> You have posted a well considered reply, and I wish I had time to do the same.
The smallest signal (such as this) that I'm not going insane is more than enough.
> Therefore, it seems there needs to be a mass sharing of deep consideration and thought to our actions
This seems like the correct answer to me. Easier said than done though, or so one might think.
> and I am old enough now to know this will never happen in a society that values Instagram influencers and Black Friday over common sense and wisdom
I disagree, but then maybe I'm not old enough. :)
There are certainly far more reasons to be pessimistic than optimistic about the whole thing, but I reasons for optimism are definitely there, they're just very difficult to see.
As for the lack of common sense and wisdom among the masses, I don't think that's a major obstacle. Look how society has changed with respect to racism and sexuality in recent history - sure, it seems like it took a long time, but that's a relative judgement. As an example of how things can change more rapidly, look how public opinion on trade with China has changed in just the last 6 months or so - we went from "Trump thinks trade is a zero sum game" to "China is an evil empire". A little hyperbole perhaps, but it's pretty hard to complain something very interesting didn't happen there.
But even if our political and thought leaders continue to stand in the way as they divide and conquer the masses, I think they have their work cut out for them on more than one front.
>> and I am old enough now to know this will never happen in a society that values Instagram influencers and Black Friday over common sense and wisdom
> I disagree, but then maybe I'm not old enough. :)
I didn't mean to come across as entirely pessimistic. My pessimism is directed at society at large. I think it is going in the toilet incredibly fast and there is no way to recover from this. We will end up in some form of mass oppression in my life time.
But, as I have gotten older and found more wisdom in every day life, I have found new things to be happy and optimistic about, my near surroundings, family and the people I directly interact with.
This is where I feel there is hope, I've seen people turn their lives around in my family. I've learned hard lessons raising my older kids that my younger kids now benefit from. I've found I can turn a bad day into a good one, stop heated arguments and fights and turn them into apologies and discussions.
All by changing how I live day to day. This is a small thing, but I have found that if I turn off the internet and ignore the news, it's my entire world.
The masses do not want wisdom, optimism or change. Look at the entertainment that sells to the masses, it's mostly delusion based fantasy. Most of it is pessimistic. There's no changing everyone's world, only those that are around us, but to me, that's more than I thought possible when I was young.
The smallest signal (such as this) that I'm not going insane is more than enough.
> Therefore, it seems there needs to be a mass sharing of deep consideration and thought to our actions
This seems like the correct answer to me. Easier said than done though, or so one might think.
> and I am old enough now to know this will never happen in a society that values Instagram influencers and Black Friday over common sense and wisdom
I disagree, but then maybe I'm not old enough. :)
There are certainly far more reasons to be pessimistic than optimistic about the whole thing, but I reasons for optimism are definitely there, they're just very difficult to see.
As for the lack of common sense and wisdom among the masses, I don't think that's a major obstacle. Look how society has changed with respect to racism and sexuality in recent history - sure, it seems like it took a long time, but that's a relative judgement. As an example of how things can change more rapidly, look how public opinion on trade with China has changed in just the last 6 months or so - we went from "Trump thinks trade is a zero sum game" to "China is an evil empire". A little hyperbole perhaps, but it's pretty hard to complain something very interesting didn't happen there.
But even if our political and thought leaders continue to stand in the way as they divide and conquer the masses, I think they have their work cut out for them on more than one front.