Discussion Are you optimistic about the future of the world?

[ButterToast]

The question is self-explanatory. But I want to ask this because I had a talk with a few friends and one of them mentioned how he does not want to have kids because he believes that the future will be a lot more grim than today. Corruption, immorality, evil, and the hollowing of humanity is rampat when looking at politicians, world leaders, big corporation undermining justice for profit, and how everyone feels squeezed by life with little joy left.

He argued how the world does not show any positive trajectory besides getting worse in the future. And he doesn't want to bring another life form to that shit world.

I can't say I disagree, when I was little I was full of hope, but now I've grown, I see the ugliness in people at all levels. Don't get to the politican this big corp CEO that, a lot of ordinary people are willing to do bad if they have the chance to or if they feel like they can get away with it. And given technology, a world of absolute authoritarian dystopia may be possible sooner than later.

Do you hold this view?

 

[violetforever]

i read the title and immediately said "hell no" to myself

 

[itsgone2]

Everything is wrong

 

[Pluto]

 

[ZwartHartje]

The only hope for this world would be the extinction of humanity, and as soon as possible, since humans are causing more and more harm by the day as their highly invasive overpopulation continues to spiral completely out of control. It is the only species that has singlehandedly caused the extinction of thousands of others, and counting. The only species responsible for 100% of all pollution and environmental destruction and degradation. Humanity is to the Earth's biosphere as a malignant cancer is to a body, it grows and consumes uncontrollably, smothering its host and causing unspeakable pain in the process.

Cancer always dies in the end - either when the host gets cured of it or when the host dies of it. Sadly, the latter alternative seems a lot more likely at this stage.

 

[LastNite]

The car factory

 

[ButterToast]

The only hope for this world would be the extinction of humanity, and as soon as possible, since humans are causing more and more harm by the day as their highly invasive overpopulation continues to spiral completely out of control. It is the only species that has singlehandedly caused the extinction of thousands of others, and counting. The only species responsible for 100% of all pollution and environmental destruction and degradation. Humanity is to the Earth's biosphere as a malignant cancer is to a body, it grows and consumes uncontrollably, smothering its host and causing unspeakable pain in the process.

Cancer always dies in the end - either when the host gets cured of it or when the host dies of it. Sadly, the latter alternative seems a lot more likely at this stage.

Occassionally I fantasize about a world where AI overtook humanity and saw the ugliness in humanity. It decided to erase the humans and create a perfect world where the rest of nature and living being can finally live in harmony. Humans are full of greed and evil, there's a reason why all major religion are against those. Because those are inherently incompatible with a world filled with peace and harmony.

 

[darksouls]

humanity will continue to exist for a very long time,
humans are parasites,
they will destroy the planet

 

[delmatora]

I want to die participating in a violent insurgency overthrowing everything. Everywhere, any time, any system, society or ideology, everything is bound to corrupt and degrade and turn inequal and oppressive and exploitative. There's no "bettering" anything, but if the current establishment is left unharmed they will forever reign and be enriched while the marginalized are more marginalized. Destroying this cycle temporarily isn't an improvement, it's a reset. And I want to die in this societal struggle purely because I want to feel a sense of agency and self-importance for once in my life. Even if in a fantastical miracle I become a core executive in a hypothetical revolutionary government, I don't want to be the new oligarch, I want to destroy even the revolutionaries itself. In the end, the only choices are "rot as is" or "make futile changes". Both are equally meaningless in this nihilistic universe. I've been rotting all my life so I want to feel what a change is for once before I die. I would apply as a suicide bomber if it was for an enough meaningful and just cause. Regrettably I'm slow and weak so I wouldn't even suit for a suicide bomber. Maybe meat shield or a living bait.

Above is what I sometimes feel deep inside but not the deepest, probably. Although I don't have profound understanding of these deep and big topics, I see how in social mammals the pattern is always underdogs challenging the old power and either successfully replacing the throne, or roam as a lonewolf until their last breath. That nature is not lost in humanity. Young people nowadays NEED to rise up, not necessarily for the ultimately vain promises of justice or improved society, but because it's destiny. There will eventually a come critical point, and when the societal pressure explodes, no matter how much you are immersed in doomerism, no matter how much you are hopeless and inert and severely conditioned to helplessness, you will get a position in an unstoppable and inevitable movement and you will contribute to SOMETHING.

Reads like an aimless ramble and the point is vague I think, but posting anyway for the time I spent writing this. Maybe the fact that I'm listening to Metal music rn have influenced these texts.

 

[FoxSauce]

Ha! No. Everyday were closer to extinction

 

[westerly_merlin]

I am really hopeful for the future of the world. Once the human race has made itself extinct, the climate will stabilise and another species will become dominant.

For that past 100,000 years we have been fucking this planet up, I guess it will take the earth a million years or so to tidy up after us once we have gone the way of the dinosaurs.

 

[starboy2k]

Im not even optimistic about choosing what I want for dinner, let alone the future of this confusing circle of hell we call planet Earth.

 

[MissAbyss]

Honestly, I really don't care anymore.

 

[SASU-KE]

I am really hopeful for the future of the world. Once the human race has made itself extinct, the climate will stabilise and another species will become dominant.

For that past 100,000 years we have been fucking this planet up, I guess it will take the earth a million years or so to tidy up after us once we have gone the way of the dinosaurs.

