This whole world f***ing sucks (Rant....)

[Reaper]

I usually don't do this sort of thing, but it's been in my head for quite a while...

 

I don't know, was there ever a time in your life when you realized that you know so pathetically little about this world we live in, and that before that time, you were so hopelessly naive and stupid? I think I am now beginning to realize that for myself....

 

I think I mentioned this before, but this site has certainly showed me just how little I truly knew about everything in general. But, now having been at college and experienced "real life" for once, I now realized just how naive I have truly been too.

 

After taking a couple of humanities classes, reading about things in the library, inadvertently being caught up in university politics and politics in general (e.g. they are laying off one of their best professors, being a "minority student", being a visible minority, etc.), and just general observations of other people and groups of people, it seems to me that this world just suddenly got so much worse and stupid and chaotic and hypocritical and a whole host of other things I care not mention.

 

 

I don't know, it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. I had once believed in those glorious democratic ideals such as liberty, freedom, humanism, world peace, basic human rights, proper morals, etc. And, I had also once believed that our nation, at least, could credibly claim to promote that.

 

But then, I starting reading about CIA backed terrorism, the Catholic Church's effort to block AIDS awareness, rampant racism and sexism (or racist attitudes) that exists all over the world including in the U.S., those despicable oil for food programs (and the fact that we are really doing nothing other than throwing bread crumbs at third world countries in general...), political correctness, global warming denial, human right atrocities committed by all nations, the backing of dictatorships in the name of democracy and freedom, various movements and groups claiming to be moral and doing the exact opposite (e.g. animal rights activists committing acts of sabotage) and, and, well, you get the point.

 

I now realize that any and all claims to the moral high ground is basically full of shit, that everyone is just a hypocrite. In fact, to give a personal example, there was this person I used to be friends with early on in the school year. I'm not going to go over too many details, but to make a long story short he turned out to be an Anti-Semite, and to the point where he would deny the holocaust. His reason for all this? He basically pointed a finger at Israel. That's not to say that Israel is any good either, if you care to read their various human rights atrocities that continue to this day, but it does give an interesting perspective on human nature, doesn't it. Basically, all we are really doing on all sides is pointing fingers at each other and demonizing one another, and in some cases to the point where we will actually deny atrocities and even justify doing them to other groups. Whether this is ideological groups or religious groups, or whatever. Hell, I've noticed this from other atheists too, despite claims to the contrary. Hell, I see this sort of behavior in the abortion debate thread all the time.

 

There were many an occasion when I caught myself doing this exact same thing, and began to wonder how I could have let myself do that. In my short life I found that it is so much easier to hate and place blame on other people. This is something that I've been working on getting rid of, but it does disturb me just on the extent of my true nature.

 

I also have come to notice that many people, especially those who are religious or believe strongly in a particular ideology (not to generalize, but this is an observation I made, and no, atheists aren't exempt from this observation either), will tend to have a deep and fervent hatred of other groups who hold beliefs different from their own, and even people with notable physical differences too (e.g. being Black, Asian, etc.) and similar to the person I just talked about. And most of the time it is usually bottled up, only to be released when you push the right buttons, or tick them off hard enough, or criticize their deepest most dedicated beliefs, or something.

 

And, as it turns out, it's always been that way. The Chinese, for example, made maps that portrayed themselves to be in the middle of the world, the only place of civilization, and everyone else barbarians. The same with the Romans, the Catholics, the Muslims, the British, the Aztecs, and so on. In fact, every group/tribe/nation, whether primitive or advanced, has this same basic characteristic. And America is no different. It makes me sick.

 

 

And yet, why do I even bother posting this or ranting about this in general anyway. I might as well be talking to a wall because nobody listens or nobody cares. Sure, others will claim the moral high ground but personally I have come to realize that it's all full of shit. I will not claim the moral high ground, because I know for well that I don't deserve it. This world is nothing more than a dark, cruel, brutal, evil, competitive, dirty, irrational, and most of all, unjust. And I have been too stupid and naive to realize that this whole time. All that talk about honor and glory and honesty and morality.... It doesn't exist.

