The state of the world (Utopia vs. Dystopia)

[an anarchist]

I want your perspective on the state of the world and the setting that humanity lives in. Note that this is not a debate thread. I am interested in learning about various view points, not countering various perspectives.

What do you believe about the setting that humanity finds themselves in?
I have five options listed. I will elaborate with possible perspectives supporting each point.
1. We live in a utopia
Instant communication, modern medicine, agricultural developments, exponential technological growth
2. We are on our way to living in a utopia
Though technological growth has been exponential, we are held back by social issues such as poverty and war. These problems will dissipate, however, and technology will continue advancing.
3. We live in a midtopia
Reality is somewhere in between good and bad. Quite "mid". There are positive people in the world as well as bad people in the world. There are some things that seem inevitable like disease, natural disaster, and war. But there is a silver lining to life. The fact we are born at all is a miracle, and we get to experience happiness while alive. Negative actors do not control the world.
4. We are on our way to living in a dystopia
War is ever increasing, politicians are getting more authoritarian, and the advancements in technology will be able to be used by authoritarians. If things continue as it is, our freedom will be lost. Environment is decaying as well.
5. We live in a dystopia
Negative actors, such as a "deep state", run the world from behind the scenes. The governments are not the good guys. They have ill intent. The entire structure of society is designed to hide the fact that we live in a dystopia. We are barreling into complete enslavement and depopulation at the hands of negative actors. Constant war, poverty, and disease that can be averted is purposefully inflamed by those in charge.

I am voting for #5. I believe the government is ran by eugenicists who are hell bent on the enslavement and depopulation of humanity for eugenic reasons. I am diagnosed with Schizophrenia and spent many years on "conspiracy" news sites. These news sites have the habit of being convincing and providing convincing evidence for their claims and arguments. To me, mainstream news like CNN/Fox seems no different than North Korean propaganda news broadcasts.

I take antipsychotics and my medical team tells me I'm paranoid and delusional in respect to my beliefs. I do my best to take their word for it and take my medicine. The medicine cannot undo what I have learned and seen. It does not make me view the world as any less of a dystopia. It simply allows me to not obsess over it and focus on myself.

I would like to take in more perspectives. I know most people don't view the world as a dystopia. I am interested in why.

 

[sun rise]

To me the current visible environment is clearly a dystopia with wars spreading and divisions of all kinds. But I also see signs, albeit faint one so far, of something new and positive being born. Some artists and musicians are feeling this and it shows up in their work. And some spiritual figures are speaking of this as well. Three examples:

"Mother" of the Sri Aurobindo ashram:

We are in a very special situation, extremely special, without precedent. We are now witnessing the birth of a new world; it is very young, very weak -- not in its essence but in its outer manifestation -- not yet recognised, not even felt, denied by the majority. But it is here. It is here, making an effort to grow, absolutely *sure* of the result. But theroad to it is a completely new road which has never before been traced out -- nobody has gone there, nobody has done that! It is a beginning, a *universal beginning*. So it is an absolutely unexpected and unpredictable adventure.​

​

 

[an anarchist]

To me the current visible environment is clearly a dystopia with wars spreading and divisions of all kinds. But I also see signs, albeit faint one so far, of something new and positive being born. Some artists and musicians are feeling this and it shows up in their work. And some spiritual figures are speaking of this as well. Three examples:

"Mother" of the Sri Aurobindo ashram:

We are in a very special situation, extremely special, without precedent. We are now witnessing the birth of a new world; it is very young, very weak -- not in its essence but in its outer manifestation -- not yet recognised, not even felt, denied by the majority. But it is here. It is here, making an effort to grow, absolutely *sure* of the result. But theroad to it is a completely new road which has never before been traced out -- nobody has gone there, nobody has done that! It is a beginning, a *universal beginning*. So it is an absolutely unexpected and unpredictable adventure.​

​

View attachment 95810View attachment 95811

I believe the potential is there. I believe perhaps there are those already who are "awake". But will this enlightenment take hold of society as a whole? Or will the potential at greatness be squandered? I am not optimistic...

 

[an anarchist]

Note that this is not a debate thread. I am interested in learning about various view points, not countering various perspectives.

I believe the potential is there. I believe perhaps there are those already who are "awake". But will this enlightenment take hold of society as a whole? Or will the potential at greatness be squandered? I am not optimistic...

Sorry, I don't mean to debate. Just sharing my perspective.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I want your perspective on the state of the world and the setting that humanity lives in. Note that this is not a debate thread. I am interested in learning about various view points, not countering various perspectives.

What do you believe about the setting that humanity finds themselves in?
I have five options listed. I will elaborate with possible perspectives supporting each point.
1. We live in a utopia
Instant communication, modern medicine, agricultural developments, exponential technological growth
2. We are on our way to living in a utopia
Though technological growth has been exponential, we are held back by social issues such as poverty and war. These problems will dissipate, however, and technology will continue advancing.
3. We live in a midtopia
Reality is somewhere in between good and bad. Quite "mid". There are positive people in the world as well as bad people in the world. There are some things that seem inevitable like disease, natural disaster, and war. But there is a silver lining to life. The fact we are born at all is a miracle, and we get to experience happiness while alive. Negative actors do not control the world.
4. We are on our way to living in a dystopia
War is ever increasing, politicians are getting more authoritarian, and the advancements in technology will be able to be used by authoritarians. If things continue as it is, our freedom will be lost. Environment is decaying as well.
5. We live in a dystopia
Negative actors, such as a "deep state", run the world from behind the scenes. The governments are not the good guys. They have ill intent. The entire structure of society is designed to hide the fact that we live in a dystopia. We are barreling into complete enslavement and depopulation at the hands of negative actors. Constant war, poverty, and disease that can be averted is purposefully inflamed by those in charge.

