I would like to hear others opinions and thoughts on this.

We have world poverty and famine issues, hard-working people working for little or nothing just to get by.

I believe that as a species, we have so much potential and that we are not encouraged to even realise that we do. Ofcourse, we enter educational centers very young and are basically taught enough to keep the system currently well-oiled in varying areas. It doesn't encourage self-education nor does it nurture feelings of compassion.

And many will begin to get out there and it seems to become all man for himself. Modern society is very much a dog-eat-dog world. Somehow this is strange to me. Does the system do something to us to make us become selfish and cold? I see business men with suits sometimes just stepping over homeless folks as if they are debris on the ground while I driving downtown.

When I hear of how many billions of dollars are spent on this building project and that, I literally feel nausea when I think of what that could have bought for many. knowing how much money is thrown away and wasted on nothingness. Although, they say its all numbers on a screen, those numbers could do a whole lot right now in this current system. But its paying for warheads.

What are important things that humanity needs to realise and change? How can we apply the potential that we have to remedy the issues we are experiencing in our world today? What do you feel we can do? Nothing is too fantastic to make happen. Endless possibilities and all that.

Should we walk away from this system that doesn't seem to be working for the whole of us and start fresh, or could we stay within and change it for the better?

Firstly great thread!

I would say that we need to realize that until we take an active role in politics, in defining the rules of engagement, in defining the characteristics of the state, in order to benefit the widest range of people, politics and the state will continue to be a weapon of class oppression in the hands of the people who benefit from the terrible situations you describe.

Political apathy of the masses is a happy by product of the ruling classes domination of politics.

I think that's quite a concise answer but feel free to ask if you want me to elaborate.

Just to add first, excellent thread!

I was having a joke the other day with a Greek anarchist about the Greek lack of respect for a good queue and stated "that's why anarchism will never happen, if people can't queue there's no hope", she laughed. Then I had a smoke and took the analogy up a gear; first we need to be able to queue, then we need to be able to recognise when the queue is unmanageable and be forming another queue to serve the original, now unmanageable queue. That to me is anarchism in a nutshell, and anarchism to me is the way to fulfill human potential.

inb4 john lennon, imagine

world would be a better place if people werent so uptight and angry

Guevarista wrote:
I like where you're going with this. Nearly any social system can work. As you've indirectly indicated, complacency on part of the people gives rise to social-political tyranny. Recently Wake up bomb described the current mentality and system as neo-feudalism. I happen to agree with that. The first step in changing this is to stop thinking like serfs. Like you said, we need to take charge of ourselves individually and get involved. I see governments as management for civilization, nothing more. I don't approve of them making decisions for me, or utilizing me, my family, and friends as a means to piggy-back their debts. If I'm going to pay taxes, fix the damn roads, bridges, and railways like they're supposed to be. Large amounts should also be placed into addiction rehabilitation centers and education. The fractional reserve banking and planned obsolescence economic models don't work, and were never intended to be utilized for as long as they have been. They need to be kicked to the curb as soon as possible. I'd like to see what we have going tweaked and streamlined. By that I mean, remove the arbitrary and redundant seats of power. After-all we the people built the infrastructure with our blood, sweat, and tears.

This whole neo-imperial Rome thing doesn't work anymore financially, politically, or socially. Running off to distant lands on shaky reasoning for war shouldn't be tolerated. We've progressed too far along as a species where the world isn't exactly an unknown wilderness anymore. It's become much smaller, so old practices of plundering don't work. That's amplified by terrifying militaristic power today, especially when armed forces are nonchalantly utilizing depleted uranium in active munitions. That lingers for years, both physically and psychologically.

Guevarista wrote:

wake_up_bomb wrote:
Join the queue!

Mountain wrote:
Humans need to stop all this war madness that's the only way to heal the world.

Great topic mountain, I hope we have the ability to pull away from a path of destruction,which I think is your concern.

Technological progress has changed many job descriptions, and changed the whole worker mentality,eliminating a strong economic base,when individual countries were proud of their own products,a good product for a decent price,this changing the mentality of the worker funneling down to the family unit.
The price of a item in relation to what the individual can afford, without suffering or having the I will make it somehow mentality this effects everyone.

Ridiculously expensive things in today's world has put people in debt payments are a incredible burden.

A good product for a fair price would have to come back first off.

I think nuclear power was a mistake,solar power should have been the goal..

If we get passed the hell the world is turning into,agriculture and pollution control,clean water and living in peace with others will be what is realized was the important thing we should have done.

Excellent thread and excellent contributions already

"What are impor­tant things that human­ity needs to realise and change?"

That we are nature. Nature is not something external to humanity, humanity is part of it.
That the monetary system is not only unnecessary but at it's heart, a method of control and domination.
That the core value of all the major world religions is sound, "love thy neighbour as thyself" etc but that it has been buried. Essentially when fully embraced, it's the only "law" that's needed.
That millions of "man hours" are yearly taken up with utterly pointless and often destructive wastes of effort.
That social engineering has been going on for decades and still is.

Politics? The current system has to go first before anyone can really talk about reorganizing that mess. Those who have tried to change it from within are usually killed in single vehicle accidents or are just absorbed by the machine. It will fall apart, it's been falling apart rapidly over the last 25 years or so as the psychos are rushing to get ahead of each other. They will be the cause of their own downfall, they will show their hands for everyone to see and it will backfire. Then they'll try to take it by force.... and that's when this really goes to shit for a while. But then and only then can you seriously talk about reconfiguring any political structure, IMO. Ironically, it's going to be a new order created out of the chaos of the old. Ironic to the nth.


