To think we are doomed and there's no way back now?

[StellaGibson118]

We have constructed a society that doesn't work for people. People are burnt out from overworking, many are getting poorer year on year, services cant meet the demands of the population, we are becoming nastier due to these stressors and the influence of social media/the media, and well the planet is fucked too.

We have moved so far away from simplicity that we have descended into chaos and it isn't just the UK, it's all around the world. I'm worried for my children's future but I can only allow myself to think about it for a minute or two or I'd go mad.

.... wasn't it Thoreau who said, " the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" . I thing that has been true since the stone age.

Yes, there are patterns of collapse. Societies build up and collapse. The problem this time is that it is going to be global and it will take the whole planet with it due to humanity massively overshooting the earth’s carrying capacity. As depressing as this reality is, I’d still rather be realistic about it that have my head in the sand.

Everyone thinks their society is doomed.

Socrates was talking about selfish people and greedy children in his day.

People throughout history thought they were being subjected to the judgement of a god or gods. Total failure of the handful of crops available vs. supply chain delays that mean Walkers crisps disappear for a bit - I know which I would rather be subjected to.

My advice is to get into history - the perspective you will gain is very beneficial. I know this pandemic will decrease in severity next year - because that is the pattern pandemics throughout history follow.

Plus - the worst year to be alive? Scientifically, it was 536 AD.

History does teach us a lot about adversity and helps keep things in perspective. The problems we have now did not exist then though, the issues with tech, the pressure from social media, the erosion of community and the narcissistic culture that seems to be limitless, some of these things are actually new and did not exist before.

We do live in cycles. But some are new cycles and some are quietly much more destructive than they might appear.

That’s why I referenced the Matt Haig book agree he is a clunky and not great writer but found that book of his quite good for forcing the reader to “step back” and see that over say 5 generations or so humans face largely the same issues which rise and fall this is largely cyclical.

The witch hunters are still here but in a different guise / plague / useless politicians / economic ups and down / social change / despair at the youth. I found it quite comforting in a way.

There is a lot we can all do to forge a better future for today’s children:

• most pressing issue is climate change. Making individual changes, voting for and campaigning for legislative changes. Talking to each other about it and what we can all do. Lots of climate changing behaviours involve very little effort for huge climate kudos. Not flying is easy. It’s a loss but it only involves NOT doing something. Eating less meat again involves NOT doing something. - Take things to local repair centres rather than buying new. Don’t follow fashion. Easy to do. I’m not saying you SHOULD do all or any of these things but if you want to create change this (and all the other changes we know about) is how.

• division - reach out to others, create strong local communities. Talk with the people around you. Smile. Say hello. Talk with those who have different views. Challenge racism and other forms of discrimination. Look after each other. Random acts of kindness.

• social inequality and poor investment in health and social care - campaign, sign petitions that support addressing this. Be a conscientious consumer and only buy from companies that are socially responsible and pay their taxes (it’s easy to avoid Amazon if you really want to). While I’m on Amazon: Buying less - again is a really easy win on Climate Change too - involves NOT doing something.

Most of all - VOTE DIFFERENTLY!!! The Tories are NEVER going to be about looking after people and making things fairer. Their core value is status quo. Rich man in his castle, poor man at his gate. Some Tories are kind and want to look after ‘the poor’ in a top down caring sort of way - but none of them truly want to even the playing field.

Each and every one of us has the power to vote in change. Love him or loathe him Corbyn had some good policies on addressing social inequality but the media did little to promote these. And, on that point, don’t rely on media coverage when you vote. Go to the source. Listen to the politicians directly and check their voting history. The mainstream media is mostly owned by people with huge wealth held in offshore tax havens so they don’t have a vested interest in fixing the unjust system.

Limit social media. It’s toxic.

I’m not telling you or anyone else what to do OP but never think you can’t make a difference - together we are powerful! Very powerful.

Well. There is my two Cents worth. - Retreats and waits for bashing to commence

The onus is on us to change our lives for the better, do your part in making things better. We don't need to sit passively buying mountains of tat, whilst scrolling endlessly on social media, buying one use plastic and endless takeaways. We can choose something better for ourselves and our children.

If millions say enough is enough, then things will change. There is plenty we can do to make a start.

we posted at the same time. But yes we can do something

You're only worried because you've been fortunate enough to live in a period of relative peace.
We're long overdue a war of some sort tbh.

@YungWaffle

You're only worried because you've been fortunate enough to live in a period of relative peace. We're long overdue a war of some sort tbh.

My grandmother said we were the most fortunate generation not having to live through a terrible war, and she is right. Things are better than they could be.