I am voting for #5. I believe the government is ran by eugenicists who are hell bent on the enslavement and depopulation of humanity for eugenic reasons. I am diagnosed with Schizophrenia and spent many years on "conspiracy" news sites. These news sites have the habit of being convincing and providing convincing evidence for their claims and arguments. To me, mainstream news like CNN/Fox seems no different than North Korean propaganda news broadcasts.

I take antipsychotics and my medical team tells me I'm paranoid and delusional in respect to my beliefs. I do my best to take their word for it and take my medicine. The medicine cannot undo what I have learned and seen. It does not make me view the world as any less of a dystopia. It simply allows me to not obsess over it and focus on myself.

I would like to take in more perspectives. I know most people don't view the world as a dystopia. I am interested in why.

I think it's a mix of both. In fact our lives are much better than people of ancient days from a tactile perspective but at the same time, I think we have aquired the curse of our own technology where it's both really really good , but at the same time we're headed for a really really bad situation that can only be described as dystopian.

 

[an anarchist]

I think we have aquired the curse of our own technology where it's both really really good , but at the same time we're headed for a really really bad situation that can only be described as dystopian.

Nuclear apocalypse incoming!!??!??! That's a classic dystopian setting...

The idea that it is literally and physically possible for humanity to blow up the world is insane.

 

[an anarchist]

In fact our lives are much better than people of ancient days

As a lower class American, I can eat like ancient royalty as long as I got my minimum wage and food stamps. I sometimes remind myself "I eat like a KING!"

 

[Twilight Hue]

As a lower class American, I can eat like ancient royalty as long as I got my minimum wage and food stamps. I sometimes remind myself "I eat like a KING!"

I think the same thing actually, that when I complain about something, I look back into the old days and say we would have been regarded as royalty and even above that in many ways. I would think if somebody in that era were to see the future like this, they would likely think what the hell is wrong with us in terms of creature comforts and ease of existing in this world compared to them.

 

[sun rise]

I believe the potential is there. I believe perhaps there are those already who are "awake". But will this enlightenment take hold of society as a whole? Or will the potential at greatness be squandered? I am not optimistic...

Our difference is that I'm supremely optimistic over the long term, decades or more but the path is not a straight line but one that goes back and forth along the way as the forces opposing this change resist because the old fights for its life as it is dying.

 

[Heyo]

I want your perspective on the state of the world and the setting that humanity lives in. Note that this is not a debate thread. I am interested in learning about various view points, not countering various perspectives.

What do you believe about the setting that humanity finds themselves in?
I have five options listed. I will elaborate with possible perspectives supporting each point.
1. We live in a utopia
Instant communication, modern medicine, agricultural developments, exponential technological growth
2. We are on our way to living in a utopia
Though technological growth has been exponential, we are held back by social issues such as poverty and war. These problems will dissipate, however, and technology will continue advancing.
3. We live in a midtopia
Reality is somewhere in between good and bad. Quite "mid". There are positive people in the world as well as bad people in the world. There are some things that seem inevitable like disease, natural disaster, and war. But there is a silver lining to life. The fact we are born at all is a miracle, and we get to experience happiness while alive. Negative actors do not control the world.
4. We are on our way to living in a dystopia
War is ever increasing, politicians are getting more authoritarian, and the advancements in technology will be able to be used by authoritarians. If things continue as it is, our freedom will be lost. Environment is decaying as well.
5. We live in a dystopia
Negative actors, such as a "deep state", run the world from behind the scenes. The governments are not the good guys. They have ill intent. The entire structure of society is designed to hide the fact that we live in a dystopia. We are barreling into complete enslavement and depopulation at the hands of negative actors. Constant war, poverty, and disease that can be averted is purposefully inflamed by those in charge.

I am voting for #5. I believe the government is ran by eugenicists who are hell bent on the enslavement and depopulation of humanity for eugenic reasons. I am diagnosed with Schizophrenia and spent many years on "conspiracy" news sites. These news sites have the habit of being convincing and providing convincing evidence for their claims and arguments. To me, mainstream news like CNN/Fox seems no different than North Korean propaganda news broadcasts.

I take antipsychotics and my medical team tells me I'm paranoid and delusional in respect to my beliefs. I do my best to take their word for it and take my medicine. The medicine cannot undo what I have learned and seen. It does not make me view the world as any less of a dystopia. It simply allows me to not obsess over it and focus on myself.

I would like to take in more perspectives. I know most people don't view the world as a dystopia. I am interested in why.

I'm mostly trending towards #2, but with a lot of caution.
Over a long enough time span, we seem to have reached some advantage over our predecessors, but we also had some throwbacks on the way. Currently, we are in a phase of swing back, compared to the advances in many social fields from the '60s to the '80. The near future may not look so nice.
We are (as every generation was) at a crossroads. We have the potential for eutopia and dystopia. We have developed one more option to kill ourselves, and we are ignoring a time bomb we've set off 150 years ago. On the other hand, we are more free, more aware and have more options for positive development than ever before.
It's on us to do the right thing.