I think it's up to the people who know better to start with the simple things. Hold a door for someone, an elevator... say thank you and be appreciative to the surliest of cashiers. Let someone go before you. Smile at a small child. Give compliments. Help someone who is obviously struggling with something, or at least offer to help. We have to develop trust again. We have to develop interpersonal communication again, because we are losing it to electronic devices. We have to share the awareness we have with people who don't, in very matter-of-fact ways.

You can give very detailed answers as to what we need to do, but it's best to break it down to simple terms. Because the toughest questions have simple answers. We need to change. Never understimate the power of your own thought, and it's ability to affect the way other people think.

Psychopaths run the world, and they aren't going to go quietly. They never have, they never will. They get better every time.... but so do we. We need to start simply, but we need to start. Planting seeds is never a guarantee, but a few will root and something will grow. It takes time, you may see immediate, encouraging results, but by and large it will just be planting seeds that a generation or two...or three will see the fruit it bears.

G'day Mountain.

I am in agreement with others that have already stated great thread.

The manner in which we function (as individuals and as a community) needs to be adapted to sustain our functionality. For at the moment, our present societal structure, in all areas, isn't functioning in a sustainable manner. Personally, I don't see the societal structure as being adaptable so that it can sustain our functionality on an individual basis ... it is set up / in place for the advantage of the few over the many.

Many of the "major issues" are simply part of the societal structure in place. Remove the structure and the "major issues" are also removed. For example, the military industrial complex.

Growth is limited by that necessity which is present in the least amount.
Bene Gesserit Axiom

Dune
Frank Herbert

Our growth, whether as an individual or as a community, is only limited by that which is necessary for growth, by that which is present in the least amount. Our societal structure has in place limiting factors to inhibit growth. Recognising these factors, and then freeing ourselves from them will allow growth to take place both as individuals and as a community.

Very few people realize how much of the infrastructure in a civilization is dependency infrastructure. Dependency infrastructure is a term that includes all things necessary for a human population to survive at existing or increased numbers.
Reverend Mother Taraza

Heretics of Dune
Frank Herbert

Recognising the dependency infrastructure that is in place in our societal structure, and then recreating a societal structure that is free of it is paramount in sustaining individual and community growth. For instance, individuals require food to survive, which requires land to grow the food, which is restricted to the few that 'own' the land, and therefore an individual is forced into slavery (work) to obtain 'money' to buy and thus 'own' some land to grow food upon. Removing such inbuilt dependency infrastructure is one of the 'keys' to 'unlocking' our potential.

Humans have this deep desire to classify, to apply labels to everything. That way we lay claim to what we name. We assume an ownership that can be misleading and dangerous. My street, my lake, my planet. My label forever.
Revernd Mother Superior Darwi Odrade

Chapterhouse Dune
Frank Herbert

Ownership, especially of land, is one of the "major issues" that requires redressing. The willingness to share equally will ultimately determine whether we can sustain our functionality as a community.

Life cannot find reasons to sustain it, cannot be a source of decent mutual regard, unless each of us resolves to breathe such qualities into it.
Chenoeh: "Conversations with Leto II"

Heretics of Dune
Frank Herbert

The potential that we ALL have is contained within the ability to think, act and speak. These are our tools that we utilise to create our experience with. It is through these tools that we "breathe" the "qualities" into "Life" that we would love to experience, both as an individual and collectively as a community.

Taking full responsibility of our individual thoughts, actions and words enables us to unleash our full potential, for only by accepting full responsibility of our self expression can we become responsible in determining what we create as a collective.

dubmeup wrote:
I agree....(just wish it could be so simple to fix)

RealAmerican wrote:
This to me is a great example of a paradox. Ultimately, the answers and solutions are all totally simple. But yet getting where we need to be seems incredibly complex and difficult.

dubmeup wrote:
Right and I think it comes down to some human's making a few bad decisions.

But why does it have to be so incredibly complex and difficult to fix.

I guess it all comes down to parenting.

RealAmerican wrote:
Personally I think everyone I've ever met has made 'bad' decisions. Some of them with graver consequences than others.
Two years ago, I made a decision to get in my car and go to town. A decision which led me to be in the one spacetime where another chap that had made a decision to ride home on his motorbike at speed could collide with the car, glance off and lose his life in an ensuing collision. Leaving the heart of a family and community ripped to shreds. What I mean is sometimes it doesn't even need to be 'bad' decisions that fuck things up. My choice to get in the car that day was not of itself a 'bad' one, as it turned out the consequences of that choice in combination with the choice of another, were very bad indeed.
I guess in a nutshell, this translates as, shit happens, even when we act perfectly rationally, responsibly and attentively.

The web of causation that leads us to the outcomes we perceive today is vast and I see it as vainglorious to try and interpret it. There are certain key 'nodes' that act rather like cancer cells and yes, we can attend to those if we have the collective desire, motivation and focus, beyond that, the web will always be the web. It can't be mapped, fathomed or protected against. It just is.

Is it bad parenting that leads us to here? I don't think so although certainly the choices parents make when raising offspring are crucial.

dubmeup wrote:
But dubmeup people die accidentally all day everyday all over the world.

Some stuff we have control of and other things we don't.

What i am talking about is when people kill others for money.

That could be alot of things like lawyers who cover up pharmaceutical deaths.

Anything to do with the military industrial complex or weapons manufacturing.

Obviously we can't forget the guys doing this job for medals...

Thanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts and wisdom

I believe that humanity is meant to do great things and used to in ancient times. Perhaps those small silent ripples that many are creating for good will someday soon make massive waves that we can all ride and surf together

I'm still fine-tuning my queue analogy. In trying to explain it to mrs oioioi I came up with "Imagine a queue for bread, you join it to get your daily bread, the day your bread doesn't arrive is the day to join the bread makers queue".