problem with the world
 

What is the problem with the world today?

We Are Afraid.

I just asked it and it said nothing. I guess I must be the one with the problem.

Furry's answer seems to be an answer to the question: What is the problem with people today? Also, it assumes a moral or ethical model that people should follow.

Defining world as the physical mass that continues its movement around the sun, then I don't think the world has any problems.

If you define world to mean some sort of global-environmental-living-thing kind of thing then maybe rogue asteroids or the magnetic reversal of the poles might be the most serious problems.

If by world you mean society then we have forgotten what is truly important: each other. The people of this planet have such twisted and warped senses of what they have to do, who they have to do, and who they have to hurt to "succeed." If that is what it takes to succeed, count me out.

I'd say the fear comes from the fact that we can't trust what someone else will do to us.

I think a part of the problem is how we (as humans) are a product of our environment and I know that there are some bad environments out there.

Through our "growing up" stages, we pick up all these ideas of greed, power, insecurity, fear, never being satisfied with ourselves, etc. and these ideas are carried onto the next generation not before manifesting in our current generation. So, I think that the world would be a lot better if there wasn't so much greed or violence caused from the wants to rid oneself of the power struggle inside themselves...

Example? Rape... most studies have shown that rape is not a sexual act but an act of taking power over another individual... what happened to those rapists as kids that made them so power hungry?

conflicting religion

in a word, the only problem with the world is homo sapiens sapiens. before moderns, there was no overpopulation, there was no homocide (hard to believe, but true). everything that is wrong with our world we have done ourselves. kneejerk response to this claim would result in a flamewar, no doubt, but i ask you to ponder this...... think about the last problem we have faced that was NOT a result of human "ingenuity." hell, i may start another thread just for that.

How about complexity? We know enough to be dangerous but cannot come to a common understanding (let alone agreement) by which we could navigate the new terrain.

...or...

Marketing and its tools have advanced to the point where target "consumers" are fairly helpless. Business, government, and special interests (religion included) have advanced their manipulators and measurements enough to guide us into our own form of the Matrix, albeit one with multiple and sometimes conflicting masters.

The world does not rotate in a straight up and down position, but rather it is tilted on its axis some 23 1/2 degrees off center. Any change in this angle would mean instant changes in weather and temperature. Further, Earth is surrounded by a magnetic field that flows from pole to pole. Each pole has an opposite polarity from the other, and is referred to as the North or South Pole. As a general rule, Earth experiences deviations in the magnetic field on a regular basis. Or...is this not what you meant?

The problem is that this thread has not been killed yet.

How do you solve this problem?

I would recommend taking the largest religion and disposing of anybody who does not conform to it, then setting up a body to get rid of anybody who considers deviating from it. No, on second thoughts, start with the smallest religion.

What is wrong with the world is that everybody wants 20% more than they have, but as soon as they get it they haven't got it. Perception of good and bad or right and wrong is entirely subjective and relative. No matter how perfect things are, we will always be able to see bad, because as soon as we stop sensing discomfort, we'll go extinct of starvation.

I would recommend taking the largest religion and disposing of anybody who does not conform to it, then setting up a body to get rid of anybody who considers deviating from it. No, on second thoughts, make that the smallest religion.

What is wrong with the world is that everybody wants 20% more than they have, but as soon as they get it they haven't got it. Perception of good and bad or right and wrong is entirely subjective and relative. No matter how perfect things are, we will always be able to see bad, because as soon as we stop sensing discomfort, we'll go extinct of starvation.

Not enough givers...it's (almost) alway me, me, me....

Not sure it can be narrowed down to one thing, perhaps its that we are trying too hard to all be alike, respectful and non judgemental of others religons, cultures or even looks. Don't think we as humans are wired to be like that, thus the troubles.

Is there anything wrong with the world? I'm with Master_Shake and Bill O'Rights here. Saying there's a proplem assumes the ability to absoutely define what is good and what is bad, what is functioning properly, and what is a 'problem'. Only after you've done that, can you begin to formulate a response.

Or perhaps it's people like me giving smart-ass answers when they could be answering simple questions...

I don't think there is anything wrong with the world. If you are referring to wars, famine etc... From a sick sense, this is actually beneficial in a way. Culling the human population. If we had no wars, sickness, famine etc... How much quicker would we burn out our resources and inevitably destroy ourselves? .

Too many negative thinkers and control freaks

humans, humans are wrong with the world.

too many megalomaniacs. Not enough liberty. Not enough respect for others, I'm an athiest, but i still respect my mates who are christians, we are different people, we don't need to believe the same thing, my girlfriends parents though (who are christian) don't seem to think this though :<!

Loss of community .

And an 'Im alright Jack' mentality.

what an open ended question
I have no problem the world today, it seems to be treating me the way it usually does - all laws of physics working as i have come to expect.
maybe you should try to limit the question a touch, whats the problem with society today or whats the problem with the geo-political state of the world today, or maybe you didn't give the question that much thought to begin with.

Curse the darkness, or light a candle? The problem might be that there is not enough of the obvious solution, love. Love is the antithesis of every problem mentioned here so far. Love is selflessness first, fairness, forgiveness when possible, treating others as ourselves.

I'd disagree. If anything we need more megalomaniacs. And I mean some real die hard mad-scientist megalomaniacs with lab-made-Godzilla monsters. Because then, we'd all have something to fear, something to combat. People are at their best when things are at their worst.