 

 

I once had hope, and was optimistic about everything, but it turns out that was all a farce. Hell, I remember those conversations with my dad, about how he says that the only thing that we have going for us humans is that if aliens actually do visit Earth sometime in the far future, at least they will know we even existed when they eventually dig out our landfills and those radioactive waste containers that are currently being buried (boy did he have real confidence in our future!). At first, I disagreed with him, but now I'm beginning to think that maybe he is right, humanity really is ultimately doomed. It is doubtful that we will live long enough to even have to worry about the day when Earth's oceans start to heat up and boil away 1-1.5 billion years down the road, let alone the death of our sun. Hell, we're so pathetic that we're not even sure if we will survive this next century....

 

 

Eh, well, that's enough of my ranting. Feel free to pick it apart if you will; it's just something I wanted to get off of my chest for a while. I wonder if that is your feeling too, or if it at least valid.

 

And, I think I need to take a break from posting on the internet for a while, lest I start falling behind on my studies.

[iNow]

It happens, man. Go work out, go get laid, go have a cocktail. The feeling never goes away completely, you just get used to it and learn to do what you can to improve things.

[Blue Fire]

Ranting can be cathartic! And sometimes, when you look back at that ranting, it can inspire a useful perspective.

 

It may be that you are here, in this forum and in college, for a similar reason that I'm here: as Socrates once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." So, I examine it. And I find that thinking for myself is worth it, even if I don't find the answers as I'd like them to be. And, I've learned that I'd rather be miserable with the truth than blissful with ignorance. But that's just me.

[markus.dnd]

Lockheed i agree. this world sucks but what we can do is to try to be close to our ideals. and so we can hope that human kind does not fade out but gets civilised and does not end. but gets something worth of awe. of course there are ups and downs but what everyone should remember is that: others can not do a thing. all that matter is in ourselves .

[bascule]

The world's a pretty jacked place, but fortunately I'm a pretty jacked person. And as they say, when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro...

[Realitycheck]

Civilization is still rather young.

[DrP]

now having been at college and experienced "real life" for once, I now realized just how naive I have truly been too.

 

 

Just wait untill you start work mate!

 

 

Cheer up though - it's not always that bad. We all have it in us to be good and evil. Just keep up the good fight my friend.

[Klaynos]

Welcome to the world of the wise.... depressing isn't it

[YT2095]

it`s been like this for several millenia, you will live less than a Tenth of One of these.

you only have about 80 years left Max and then you may embrace the dark.

show me the small print that states Life has to be Fair and Just.

 

stop worrying about it, Life`s too short!

[john5746]

And yet, why do I even bother posting this or ranting about this in general anyway. I might as well be talking to a wall because nobody listens or nobody cares. Sure, others will claim the moral high ground but personally I have come to realize that it's all full of shit. I will not claim the moral high ground, because I know for well that I don't deserve it. This world is nothing more than a dark, cruel, brutal, evil, competitive, dirty, irrational, and most of all, unjust. And I have been too stupid and naive to realize that this whole time. All that talk about honor and glory and honesty and morality.... It doesn't exist.

 

As for me, I hope to become...comfortably numb.

[doG]

Misery loves company. Fight the good fight, love life and be happy. All the negativity in the world is not worth getting depressed over. There are too many positive things to enjoy to waste time being depressed about the negatives. The road of life may have some potholes here and there but I'd rather have a bumpy road to travel and enjoy the scenery than no road at all....

[Norman Albers]

Lockheed, I agree mostly with your analysis!!! The question is, can we be strong enough to bring forth some beauty and love in this chaos? I have squawked on this planet for 58 years. Until the day I go out feet first I will fight the Bureau of Land Management against clearcutting of the forests above me, and there are several other eternal struggles. I can see death as a sweet release. In the meantime, listen to the other kindly pieces of advice offered in this thread. Get with that path wherein you find possibilities of being a strong force for what you consider goodness.

