dragon
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Immortal since Jan 24, 2008
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Interests: nanotech, religion, philosophy, language, morality, self-deceit, instinct, bigotry, dancing, loving, hating & chemistry. I'm not particularly well suited to small talk.
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    Moral Corruption
    So we're powerful. We can manipulate our environments - ever more so with each passing day. Soon very little will be out of our control.

    But where do we stand emotionally? morally? Are we ready for this power? Are you? Am I?

    The world as we see it; just sort of happened. Nature took it's course, and we ended up with trees, continents, koalas and lots of water. (some other stuff too) And then over the last hundred or so years we've begun absolutely tearing this place apart...

    I don't really think that was nature's plan - if there's such a thing - and there probably wasn't. But suffice to say we fucked up, and are continuing to fuck up on a daily basis.

    Why?

    There are lots of possible answers, but I found myself staring at moral corruption (which in itself is sort of a misnomer).

    I'll take the simple ones first; religion & the media. Do I even need to say brainwashing? What I find appalling is how the morals of a religion like Christianity have infiltrated regular, secular, atheist/agnostic life. People thinking it rude to indulge their natural insticts, vulgar to partake in them (ie. that masturbation is still somehow wrong). The current affair programs targeting teen drug and alcohol use as a problem; when most of the people I know involved in such activities are happy with their lives, and definitely not a menace to society. Even the 'open minded' people more often than not agree with the moral teachings of archaic power hungry 'religious leaders'. They had public meetings and texts to pass on their brainwashing, today the same assholes who were preaching back then are still preaching - but they have television and radio to reach more people, faster and using more refined techniques.

    The worst bit is most of the people involved are themselves under the illusion that what they're doing is right because there's so many people around them doing it. Because they don't know any better.

    But then, as I sit here, I can't help but admit that I take 30 minute showers. Throw rubbish on the side of the road when I'm walking home at 3am (sometimes even kick bins over). Steal occasionally, a chocolate bar here, a beer there. And justify to myself that it's ok. Because it is. You do it too right?

    (virtually everyone thinks that... it's where the problem is hiding)

    Thu, Dec 25, 2008  Permanent link

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    Infinitas     Thu, Dec 25, 2008  Permanent link
    I couldn't agree with you more. The large majority of the world (well specifically the developed world) is made up of sheep. People blindly follow what everyone else does whether they recognize the problem or not. There are others like you and I who see what the problems are and do try and help a bit by attempting to remove ourselves from such a society, but it's pretty much impossible unless you cast yourself out into the forest and live there in your organic tree fortress with a river and a rock latched onto a stick. This "problem" with society has become too much a part of our very being, part of our subconscious, and possibly (dare I say it) part of our evolution.

    Robokku     Fri, Dec 26, 2008  Permanent link
    Your choice of "i.e." over "e.g." when citing masturbation makes for a rather brusque assertion that elicited an internal scoff when I read it. On reflection, that response was based in exactly the kind of mindset that you are seeking to expose. Very smart - you caught me out.
    folkert     Fri, Dec 26, 2008  Permanent link
    Thankfully, many are becoming more aware every day. For some it takes removing themselves from those parts of society altogether and recalibrating their reality tunnels. It can be a hard, scary and dangerous task, depending on the level of exposure to alternatives.

    "When a man starts to learn, it happens very slowly—bit by bit at first, then in big chunks. And his thoughts soon clash. What he learns is never what he pictured, or imagined, and so he begins to be afraid. Learning is never what one expects. Every step of learning is a new task, and the fear the man is experiencing begins to mount mercilessly, unyieldingly. His purpose becomes a battlefield."
    —"And what can he do to overcome fear?"
    "The answer is very simple. He must not run away. He must defy his fear, and in spite of it he must take the next step in learning, and the next, and the next. He must be fully afraid, and yet he must not stop. That is the rule! And a moment will come when his first enemy retreats. The man begins to feel sure of himself. His intent becomes stronger. Learning is no longer a terrifying task." (Castaneda)

    Also, check out Neil_k’s post Way Of The Infinite Explorer:

    How do you disempower a corrupt system? By empowering yourself. How do you awaken a sleeping population? By awakening yourself. How do you heal a toxic society? By healing yourself.
    aeonbeat     Fri, Dec 26, 2008  Permanent link
    thank for the previous comment, it's what im thinking as well. soon or later the gravity center of the unaware mass will fall and enough people will recognize the enemy inside. what i'm thinking though is, when will people actually see they're finally enough, or will it be just another complaining, this time totally self-destructive. no faith, no hope, no love, just fear. everybody's crazy so that everybody could be right now!

    the complex of the individual always appears different to those of the group, so we're never wrong and the group's been treated as an individual by most of us. it's them!!! fear is always forcing us to concentrate, to get together. if there's a threat we need to be emotionally self-aware and don't panic, don't run away, don't start a war, don't overreact, but chase the catharsis.

    the highest synchronicity for me would be the time when all people face a global thread so that it will make em get together as an organism and by the same time reach this emotional comfort and confidence to react no matter what was done before and if we're gonna fail again. this whole scenario could still be an illusion, but i don't think this matters at all, if it works and brings back the holy trinity hope-faith-love...
    He must be fully afraid, and yet he must not stop.


    dragon     Mon, Dec 29, 2008  Permanent link
    It's all very well and good to say helping yourself is the answer. Healing yourself.