There is nothing wrong with the world today. It is no worse than it was in the past. Life is just by nature filled with a lot of bad things. The happiness endorphins that give people the desire to excel only work because most of the time you aren't getting them.

Probably the influence of todays society upon our younger generation. Im sure my grandparents were sayin this about my parents, but god, the youth of today. *shakes head*

The "problem of the world" is a lot of things, imho. A lot of what's wrong is one very specific thing: selfishneess. Without selfishness, we would be able to work towards common goals that not only helped all mankind, but even the planet and all life. I'm gonna go hug a tree now...

capitalism triumphant and all the ideological perversions that follow from it.

what would you replace capitalism with?

The main issue with the Earth as i see it in a short/simplistic paragraph :

The world is experiencing deep divisions and missing the connection . . . we are all completely separated into our own little lives, each country is also separated . . . All acting on our own greed . . . until the world leaders and Each Individual understands the fact that everyone is part of a whole in this world community . . . each action we as individuals make, each action that every nation makes . . . AFFECTS the whole planet in some form . . . until we as individuals and nations start making decisions about what is best for the "whole" and not just for themselves or their own nations . . . only then will the world be able to have some positive change.

Someone is having hard time . . . but it doens't affect you . . . hence, you don't care about what happens to said person . . . But it DOES affect you, you are not part of the whole if you do nothing . . .

Whole nations of people are dying and starving . . . but it doesn't affect the US in our government's opinion, so we barely lift our finger to help . . . But it DOES affect our country, we are not part of the whole if we do nothing . . .

Inaction separates us and lack of compassion in our world community and in our personal lives separates us . . . our separation will lead to more of the same.

Thanks,

Sweetpea

Prozium II is not an answer
 

Very true Sweetpea, and WillRavel. Selfishness then seems to be the commonality. And you know what, Roachboy, you'd be right too. I feel that selfishness and greed are at the heart of those that see success as a monetary value when it should how have you bettered the world around you. But then, how could you change that which exists in the hearts of many? If someone wants to say Prozium II :rolleyes:--I just posted it so don't bother.

And no offence, but what is truly wrong with the world are people like us who find faults in the world and do not attempt to change it by the means available to us. I try though, one person at a time it may be, but I do try. Some here need to get government positions.

bingo Augi . . . i think you really got the point.

It's inaction that contributes if we stand by and do nothing when we see something going wrong . . . we must attempt to change what we see going wrong and/or lead our own lives by the ideals we hold true and advocate, advocate, advocate for positive change :)


I guess i am another hopeless dreamer who does believe things can be different.

Sweetpea

Atleast we hopefull* dreamers have others to chat about what it may be like to live in a world without destructive elements in our society.

I agree with the several others who have said that there is nothing wrong with the world. Having never experienced another world to compare it to, I have no frame of reference on which to base a "right" world and a "wrong" one. This world will always be what it is, and can be nothing else. A vague answer to a vague question, I suppose...

You mean to tell everyone here that you have never imagined what this other world would be like? A world that would be somewhat better as to your standards? I find this hard to believe.

Sure . . . i see your point. I actually don't believe in "right" and "wrong" . . . those are standards which other people set . . .

However, i do know my own individual thoughts on the world and that is all i was commenting on . . .

It is your prerogative to believe that the world is okay the way it is . . . but you need only open your eyes to see that millions of people are starving, children are being used as slaves in many countries of the world to make the clothes you wear, people are tortured for not perfectly conforming to their society's standards, people are Suffering all over this world . . .


How convenient of you, since you are apparently not one of those people suffering to say that because you have no frame of reference, you think the world is fine. How convenient of you to turn your back on the issues of others.
If YOU were personally one of those millions of people in extreme Suffering in this world . . . i highly doubt you would think their was nothing wrong with the world.

however, that being said, i respect your opinion and you reflect the way allot of people feel.

Thanks,

Sweetpea

short-sightedness.

all of the world's problems can be boiled down to this :0)

Unbalanced living and unrealistic expectations whilst passively opposing the requisite equillibrant as per the fundamentals of resultant modes of operation.

We haven't evolved to a point where most people, especially those in power, think that it's more useful (e.g. economically and/or biologically rewarding) to be altruistic and self-sacrificing than it is to be selfish and, let's face it, capitalistic. That is, the need to make as much profit as possible and then to not give up some, if not most, of one's dispensable income to those who are structurally incapable of choosing a more satisfying life [not saying I'm good at it either, btw].

As I see it, we and every other animal have been biologically rewarded for being greedy. You can't breed that out of a species, and human's capability for culture has taken a hell of a long time to work on it (but it's our only hope at this point). Fuck natural and sexual selection... may have been great for a while, but at this rate our culture ain't gonna keep up with something so inherently biological as greed and we're gonna destroy ourselves.

definetely mass media and materialism, and of course religion

the biggest problem with the world is people who feel entitled to things that do not belong to them.

This one I agree with 100%. Whether we slipped away from an awareness of place many social evolutions ago, or we have to grow and mature through many more world views yet to come - the fact remains that people don't seem to know or care what the real requirements of 5 generations from now may be. Untill we develop a strong connection that runs through hundreds of years of commitment both behind us and plan for those generations to come we will continue to be random and self defeating. I see the Eastern world has had a little longer to practice this sort of view and I'm pretty confident that the 21st and 22nd centuries will belong to India and China, supported by the Pacific Rim regions.