[Pangloss]

I think the main thing is that our awareness of problems has become more accute. In the past we didn't find out about things until they were already resolved, if we found out about them at all. There are a lot of screwed-up things going on in the world, for sure. But look at it this way: More people than ever before AGREE that those things are screwed up. In the past that was most of the battle right there. Now it's only half the battle.

 

Also it helps if you take the long view. In ten thousand years of human history, when have things really been better for more human beings than they are right now? We're in the midst of the greatest uplifting of the human condition in history. That's worth celebrating, isn't it?

[YT2095]

I thought we were a little tiny bit Older than 10 thousand years?

 

I could be wrong though.

[Norman Albers]

We must grapple with political realities. It is important to find a level viewpoint, and you will not hear it on even Public Radio News. What is called News is a compendium of bummers and conflicts, basically. There are zillions of stories of happiness and harmony, so there is something fundamentally stupid about news media.

[Pangloss]

100k for human history, 10k for human civilization? Something like that. I meant civ, since that's when we start to really control the human condition on a large scale.

[Mr Skeptic]

I suggest you read Ecclesiastes. Its written by King Solomon (who is supposed to be the wisest person ever), complaining about how life is pointless.

[Pangloss]

I can do even better than that. According to Carl Sagan in his last book ("The Demon-Haunted World"), the oldest scrap of parchment ever found, something like 3 or 4 thousand BC, says something to the effect that "these kids today don't care about their elders".

[thedarkshade]

World sucks?

 

Well.... sometimes... but most of the time no!

[Glider]

The world is a wonderful place. It's people that suck. It's people that make you think a wonderful world like this sucks, and that really sucks.

[Mr Skeptic]

The world is a wonderful place. It's people that suck. It's people that make you think a wonderful world like this sucks, and that really sucks.

 

Well, that's amusing, clever, and has a lot of truth to it, but after thinking about it I decided I would be rather sad if I had to find my own food, make my own computer, etc. Overall, I would rather have people than not, with of course the exception of some of them.

[Phi for All]

I don't think life sucks at all, nor do people. I think there's validity in just about everything and everyone. It's our perspectives that can suck at times if we allow it. It's really easy to judge others and it's really hard to judge yourself.

 

Remember that we always want others to view our actions in context, but we rarely grant others that consideration. We all have reasons for what we do but we rarely bother to find out what anyone else's reasons are before we pass judgment.

I think the main thing is that our awareness of problems has become more accute.... In ten thousand years of human history, when have things really been better for more human beings than they are right now? We're in the midst of the greatest uplifting of the human condition in history.

And when we become aware of the problems, we also see those who have it better than we do. The media glorifies idiots with huge bank accounts and most advertising these days points out just how many things you lack that you really should have. We look up the ladder with envy and forget to look below us in gratitude.

 

It's all perspective, and I choose to look at events and people as positive learning experiences, not as things that make life suck. Some people are valuable to you in minuscule but important ways. Some people are valuable because by knowing them, you'll never become them. The people who bless your life with wisdom are always valuable.

[Glider]

Well, that's amusing, clever, and has a lot of truth to it, but after thinking about it I decided I would be rather sad if I had to find my own food, make my own computer, etc. Overall, I would rather have people than not, with of course the exception of some of them.

I didn't mean that I wanted the rest of the species to disappear. I meant that it is a wonderful world, but if there is anything about it that is going to push a person towards dispair, it will be people.

 

I quite like the world. I quite enjoy living in it. I don't need a big house or a huge car (or any car for that matter) or a fifty-six inch plasma TV to help me enjoy it.

 

I like my job (I enjoy teaching and research). I like the people I work with (even the students ). I live in a one-bedroom flat in a fairly nice part of North London. I have 2 cats, 47 bonsai and my Harley.