Yep,As George Carlin so eloquently put it,"we're just a tick on its back. One that it will just shrug off and move on without one day "

 

[Passenger4224]

FUCK NO

 

[EternalShore]

No, neither my life nor the world at large~ Maybe someone will fix it in 20-100 years, and I just happened to be cursed at my birth and by my birth~

 

[seeyoulater26]

No! :( I don't even wanna watch or read the news because it intensifies my anxiety. I still do though to combat brain rot. But damn!!

 

[Shrub]

Technology is becoming terrifyingly advanced and children are conditioned towards apathy and desensitization for various reasons. The future is looking very grim

 

[ijwtd3454]

no all hope I've had has left everyday I wake up I feel like society just worsens and worsens. Not sure how we have so much information at our hands but still believe killing innocent people and taking away rights is ok

 

[fullypneumatic]

It really feels like there is a serious demoralization campaign going on this year. AI + billionaires are going to remind us of how shitty mankind can be when few hold far too much power.

 

[X-sanguinate86]

For the advantaged healthy strong predestined winners it will be fine but that category is actually shrinking so that's one more reason to be an anti-natalist even if your life hasn't been that bad.

The only hope for this world would be the extinction of humanity, and as soon as possible, since humans are causing more and more harm by the day as their highly invasive overpopulation continues to spiral completely out of control. It is the only species that has singlehandedly caused the extinction of thousands of others, and counting. The only species responsible for 100% of all pollution and environmental destruction and degradation. Humanity is to the Earth's biosphere as a malignant cancer is to a body, it grows and consumes uncontrollably, smothering its host and causing unspeakable pain in the process.

Cancer always dies in the end - either when the host gets cured of it or when the host dies of it. Sadly, the latter alternative seems a lot more likely at this stage.

I agree with the sentiment but I don't think the other life forms are necessarily much better than humans. Also, humans are not the sole cause of environmental degradation. There are natural climate cycles and there have already been environmental calamities that have wiped entire species out in the past. It's just an evil universe and Nature might just be shit.

 

[MAKE IT STOP!]

No
I feel like we'll be extinct in less than 500 years. Maybe it's for the best.

 

[passthisnote]

no bc of working, aging, ai, mass surveillance, all that other stuff

 

[Szarur-abi]

No because:

* climate crisis, global elites dont do enough even if common people are for change and against continuous use of fossil fuels. We are on course of inevetible 2.0 c warming in coming years. The 1.3 c we've reached already guarantees global coral reef extiction. When I was younger there was a lot of climate protest but right now the only kind of protest I see is to reverse positive mechanisms to fight climate crisis (like European ETS) I feel powerless and depressed reading about deforestation, another human killed in heatwave, mass floodings and other destructive abnormal events.

* recent massive AI investments and coming implications. Like the fact US government can master TRILLIONS of dollars on useless data centres but can't when it comes to funding free meals for kids or universal healthcare. And the fact this money could be used to fight climate crisis by building green energy grid for example TvT same thing with Iran war and associated costs.

*also technology costs much more thanks to AI companies TVT its my hobby but now I got priced out of it... I clinge to my 16GB ddr4 ram and hope it won't break with faint hope prices will return to normal someday.

* there are wars booming everywhere lately and it stopped surprising me. When I read about report about massacre in Sudan civil war I just go 'thats awful anyway' ive read a lot about it in past few years. Rhohingya ethnic cleansing in Myanmar in 2018 for example or war crimes in current Ukraine commited by russia.

* also rise of far-right in Europe and associated hatred toward being different, migrants gay or whatsover. History doesnt repeat itself but it often rhymes

And... You know, systems are interconnected so for example climate crisis will trigger mass migrations in areas of earth where it becomes unhabitable which in turn creates more opportunity for hating other people for seeking better life... I'm way over thinking most things sadly...

There are plenty of things i didn't mentioned like costs of living, rising wealth inequality etc... Its just a lot of simple human to take in and live 'normally'

 

[pieceoffox]

as long as there are people in this world, nothing good can happen

 

[Blasphemous]

definitely not, the world will keep getting more cruel and worse than it is right now, there is still lesser empathy even by small children day by day

 

[Green Destiny]

Absolutely not. The people in charge will see to it that this world goes down in flames with all of us going with it before they even consider the thought of letting things change for the better.

Here take a look at a wild life preserve that once had ponds and lakes, now all a dried husk because of global warming and droughts.

The war has already been lost a thousand times over. There is no undoing what's already done.

 

[Lost in a Dream]

Absolutely not. The people in charge will see to it that this world goes down in flames with all of us going with it before they even consider the thought of letting things change for the better.

Maybe that is what needs to happen. Even if humans died out completely, wild animals would still rip each other apart to survive and their prey will suffer horribly for it. I say let the whole world burn. Good riddance to it.

 

[Kenny]

For the most part no, but if everything were to somehow work out and all the corruption magically vanishes... Yes!

If AI were given to the public instead of held by private corporations, it'd be for the benefit of humanity instead of the benefit of a few. The same is true for nuclear power, it'd equate to free electricity for the people.

However the chances of that are highly unlikely due to the fact that big corporations wouldn't take kindly to just giving themselves away. Think of it like this, you make a nuclear power plant and spend 20 billion dollars. While the electricity you make is essentially free, you spent 20 billion and therefore want to make your money back. Even after these people make their money back, they'll keep gouging society because they are in a position to do so. The same essentially goes for AI.

So I'd say there's a 97% chance it gets significantly worse, but there is a small chance that somehow, against all odds, AI is used for the good of the people.

It is also noteworthy to mention that AI is just one of many issues.

 

[suncide10]

I want to believe it'll get better