinican
There is, of course, always the possibility of nuclear war, but even that wouldn't be enough to kill off mankind outright. End civilization completely, sure, but not kill us off permanently.

"I do not believe that civilization will be wiped out in a war fought with the atomic bomb. Perhaps two-thirds of the people of the earth will be killed." -- Albert Einstein
Well, considering the "advances" made with nuclear weapons since his time, I'd guesstimate the death rate to be a bit higher...But I still place human survival as highly likely.

Originally posted by mdiinican
Most diseases, even weaponized strains don't have the chops to kill off mankind even if they were released as a highly contagious pandemic. humans are diverse enough that there'll always be a few people immune to any disease; or at least that's how it's always gone so far.

Also, since humanity is likely to be surviving in isolated "pockets," there's less chance that disease can spread too far anyway.

Originally posted by mdiinican
An asteroid impact could kill us off, if it were of sufficient size...

One of the few things that could conceivably wipe out all life...Humanity's tampering, climate-change and/or "advanced" warfare technologies won't likely be enough to kill us all off.

reply to post by SLAYER69


You don't need psychic powers to see the future. No. We will not make it.

"Mankind" will not survive the 21st century as long as people look at it as "Mankind" rather than respecting the individuals.

Originally posted by Terran Blue

And those of us who survive will be presented with a chance to make this world a better place. To change the way we treat each other, the way we percieve our world, our history, our place in the universe. Failure to take this chance will mean that somewhere down the line, this will all happen again.

I couldnt agree more. If we dont take steps now to prevent, or change directions, We are headed for the big meatgrinder.