I'd come off SM for a bit if I was that depressed about life/the planet etc - it can be a toxic swamp. I always find it incredibly sad that families who lost fathers or sons in WW1 often didn't hear the news for weeks - compare that with today's instant outpourings (often lies and conspiracy theories) and try and aim for somewhere in the middle.

YANBU op Its so depressing

@EishetChayil

Capitalism has spectacularly failed.

It's the socialist countries that have beaten COVID.

Which socialist countries exactly? North Korea, Venezuela, China?

I’m not on Twitter, Facebook or anything else except for this one. I find it helps enormously. I live in a small village and see little acts of kindness all the time. We are pretty blessed to have a ‘free’ for all health service, hot water and heating, social care etc. I remember growing up without central heating and being covered in chilblains. I’m happy to be here, in this time. I just avoid the dickheads on SM, who are mostly just saying stuff for effect anyway and would never speak like that in real life. I also don’t watch the news, my mental health is so much better.

I disagree that voting in a different political party will make a big difference. Political parties change their stances on things is response to events outside of our control, and changing public opinion. The current government rolling out furlough and then hiking taxes to pay for it.... unthinkable positions for true economic Conservatives. Blair going to war in Iraq would also have been unthinkable in 1997. Other political "saviours" will come along and disappoint us soon enough.
We should not look to politicians to save us, as we will be perennially disappointed. The change must come fron individuals.

@MasterGland

I disagree that voting in a different political party will make a big difference. Political parties change their stances on things is response to events outside of our control, and changing public opinion. The current government rolling out furlough and then hiking taxes to pay for it.... unthinkable positions for true economic Conservatives. Blair going to war in Iraq would also have been unthinkable in 1997. Other political "saviours" will come along and disappoint us soon enough. We should not look to politicians to save us, as we will be perennially disappointed. The change must come fron individuals.

But also we need functioning politics, so right now I'd take 'competent' over the current Tory shitshow.

You could argue that North Korea has ' beaten ' covid because how would anyone know for sure ? They said they didn't have it , their health service doesn't really exist and I'm sure any deaths are covered up.
Plus has China got this new Omnicron variant ?

Fairylights25 your Grandmkther is right.

My Grandmother was born in the very late 1890’s and saw her relatives die in WWI her DH die in WWII, was in the Women’s Auxiliary airforce, had to send her children away as evacuees, saw an old chap get his head blown off in front of her in an air raid in London, survived the Spanish flu epidemic, the Great Depression, had a disabled child removed from her at birth that was “allowed” to expire in the bed pan, lived under rationing twice. There was no child allowance until the 1960’s and no NHS until she was in her late forties. She couldn’t vote till she was much older.

Things can always be better but we really are very lucky to have been born at this moment in time. The pandemic has pushed people to the edge and natural personalities have come to the fore. So we get more extreme examples of both kindness and selfishness. It’s happened throughout history in times of great struggle.

Personally I think out parents the boomers lived came into adulthood in a golden idyllic age and our childhoods in the late
70s, 80s, and 90s were pretty good. Enough money for healthcare for everyone, lots of spare cash for leisure etc etc.
Was just unsustainable at that level think any other century through history people had harder lives.
But it’s hard to take a drop in lifestyles once’s we have seen it.

When was there ever this problem free golden age of sustainable living? It never existed. In many respects the world is better now than it has ever been - relatively prosperous, relatively healthy.

I agree OP. I can't help feeling it's linked with the population explosion - twice as many people on earth as in the '50s, and we're just over-saturated. Life is cheap and there isn't enough time or energy to devote to caring for other individuals the way we used to - it's so much easier not to give a shit.

It's not just about trying to distribute resources, it's cultural - we're not a society any more, we're just a mass.

I know we'll address the balance at some point (or nature will address it for us)... but not in my lifetime. My optimism only extends so far.

I agree. Look at the Mouse Utopia experiment and see how their existence ended up. We're heading the same way.

@olivehater

Personally I think out parents the boomers lived came into adulthood in a golden idyllic age and our childhoods in the late 70s, 80s, and 90s were pretty good. Enough money for healthcare for everyone, lots of spare cash for leisure etc etc. Was just unsustainable at that level think any other century through history people had harder lives. But it’s hard to take a drop in lifestyles once’s we have seen it.

Homophobia, sexism and misogyny rampant. Sexual harrassment part of life. Queues for everything. Three Day Week. Strikes. Interest on mortgages 17% . Not perfect times.

It's a myth that there were "better times". Maybe only for a select few, and it was ever thus.