Do you hate them? Love them? Are you a selfless altruistic individual who goes to great lengths to extend a hand to others? Are one of those people who think everyone should just perish based on your misanthropic solipsistic point of views? Are you an apathetic person who reads from the book of nihilism? I am also curious about what you think will happen in the near future, based on the current religious and economic structure we have established as of right now.
I try to be nice to people, but find ignorance and intolerance to be abhorrent. I get depressed if I think too much about the state of the world and am deeply sympathetic to unfortunate people. I still don't really give much to charity or the homeless, but I don't actually have much money to go around...
I'm generally hopeful, because I see progress being made towards things getting better. I only hope that technology can catch up to the downward trends in things. The European economy and trends towards non-Western workforces and non-human workforces is going to be a huge problem for North America and Europe to contend with for employment. That's going to cause some really huge problems until governments realize that it is unrealistic to employ their entire populations and come up with solutions on how to account for that. I think the Middle East has another generation to go before it becomes relatively stabilized, assuming that generation is properly educated.
I consider myself a philosophical nihilist, but I take an emotional stance on issues such as morality and love, so I'm the opposite of apathetic. I just try to be realistic about the natural world and how I relate to it.
But yeah, generally hopeful while personally defeated might be a good way to put it.
edit: I'm the first post? This thing took me a while to write...
I have great love for my friends and family. If I like you, I like you. I don't let petty shit get in the way of my relationships.
That said, I'm largely misanthropic. There are some days where I wish I were something "other" than human, or that humans were something other than themselves. Like magical, flying ligers, or someshit. I'm a very selfish person. I was raised to feel shame about that, but my concience has since wormed its way around that block. In general, I'd prefer the world to be a happy place, but don't care overmuch when it isn't. I'd help strangers in need if it required no sacrifice from myself, but if it did I'd likely just let them be. I'm fully aware that the world would go to hell if everyone were like me - that I'm allowed to be selfish on the backs of the selfless, which doesn't particularly bother me, either.
When I was little, one of my greatest fantasies was to be the last human left on Earth, with enough space and free time to do whatever I like. Nowadays I have more healthy relationships, and that's definitely changed me (for the better, I think), but on any given day I don't really care if the human race has a future or not - I'm more or less checked out, in that regard.
I have become less pessimistic and less emotionally invested in the human race once I started seeing everyone as sophisticated apes. Now I just watch like I'm living in a national geographic documentary. It amuses me instead of angering me now.
I have become less pessimistic and less emotionally invested in the human race once I started seeing everyone as sophisticated apes. Now I just watch like I'm living in a national geographic documentary. It amuses me instead of angering me now.
Humanity is great. Too many persons are annoying, ignorant etc though... but overall we rock.
Humanity does need vision though. We have over 200 nations, each squabling over petty issues, no one seems to be having vision. We have potential to be gods. We should spread out to the stars. We should take care of our home.
For some reason we don't do any of these.
As for me... Just someone who is wondering what to do to show this. And how to do it.
I think we evolved to the point where basic necessities of life, water and food, seem trivial and we're much more keen on entertainment and power now. =\
As intelligent social primates with a sense of empathy, humans are "neutral" with an inclination toward being decent to each other. We're capable of doing some horrible things to each other under certain circumstances, but most of us aren't predisposed to cruelty or wanton violence.
Humans have more profound emotional thought processes, and are more similar to you in nature. It seems really awkward that someone wouldn't find that of more value than an animal. I mean, you eat animals and most animals are horrible people.
Like animals give a shit about you. Common. You view them as innocent, maybe, but that's because of a perverted view on human agency over what we do. Humans are just as subject to any natural innocence you perceive in animals. That should make it all the more tragic when bad shit happens.
As intelligent social primates with a sense of empathy, humans are "neutral" with an inclination toward being decent to each other. We're capable of doing some horrible things to each other under certain circumstances, but most of us aren't predisposed to cruelty or wanton violence.
I'd say all of us are predisposed to cruelty and wanton violence at some level, though moreso with males. Look at what happens when you take away our ability to commit violent acts on each other... we create videogames where we murder massive amounts of shit over and over. Luckily society has been doing a pretty good job at managing this stuff though.
We're a flawed species. Dominated by our petty emotions and paranoia of anyone not part of our "clan".
I want to believe that most people want to do good, but the assholes and miserable pricks ruin it for everyone. People are too worried about their own interests and not the greater good.
I see people as aggregations of quantum particles who's behavior are emergent patterns influenced by their evolutionary history. I am very empathetic and appreciative of the best examples of humanity, while I could not possible care any less for the "trash" of humanity and feel a significant portion of humanity is a waste of flesh.
I think that we as a species and society are pretty much fucked, and people are generally terrible.
But I try to be nice to everyone anyway. I know that I'm not perfect and I've done shitty things, but maybe if I try not to be awful, I can help things suck a little less for the people around me.
Almost all of our problems can be traced back to our animalistic desires/fears. Once we accept (and identify) that, we need to eradicate that from our genome. We then can move on to the next 'era'.
Humans have more profound emotional thought processes, and are more similar to you in nature. It seems really awkward that someone wouldn't find that of more value than an animal. I mean, you eat animals and most animals are horrible people.
Like animals give a shit about you. Common. You view them as innocent, maybe, but that's because of a perverted view on human agency over what they do. Humans are just as subject to any natural innocence you perceive in animals. That should make it all the more tragic when bad shit happens.
