The complexity of problems increases. The "bad" guys are hard to define and it is difficult to develop a defense against the creative ways they would like to do harm to the status quo. The back drop to these problems is a sense of hope. The human spirit is wonderful and desires the best for itself and future generations.
Does anyone here believe that things are worse than they were in the past?
by Trismegistus 45 Replies latest jw friends
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steve2
The best way to answer this relevant question is to acknowledge it is a hugely perspective-driven one. Clearly, if you live in Western democracies, there has never been a better time for physical health and, compared to the starkly poor standard of living in some of the so-called third-world countries, who would insist conditions are worsening? It also seems to me that, in terms of group identity such as cultural and religious, human rights are more clearly recognized than even in more recent decades. Who can forget the viciously open persecution, for example, the Witnesses suffered in the USA and Canada during World War 2? How could someone who suffered through that claim it is now worse? Strangely, I take it as a sign of relative prosperity that in so many Western countries - to say nothing of the booming Asian economies, that the apathy among both the Witnesses and their hangers-on become perennial problems for the organization (the reasoning being that during times of hardship and deprivation, people appear to focus more on "spiritual" values).
All of this is academic I suppose if you live in controversial trouble "spots" such as the Middle East or parts of Africa. The tinder boxes in those regions would have you declaring it has never been worse - or at least that it ain't better.If you have to run for your very life, or hide like a scared rabbit you'd say it is worse. But that would be as true today as in earlier centuries. If you were accused of being a witch in 1600s Britain, you would declare that life has never been worse. And imagine the shock if women were rounded up in modern-day Britain and burnt at the stake. Sometimes we need to review the past to see what pussies we have become regarding the conditions we claim are now worse!
The media is also very practised at whipping up daily fears about what's happening near and far - we become armchair surveyers of all that is happening. But unlike those hanging out for a "God" solution, do not feel compelled to see "wickedness" in very complex issues.
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MadGiant
"If the world feels like a more violent place than it actually is, that's because there's more information about wars -- not more wars themselves." Overall, we're in the midst of an unheard of "long peace," as no major powers have clashed since World War II. - Professor Joshua Goldstein
http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/pinker07/pinker07_index.html
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/08/15/think_again_war?page=full#sthash.NqHcKjzj.dpbs
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2103.html
http://reason.com/archives/2012/03/29/toward-the-conquest-of-world-poverty
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tootired2care
I used to believe this as a JW until I saw the movie Gladiator with Russel Crowe, that was definitely one of my aha moments. To think that the main entertainment for the seat of civilization at the time (Rome) was to come together, and watch people and animals hacking and tearing each other to pieces, it really made me re-think my beliefs.
Also if I recall correctly, from the mid nineties until now violent crime world wide has decreased exponetially. I attribute much of this to better education, video games, and porn. To be fair, bad things have always happened, and will continue to happen for the forseeable future but no one can factually deny that things have improved.
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d
I just think of life in the dark ages and think how violent that was.Today is much better.
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FadeToBlack
@Prof. J Goldstein: wow, really! no major conflicts since the end of WW2? And how long ago was that? I'm sure the people of Korea, Vietnam, Timor, Sudan, Somalia, Iraq, Iran, Syria, etc, etc. will all be relieved to hear that. Not to mention all the millions that disappeared after WW2 with the rise of communism in former Soviet Union, China, etc. Proxy wars are so convenient.
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mind blown
good points I can share for the near future.......
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HBH
The question is a little broad.
In the US, the standard of living is very good. But it would take 4 earths for all to live the way we do. Also, in the
US, suicide is the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 to 50. Also, the factory farming of animals is hidden, as it contains incredable cruelity. It was not like that 50-75 years ago.
There is also the Malthusian point of view, where the sheer numbers of those suffering are increasing. According the the WHO, every 8 seconds a child under the age of 5 dies, related to the lack of access clean water.
Aren't I a little ray of sunshine?
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Nathan Natas
I going to take a moment to play "Devil's Advocate" and offer two things that are worse, I think.
1. Since the dawn of homo sapiens, we have had the untdy habit of piling up our garbage in "middens" or dung-heaps.
In the 21st century, we still do this! Lip-service has been paid to schemes for more efficiently recycling our waste - we put that little triangle logo on our plastic and then throw the plastic into our local dung-heaps and into the ocean. Mankind is like an infant covered in his own poop.
2. Mankind enjoys his fish-and-chips just a bit too much. We are depleting the ocean's ability to regenerate.
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NewYork44M
We all tend to look at the world from our own perspective. From that perspective most americans have a decent life. But if you were an american indian in the mid to late 1800s, for example, you would probably think things could not get worse, and you would probably be correct.
There are many examples where individuals happend to be part of a generation undergoing a painful transition. Some of which is happening today in some lands.