    The problem was caused by selfishness.

    Let's face it; we're all selfish and proud. Willing to buy clothes from sweatshops, allowing our governments to exploit Africa. So we can get a little ahead, and live in luxury. Complacency is another problem.

    Doesn't mean that we couldn't make a difference though. There's always that warm fuzzy feeling you get from doing something to help other people. We just need to find a more direct route to people's minds. It starts with healing everyone...

    I would also like to point out that, due to my belief there's no pre-defined set of morals, people are more than welcome to think the way they do... and believe whatever they want...

    I'm just getting at the idea; if you think our planet is in trouble, and that's a problem, we should find a solution...
    david0     Tue, Jan 6, 2009  Permanent link
    More than likely morality (or selfishness) (or mankind) has little to do with climate change. Scientific evidence is at best mixed on the subject, but if you were to research the subject in depth, you would discover evidence not of a WARMING trend, as Al Gore would like us to believe, but rather a COOLING trend. For example, November–December period of 2000 was the coldest November–December in the 106-year record for the lower 48 states, according to figures from the U.S. National Climatic Data Center (NCDC).

    From CNN, January 5, 2001:

    "Last years (2000) November was the second-coldest on record, with an average temperature of 28.9 degrees Fahrenheit. And it was the seventh coldest December last year since national records began in 1895. The average temperature of the two months was 33.8 degrees. The old record of 34.2 for the two-month period was set in 1898."

    "Along the South Carolina coast, temperatures have dipped into the lower 40s, killing shrimp roe which would otherwise grow into spring's crop of white shrimp, the state's Natural Resources Department said Thursday. The cold ocean temperatures could result in a disappointing shrimp harvest this year, forcing prices for shrimp products at groceries and restaurants higher."

    There was also record snowfall set in Michigan, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Amirillo, Texas. Just a few months ago it snowed in Las Vegas, as well as New Orleans!

    More than likely we will discover in hindsight that the climate changes we are experiencing are part of a normal, cyclical pattern that have less to do with our impact on the environment, or our morality and more to do fluctuations on the Sun that cause changes on the Earth's surface.

    i.e. Things we have no control over.
    aeonbeat     Fri, Jan 9, 2009  Permanent link
    hyper selfishness will bring to hyper hedonism, then hopefully to universal epicurism and finally to direct route to people's minds, beyond speed of thought, but still intentional and "sober" will be the approach. complete. semantic. holistic probably... this is so broad subject :)
    Infinitas     Fri, Jan 9, 2009  Permanent link
    What does everyone think will happen if we do not succeed at "enlightening" everyone? Best/worst case scenario?

    If our world really is going to crash and burn then it is imperative that we reach out and "heal" others sooner rather than later in order to "save" as many people as possible for when the flood comes. Eventually our self-destructive ways will come to a peak and when a species is under the most pressure, typically life threatening, it will either find a way to survive (evolve) or die. As aeonbeat first said, we as a race would have to come together as a single organism and face the threat.

    I often like comparing what the human race really should be like to a large school of fish. The fish work together; they swim in the same direction and move with each other to protect the group as a whole and to fight off predators. But in order to recognize that we like this school of fish, we must first remove the fear and troubles inside of each one of us. One of my optimistic theories is that eventually our ideas (Spacecollective and other similar groups) will catch on to the general public. They will begin to accept them as a social norm. But the problem with this is the length of time it would take for this change in human culture. Then again the green movement seemed to take hold pretty damn fast.
    aeonbeat     Sat, Jan 10, 2009  Permanent link
    either 6th extinction, restart, or higher order - or both
    aeonbeat     Sun, Jan 11, 2009  Permanent link
    great article i've found today, although it's from one year ago - The Moral Instinct

    Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and the author of “The Language Instinct” and “The Stuff of
    Thought: Language as a Window Into Human Nature.”

    dragon     Wed, Jan 14, 2009  Permanent link
    david0 - perhaps the problem I see is not with the environment, I'm a 'climatic skeptic' myself...

    (One of the problems is how the world is believes so blindly in global warming)


    I also see problems in the distribution of power, wealth, heathcare, food etc. Overpopulation, religion, this 'morality' spiel...

    I don't think things are about to change just yet though. Give it 20-50 years. When the poor become the majority, history will repeat itself and we'll have revolution on our hands.
    david0     Fri, Feb 20, 2009  Permanent link
    Dragon -

    Late in my response, I apologise.

    Could you please elaborate on: I also see problems in the distribution of power, wealth, heathcare, food etc. Overpopulation, religion, this 'morality' spiel... What problems are you referring to specifically?
     
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