 

But, each day, like everyone else, I am presented with more crap. For example: British gas, who have increased their prices by more than five times inflation, announce profits of £571 million this year (up from £92 million in 2006, i.e. a 520.65% increase). According to the consumer group Energywatch, since 2003, the average gas bill for British Gas customers has risen by 76.7% and electricity bills have risen by 74.3%. Millions of people, particularly the elderly are now forced into the choice beween heating or eating.

 

A tory MP (Derek Conway) 'hired' his son as a research assistant (although there are no records of his actually doing anything. In total, conway siphoned £1,535,716.70 of our money into his family coffers. His punishment for this fraud? A 10 day suspension. Scotland Yard are asking why they were not called in to investigate (they're not alone in this).

 

David Miliband (foreign secretary) admitted that exraordinary rendition flights had been landing on UK sovereign territory. He says it's down to the US who withheld the information. CIA officials are saying they're 'as confident as they can be' that no other ER flights landed there (the CIA don't know?). This means we are being asked to accept the idea that bloody great jet planes can land on UK territory without our having any idea of where they're from, where they're going, or what they're carrying. Either the US is lying to us, or the UK government is (again).

 

It's things like this that make it hard for people just to enjoy their lives. Most people just want to get on with stuff. Yet, for some reason a part of getting on with stuff has to include being lied to and ripped off by the people who were elected to represent them and by anyone else with enough financial clout to get away with it.

 

Is it any wonder people start to feel like mushrooms (kept in the dark and fed on bullshit)? Bred wholesale into a system not of their choice or making, cropped regularly through ever increasing taxes and largely forgotten once they're beyond generating enough income to be worth taking from them. If they're lucky, they'll die before their savings run out to avoid the risk of freezing to death one winter because they decided to eat rather than heat their homes.

 

While they're waiting to die one way or another, they'll turn on their TVs to numb the reality and be constantly reminded that whilst they live in a country in which obesity is becoming a major problem, somewhere else, a child dies every three seconds through malnutrition, or that last year 10,000,000 children died because they were too selfish to send them money each month (because the world really needs another 10,000,000 people per year).

 

Even in this country, an average of 35 children per year are killed by their own parents, 32,700 are on the child protection register and 79,000 are being looked after by local authorities and you really should be donating something per month because it's your responsibility to pay for the protection and upkeep of all these other people's 'little miricles'.

 

Once the adverts are finished, they'll be treated to another round of rip-off 'reality show' repeats, where spoiled neurotics get to fu*k each other (either over, or literally) on TV, or repeats of 'When Cops Go Mental' or some vacuous game show, driven by some obsequious has-been pandering to the vicarious greed of the viewers. If they're really lucky, they'll pop an anurism whilst laughing at one of the few good shows (e.g. scrubs, although it's hard to laugh at something you've seen three times before), and that'll be it. [/rant]

 

 

Geez, that feels SO much better

[Royston]

It's all perspective

 

Although this thread seems to be concentrating on the human aspects of what constitutes the world we live in, I'm reminded of the following from Hamlet, seemed quite apt, and illustrates how stark in contrast conflicting perspectives of the world can be. It also reminds me of the realizations I went through in my early teens, very similar to the OP, but I get a warm and fuzzy feeling just knowing there's many people such as Glider (very nice post) and many others on SFN and on this planet, who care about these issues, and have the intellect to read between the lines, and question the actions and decisions of others...

 

I have of late -- but wherefore I know not -- lost all my mirth' date=' forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory, this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.

 

What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?

 

Man delights not me -- no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.[/quote']

[ParanoiA]

Remove the human element from nature and you still have a despicable mess of malevolence, every bit as shameful as what we've seen from ourselves.

 

But it's only humans who actually realize it and are ashamed of it. And I'm proud of that. I see humans as creatures instinctively brimming with self serving predatory impulses, with every innate inclination to exploit unscrupulously, that manage to see their way through it to do something decent, to actually give a shit about each other at all.

 

I'm sorry, but I look at this world and I'm impressed there's a living thing on it that has the capacity to be sad for it. That's hope isn't it?