Helloooo! Happy Sunday. I was about to go to sleep when I got reminded by a conversation I had with my partner earlier. We talked about what the most significant challenge for society is from our perspective. He said he thinks itās inequality and the unequal distribution of wealth. I agreed that itās a serious problem too. I said that in my opinion, the biggest problem today is disinformation and misinformation cause since information is very accessible to everyone, itās so easy to use and misuse. What do you guys think? What is the most significant challenge in your opinion? I donāt really mean this to be a discussion about which one is more important and all, but I guess, Iām just really curious to know other peopleās perspectives on this.
Interesting question thank you.
I would say our main threats are -
- nuclear war
- religious fundamentalism
- socialism
- energy shortage
- water shortage
- atmospheric chemical pollution
- human pandemic
- significant food plant disease
- insect depopulation
- sudden climate disruption (e.g. from geological instability or asteroid strike)
- long-term global warming
These are in approximate order of urgency plus impact plus probability but its obviously subjective - Iād probably use a different order tomorrow.
Our greatest challenges might be to counter the greatest threats. The bases for effective positive global action have to be education plus democracy, leading to equality of opportunities for all.
With ever increasing globalization and inter-connectivity across cultures, it is very important that societies work together to stop corruption, and fascism.
The rise of the white nationalist insurrectionist RepubliQan Nazi terrorists is a key example of how uninformed and uneducated people can be manipulated by media/control groups like Fox News.
Wall Street is a big problem, the hedge funds manipulate and short and distort trading, negatively affecting fair price discovery and trading.
The evolving saga with GameStop is the best example of this ongoing issue.
Youāve forgotten the aliens. I believe Elon Musk is oneā¦
I feel so guilty that I forgot that this is currently going on. Itās been so long and I really thought things would be better by now. Thatās a very comprehensive list. Just goes to show that we have quite a lot of challenges right now. Whatās interesting to me though, is that you didnāt include the inflation in this list? What do you think about it?
Yeah. Definitely. But with the way things are going, quality education at the time of a pandemic is very challenging. Tbh, I think it decline over the past two years.
Interesting points Phonetic!
I think this is quite the challenge no? Although globalization is a big thing, Iām not sure how societies can work together to stop these. It would be nice but hard to put into action, I think.
HAHA! I wonder how you even pronounce the name of his child!
Inflationās a good one. I possibly should have included it, though Iām not sure of inflation will be the problem or if inflation will be the catalyst that causes a problem to be a big big problem.
I think I should have put it in there somewhere between energy shortage and water shortage.
That order makes sense.
I actually also showed this list to my partner so we can continue our discussion and he said that you have a point in not including inflation. (I thought it was deliberate.) He said that inflation isnāt necessarily a problem cause itās something that happens every year and itās a part of every economy. He said that problem lies with how ready the economies are for the inflation (employment rate etc.).
I can see his point. Is inflation a problem or a symptom of a problem? Yes it happens all the time. But I think weāre in for a big inflation figure very soon and it will be hard for a lot of people. We had better keep an eye on Sri Lanka.
At this point, tbh, I feel like Sri Lanka is a lost cause. I fear more countries will follow.
Lack of trust. Lack of truth.
Canāt trust your neighbor, the cops, politicians, the government, the news, doctors, scientists, Facebook, Twitter, basically anything you read, mother nature, you knowā¦ anything and everything.
Everybody is a scientist now, a Constitutional historian, a lawyer, a medical doctorā¦
Iām exhausted.
It really is exhausting. This question still keeps me up at night just because there are so many challenges and no resolutions in sight.
I think you must be very compassionate and genuinely concerned for the good of society.
But there are also challenges and threats which in modern times we have either avoided for longer than anyone thought likely, or eradicated altogether -
nuclear war - though still a threat, very few at the start of the Cold War would have thought we could go another 70 years without someone pressing the button
epidemic diseases - smallpox, polio, malaria, rinderpest, Guinea worm disease and many other diseases have either been eradicated or suppressed. Millions of lives have been saved and enriched as a result.
even famine has been reduced from a major global killer
wildlife and habitat conservation - this can never be 100% achieved but so much has been done and so many species saved
earthquake, volcanic eruption and tsunami warning systems - countless lives saved
Iād love to add that communism has been eradicated, but thatās still a very real burden on many and a threat to others.
