This.
It makes me sad because that speech gives hopes that humans will be better one day, whilst actually we're sliding downwards with velocity accelerating every day :c
Hardly. The last thirty years have been among the least violent (over a similar period) in history. The powers of the rich, as excessive as they have become, are nowhere near as great as they once were. Bigotry is dying, though much more slowly than one would prefer. Each year more tyrants find that might is no longer enough to hold against the will of the masses, while the world at large aids the masses rather than sitting on the sideline or trying to maintain the status quo. It's true that the state of the world is in something of a slump, but it's a divot in a mountain compared to where we were a mere century ago.
I love that speech. Right up there with the end of
"Knowledge or Certainty" by Jacob Bronowski, among my favorite quotes on the truth of human nature.
People really do want to do good, help one another even when we don't stand to benefit, and improve the world. We're innately good beings, though beings that can be misguided, or worse come to justify wrongdoing as something good, just, or necessary. We always think we are doing the right thing, though if other people don't agree, it can be very hard to admit that your actions were wrong. Stubbornness, dogmatism, personal hardship and trauma... all of these can harden us against Right Action, and lead people to believe themselves correct despite the protests of others.
The more connected we are with others; the more we hear their voices, understand their troubles, and can overcome our personal ignorance and dogmatism with understanding, the closer we come to a united world. The internet is helping us head that way, spreading information and experiences
en masse... now we all need to do our part to teach ourselves, and share that broader worldview with others.
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Topic: Things that made you sad today thread. (Read 9702894 times)