Is the world really getting worse?

by Wordly Andre 56 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  AllTimeJeff

  One line of reasoning that JW's and other fundie Christian religions use is that "Christian Morals" are being discarded.(It is my view that "christian morals" is code for "control tactics") Sexuality is more out in the open. Women are making great strides in gaining equal rights.(they don't even need a "head" over them... shock!) So I think this is what they mean when the "world is getting worse". It means worse for them, not for the real world.

  The real world has problems and always has. But as Void Eater has pointed out, there have been great gains in many areas of life. Human rights and slavery, while not out of the woods, is not as big a problem as it once was.

  Utopia/paradise doesn't exist, and it never has. All of us have to make the best of the situation we find ourselves in. We need to do what we can, be a responsible citizen, but also realize we are limited in what we can do. Being realistic is a challenge. There are so many things out of our control with the world, and some out of panic turn to religion and their utopian fictionalized view of the future for comfort. They get scared because they see bad things in the world and cant' control them. Other's assess their situation, do what they can, and go to bed with a good conscience.

  On balance, the world isn't getting worse. Imo.
• 

  LtCmd.Lore

  No, but a lot of religions like to think it is... in fact, I think they WANT it to be worse.

  "The Christian resolution to find the world ugly and bad, has made the world ugly and bad." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

  Lore - W.W.S.D?
• 

  5go

  America is getting worse the rest of the world is getting better.
• 

  PEC

  America is getting worse

  How so, 5go?

  Philip
• 

  Maddie

  I just don't think the good ole days were really that great, we are living better, living longer, no world wars, not saying it is perfect but drop anyone of us back 100 years ago and see if we could survive a week

  It is true that every generation (the elderly) tend to look back to the "good old days" and see the present society as having degenerated. I think that in many areas such as technology and medicine there is huge advancement. In other ways I think the world has got worse because of the starvation in Africa and the AIDS epidemic there.

  Maddie
• 

  Gregor

  America is getting worse the rest of the world is getting better. 5 go, you twit! You are so predictable! What a disgruntled little whiner! LOL But of course, we love you. My answer to the thread - Hell no, the world is not getting "worse"...It is obvious that life is better for the entire world. Though progress seems slow compared to the really important things like improvements in cellular phones and video game technology, the basic quality of life and expected lifespan are better every year, worldwide. It all comes down to the old "Is the glass half full or half empty?" Those of a socialist bent think it is half empty as well as those of a religous fanatical bent, be they JWs or Radislams. They are invested in control and it doesn't help their causes when people are content. One last comment to those who focus their magnifying glasses on war crimes, prisoner torture, war aggression and the like, (you know the mantra), you are so obvious in who you point your finger at and who you DON'T point your finger at. You are totally transparent. Your knee jerk responses to every thing is either blame the US or blame the US. Your opinions have no credibility.
• 

  beksbks

  Personally, I would have to say better. Sure there is violence and war. But nothing on the scale of the past. I haven't heard of any Vikings raiding anywhere lately. Even the AIDS issue is something that we can control to a point with awareness and education. Nothing like the Black Plague for heaven's sake. Starvation has been around forever. Potato famines in Ireland and the Great Depression here in the US are good examples. At least now, people half way around the world are concerned and trying to find answers. I think we are even learning about the environment, and will begin to see a change for the better there soon.
• 

  beksbks

  I DO think America is experiencing a period of arrested development, but what else can we expect from a leader who rides the short bus?
• 

  Satanus

  Like blueviceroy said, don't listen/watch/read the news. Draw the line at the weather. In addition to being seriously depressing, all the time, the media has the added bonus of throwing a guilt trip on people, especially white middle and upper class.
  
  Ok, now that we have the root problem out of the way, check out history. Compared to how people used to live, we live like kings. Families in europe used to be under the serf system, basically slavery. They used to live in a one room house, sleeping on the floor on straw type mattresses (if they were lucky). The food was pretty crappy, too. No sewage system, Water was down the street from a public pump that you had to pump.
  
  S
• 

  Alpaca

  Is the world getting worse? In order to address the question, we need to define what “worse” actually means – as in, worse than what? Some of the previous posters have made comments that accurately reflect significant improvements in the overall condition of humans over the past (pick a time period). Unfortunately, we are in completely uncharted waters as a species, as the population of the earth has more than doubled in the past 50 years (& the doubling time is shrinking rapidly). The human family is literally at a crossroads. Humans have kept one step ahead of Mom (Mother Nature), by creating an artificial and ultimately unsustainable way of life based on a voracious consumption of non-renewable energy resources (and the renewable energy sources are no where close to filling the gap). Additionally, we are playing roulette with pandemic disease on a global scale. We are not special and we are not immune to Mom’s solution to out-of-control population and exploitation of the earth. Remember, in the game of life, Mother Nature always plays the last hand and she ain’t too happy right now. Is the world getting worse? Yes… for humans. If we don’t wise up as a species, is the world getting worse? It doesn’t matter… the earth and life will persist with or without us. Therein resides the choice. What are we going to do? In geological/evolutionary terms we are a juvenile species. The irony is that we have the mental capacity to deal with these issues, but we apparently lack the collective wisdom to find a solution. Is the world getting worse? We may be able to exercise control... but time will tell. Alex B.S. Geology, U. of Akron, Akron, Ohio