The logical expansion of that form of thinking is Communism ;
āfrom each according to ability - To each according to need !ā
However there has never (and will never be any society) which practices that form of organisation successfully - ALL attempts have led to mass murder (Russia 50 MILLION) - (China - 100 million - IF you ignore the infanticides due to the āone child policyā - if not then you are talking Billions ! ) - However as Stalin said ;
One death is a trgedy - 1 million deaths is a Statistic"
[And naturally - all those murders were done in the name of achieving a āBetter Societyā ]
THe way "Education is going at the moment - I quote DOuglas Murray ;
āYou have to be EDUCATED into this kind of stuipidityā
As for democracy - are you aware there has Never been a case of democracy lasting more than 200- 250 years - it takes around that long for enough people to realise they can vote for more and more āFree stuffā - to wreck the system !
And your
It is self evident that the machinations of āSocial Justiceā and regulations put in place since around 1970 - in ever increasing amounts and draconianism, have sent us further and further away from that ideal - so much so that those best able to rise to prominence through competence and intelligence, and further the cause of Society have in the main now decided that there is just no point in their participation any longer.
āCall me when the lights go out in New Yorkā - (John Galt - Atlas Shrugged)
.
[Atlas for those not capable of making the link without āSpoonfeedingā - being the Hero who supported the whole weight of the world on his shoulders - So what happens when he shrugs in despair ? ]
Simple answer is - āit doesnāt matterā - Western Civilisation is over (all bar the shouting) - Itās had itās 300 years - whether we face a take over by some other form of ācivilisationā like āChinaā or āislamā remains to be seen - or whether we enter a new form of āDark Agesā ?
However since āthe Westā is a Nuclear force - the likelihood of it creating a Nuclear Apocalypse in itās death throes - seems fairly high !
[āMake the World a better place Joe - press this buttonā - Does anyone doubt the senile old fool would actually do it ? ]
However - I do believe James Lovelock had a point in his āGaia hypothesisā - The world will survive - with or without humans and perhaps it is actually time for the Great God Evolution - to have another experiment ?
[ from your own standoint @ria_rose - I think Iād get used to the idea that Chinaās influence over your place in the world is likely to become total and study how one might either live under such a system - or knowing how the Chinese treat those who are not āEthnically Chineseā - perhaps consider moving ? ]
That is one of the saddest comments I have ever seen, so letās end it all if we canāt get our way.
I can understand that @ria_rose - But thereās nothing you personally can do about any of it - AND please bear this in mind ;
āItās NOT your faultā - There is Nothing for you to feel guilty about ! - Just do the best you can for yourself and those you love and join the Chinese, Russians Muslims, etc - Just shake your head and give a wry smile - at the stupidity going on all around you - and concentrate on your own abilities and resource maximation - So you can pass on your genes to your children and give them as good a start in life as you can ! xx
Take a moment to breathe deeply.
The Madness of Crowds | Douglas Murray
John talks to uncompromising author and journalist, Douglas Murray, with a special focus on his new book, The Madness of Crowds, where Douglas examines the twenty-first centuryās most divisive issues: sexuality, gender, technology and race.
00:00 Introduction
7:56 Living in a Postmodern Society
14:14 The myth of the āLGBT communityā
21:44 How Cultural Marxism Stole Educational Institutions
28:00 Narcissism and the Obstruction of Truth
37:19 One Greatest Lesson from History
44:18 Why Forgiveness Matters
52:37 Why Radical Autonomy is the Enemy of Freedom
59:56 The Lost Art of Forgiving and Forgetting
I would say turning our backs too God, Speaking as an American, I have witness the last 50 years of the Church becoming less important to people, and people turning to government for their needs. All the challenges listed by everyone here have a common root, and that is government.
Old Testament 1Samuel 8
Samuel told all the words of the lord to the people who were asking for a king, He Said, āThis is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons an make them serve his army, plow and harvest his grounds, and still others will make weapons of war. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields, vineyards and livestock, and one tenth of your harvest and you yourselves will become his slavesā
That sure does sound like what is happening today