People in generally care the most about their own asses

[noname223]

There were climate protests again in my country. The younger generation fights for their survival. But also older people support the movement (but less). I assume because they have children about which they worry.

Personally I am not that much worried about climate change. I have way bigger personal problem and I am a good example that people with financial issues care less about societal problems. If people live shortterm for their survival they have no capacity to look out for a better future. I doubt that I am still alive in 10-20 years.

I think the climate catastrophe is probably one of the most existential questions on earth. And oil and fossil fuel companies make a good job at sabotaging the popularity of climate activists.

However it also shows me the self-centerned brain of humans. Past decades the people did not give a shit. But now when the house is burning the young generation wakes up. I don't think they would protest if their own asses were not in danger. If the catastrophe happened 100 years in the future they would also don't give a fuck. This is the human nature. It about yourself and your own ego.

Personally I don't really have a future. I am kind of apathetic. Society fucked me pretty hard. People abused and bullied me. I don't care if their life is destroyed. I am trying to survive this is all I can do.

The thing is climate change hits the poorest countries the hardest. However as I said if it only impacted their lives (in the south hemisphere) I think people in the West would not be on the street for it.

My opinion would probably change if my house was destroyed due to an extreme weather event. I am also not really better. it is also (almost) only about my own well-being. This is one of the ugly lessons life gave me. Care about yourself because others don't. I think abuse and bullying can give a person ugly traits. Selfishness is probably one of mine. I was raised by my parents to be selfish. This was one philosophy in my family. I am too cynical concerning mass movements and appeals to reach group goals if every individual delivers their part. I have made horrible experiences with people. I have trust issues with strangers. Maybe these are only lame excuses. I think capitalism delivered so much progress because it exploits the selfsihness of humans. At the same it does deliver good solutions for people like me who are too broken to function. Maybe all of this is deeply solipsistic and ugly. I just envision what will drive me to commit suicide daily. And so many people gave no shit while I was destroyed in front of their eyes. Noone intervened. My family nowadays denies to have seen anything. Maybe it is good that bitter people like me are not in power. At the same time we have many narcissists and people with dark triad traits in powerful positions. Maybe one reason why the societies suck as for vulnerable and poor people.

 

[rainseahorse]

interestingly enough, i think that it's the nature of many animals to want to preserve their own lives and genes above others. humans just like to think they're civilized and stuff. and since we figured that forming tribal relations were useful a while back, we're probably less selfish than some animals like eagles or crocodiles or koalas. i actually think that we're better for even having the potential to care about random people.

 

[sserafim]

Same, based on my life experience, I believe that people are naturally and inherently selfish. They only care about you if you benefit them or can do something for them. People basically only care about what they can get out of you. Otherwise, they don't give a shit. It's sad but true

 

[nanaka]

Totally agree on everything said about the climate catastrophe, human selfishness, capitalism, and rainseahorse's remark about humans having more potential to care than other animals.

I think that societies like Japan or China, that are more communitarianist, are better at reigning in the selfish behaviors, because everyone else will fuck you if you get out of line. If it doesn't improve positive caring between each other, at least it seems to do better to limit selfish assholes than in western societies.
But I think it also comes with the trade-off of dumb, obsolete social customs being harder to make disappear from those societies, which may be, in some cases when you get to know them, as infuriating as selfish assholes in western societies.

On another note, I think that single individuals are indeed selfish, which is why I believe it should be the role of society as a whole, and more specifically governments, which should carry the burden of making sure to have long-term planning + force people to care for each other.
It's obvious that our governments already implement these ideas in some ways, like with health care and plans for renewable energies, but personally I find it even more depressing to see that those insufficient measures are the extent of what Humanity as a whole is capable of achieving in our era.

I'm quite the doomer If you ask me, so the state of the current society makes me go: "Oh, so that's it. I'll be witnessing the peak of humanity soon, then its fall. So why trying, if what I do will just serve to make us fall from even higher after that?".
But at the same time, a part of me also hope that I'll live long enough to witness a technological singularity, in hope of seeing a true metaverse/matrix come to reality, so I can escape into that new universe (with memories altering it would be perfect lol) and flee my current life.

 

[sserafim]

Totally agree on everything said about the climate catastrophe, human selfishness, capitalism, and rainseahorse's remark about humans having more potential to care than other animals.

I think that societies like Japan or China, that are more communitarianist, are better at reigning in the selfish behaviors, because everyone else will fuck you if you get out of line. If it doesn't improve positive caring between each other, at least it seems to do better to limit selfish assholes than in western societies.
But I think it also comes with the trade-off of dumb, obsolete social customs being harder to make disappear from those societies, which may be, in some cases when you get to know them, as infuriating as selfish assholes in western societies.

On another note, I think that single individuals are indeed selfish, which is why I believe it should be the role of society as a whole, and more specifically governments, which should carry the burden of making sure to have long-term planning + force people to care for each other.
It's obvious that our governments already implement these ideas in some ways, like with health care and plans for renewable energies, but personally I find it even more depressing to see that those insufficient measures are the extent of what Humanity as a whole is capable of achieving in our era.

I'm quite the doomer If you ask me, so the state of the current society makes me go: "Oh, so that's it. I'll be witnessing the peak of humanity soon, then its fall. So why trying, if what I do will just serve to make us fall from even higher after that?".
But at the same time, a part of me also hope that I'll live long enough to witness a technological singularity, in hope of seeing a true metaverse/matrix come to reality, so I can escape into that new universe (with memories altering it would be perfect lol) and flee my current life.

I'm also excited about the metaverse! It would be cool to see all of these technological advancements, especially of AI, but sadly I don't think I'll live long enough to see the technological revolution. I also wish I could live in the metaverse as well, it would be cool to live in a virtual world