It probably is awkward, yes. It's just the way I am. The moral gymnastics required to justify such a worldview are second nature to me now, though.
It's not about innocence, or an animal's capacity to care. They're pure. A lion tearing open a carcass is a far purer expression of life than anything humanity could muster, for the most part. My worldview isn't absolute and there are always exceptions. Nature can be judged as a whole quite easily, but I regard human beings on an individual basis.
...and no, there's nothing wrong with eating animals. I'd have no qualms over being eaten by an animal, if that's how I have to die. Turn about is fair play, and all that.
Almost all of our problems can be traced back to our animalistic desires/fears. Once we accept (and identify) that, we need to eradicate that from our genome. We then can move on to the next 'era'.
That would be sad. The more we deny our innate animal nature, the less human we become. It's a balancing act. It's okay to distance yourself from that facet, but it can't be ignored.
I see people as aggregations of quantum particles who's behavior are emergent patterns influenced by their evolutionary history. I am very empathetic and appreciative of the best examples of humanity, while I could not possible care any less for the "trash" of humanity and feel a significant portion of humanity is a waste of flesh.
I have great love for my friends and family. If I like you, I like you. I don't let petty shit get in the way of my relationships.
That said, I'm largely misanthropic. There are some days where I wish I were something "other" than human, or that humans were something other than themselves. Like magical, flying ligers, or someshit. I'm a very selfish person. I was raised to feel shame about that, but my concience has since wormed its way around that block. In general, I'd prefer the world to be a happy place, but don't care overmuch when it isn't. I'd help strangers in need if it required no sacrifice from myself, but if it did I'd likely just let them be. I'm fully aware that the world would go to hell if everyone were like me - that I'm allowed to be selfish on the backs of the selfless, which doesn't particularly bother me, either.
When I was little, one of my greatest fantasies was to be the last human left on Earth, with enough space and free time to do whatever I like. Nowadays I have more healthy relationships, and that's definitely changed me (for the better, I think), but on any given day I don't really care if the human race has a future or not - I'm more or less checked out, in that regard.
Woop! Love talking about myself.
The life of just about any animal is worth double, triple the amount of human lives to me.
Humanity is great. Too many persons are annoying, ignorant etc though... but overall we rock.
Humanity does need vision though. We have over 200 nations, each squabling over petty issues, no one seems to be having vision. We have potential to be gods. We should spread out to the stars. We should take care of our home.
For some reason we don't do any of these.
WE exist to produce a giant layer of plastic/steel/oil/etc. in the geologic strata of the earth's crust, then we shall perish.
What the earth does with this layer of human waste is unknown.
No offense taken. I know how weird I am - that can definitely be misinterpreted as being "broken". You're right, this is an interesting thread. You never really know who it is you're posting with.
As intelligent social primates with a sense of empathy, humans are "neutral" with an inclination toward being decent to each other. We're capable of doing some horrible things to each other under certain circumstances, but most of us aren't predisposed to cruelty or wanton violence.
Humans may be predisposed to being decent to each other, but they're more predisposed to being selfish and greedy. They won't go out of their way to be terrible, but if it benefits them in some way and they think they can get away with it, they can and will do the worst goddamn things.
I generally hate people, but from what I've read, I feel the world is better than ever and I feel very lucky to live in this time. We're lucky to have relatively niche problems like gay marriage and poor economies vs. things like the plague, slavery, starvation, and other things people used to deal with on a daily basis.
Okay, sell me on the idea of you as dictator. How would I benefit?
[Clark Gable];34777381 said:
Do you hate them? Love them? Are you a selfless altruistic individual who goes to great lengths to extend a hand to others? Are one of those people who think everyone should just perish based on your misanthropic solipsistic point of views? Are you an apathetic person who reads from the book of nihilism? I am also curious about what you think will happen in the near future, based on the current religious and economic structure we have established as of right now.
I'm rather average I suppose, I certainly don't fall in any of those extremes. As far as humanity, I don't have any singular opinion on it, it's too diverse. Humanity is the source of some of the most wonderful and magnificent things in this world, and of the opposite as well.
In the near future things will go on pretty much as they have been in the past decade or two, I don't see anything that will change significantly.
Someone who values animal life that much is a little more than abnormal I'd say. Obsessive attachment to creatures who are largely not even wired to process most of the emotions which people project onto them is wierd to me.
Whenever I do the personality tests I get ESTP (Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, Perception)
ESTPs are action-loving, "here and now" realists with excellent people skills. Informal, risk-taking, fast-paced and adaptable, they are not always in agreeance with rules and regulations. They are tactical problem solvers that desire quick results. ESTPs, who present a friendly and enthusiastic face, are straightshooters that are able to handle criticism.
I have become less pessimistic and less emotionally invested in the human race once I started seeing everyone as sophisticated apes. Now I just watch like I'm living in a national geographic documentary. It amuses me instead of angering me now.
I'm kind of like this, I used to have a more bitter viewpoint of the world, and while it still is largely a fucking gongshow, I simply disconnect myself from it and observe moreso than get emotionally invested in everything that goes on. Doesn't take long to get depressed when reading about all the things wrong in the world. I am just grateful I have a good living situation, good friends, and a job. Could be a lot worse for me.
There are a lot of good people in the world, but unfortunately it's the assholes and corrupt who get all the attention.
