Aw hell, the one time i stop monitoring this thread like a stalker.... Alright, alright, no worries, i like writing anyway. Responding primarily to Endiqua should answer a lot of questions.
Lets get this sorted out:
As i've said before, it all comes down to the people involved. If humanity never learns, then we will be destroyed. But i know people are growing tired of all the bullshit we create for ourselves, it's just a matter of choosing to act. If enough people do so, corporations and tyrants will hardly be a problem, Even the most powerful of them are nothing without people to control.
Okay, great sentiment. But how do you create and maintain the change? Where are the specifics for change? Let's say the call is to stop working for the Megacorps and let's say there's someone who can give an inspiring enough speech to get people to do that. You know what'll happen next? The people will say "Okay, we did what you suggested. What now, great leader? How do we eat, clothe ourselves, survive without our paychecks?"
If someone on the "right side" doesn't have those solutions, someone (say, from the evil corporations or tyrants), is going to say "Follow me and I will feed you!" Lemming rush ensues.
If the suggestion is to stop supporting the Megacorps, stop buying the products they make, etc...that's just unrealistic. Walk down the aisles of any Walmart to see the crap available - and do you know why it's available? Because people buy it. For all the hate about WM, they're still in business and people go there every day. People routinely choose to go into debt on which they must pay interest to buy consumer goods - despite several people waving their arms and saying "bad idea! Save! Ignore the commercials! Live within your means!"
Don't support Big Pharma? Okay, you may have some people strong-willed enough to stop taking their medications, especially when it's not a "stop the med and you hurt like hell" situation. However, there are a lot of people with chronic diseases, chronic pain conditions, life-threatening situations, who will choose to take their pain pills, the pills that keep their kidneys going, the medications that treat their cancer, their Parkinson's, their diabetes, etc. I'll be the first to admit the medication commercials are insane and come on, a medication to grow eyelashes? However, there are a LOT of people who do benefit from medications. "Alternative" medications are becoming more popular, but there's a lot of snake oil being sold along with the stuff that actually works. There are diseases out there that can't be dealt with by taking vitamins, herbs, minerals, etc. An argument can be made that if a "natural" treatment can't be found, then the condition shouldn't be treated. This is all well and good, but the thing is, the box has been opened now. We have the medications. We have the transplants. We have the NICU nurseries for the preemies. People, as a whole, are not going to make the choice to eliminate these things, and so the choice must be forced upon them, and once you force that choice...well...
The only way possible to create a system like this would be the condemnation of fools, which is, in and of itself, foolishness and hypocrisy.
Let's take it a step further. Who decides who's smart and who's ostracized? If you think society as a whole is going to be able to make these decisions in a fluid and natural fashion, you haven't attended enough committee meetings. If you think a group of humans in a society can make universally good choices, then you haven't been paying attention. Heck, just look at American politics. Take any individual in any office, and there will be a group of fervent supporters, a group of fervent detractors, and a group of apathetics, with others at all points along the spectrum.
There must be an entity with authority to create and enforce the stratification, and once you have that entity, there's the end of the anarchy. Humans have widely diverse opinions and ideas; one person's "sound decision" is another person's "bad idea." What if a segment of the "not smart" decide that *they* are the smart ones and organize a group of their fellow "outcasts?
Bottom line...it's all well and good to dream of a better world, but one must deal with the hard questions of how to deal with the actual realities in place as well as the facts about human nature and societies. If one wants to be inspirational and truly effect change in the world, then one should have more concrete plans and solutions than just saying "it's all about choosing to act." The entire history of the human race has been made up of humans choosing to act, and we have seen the choices that have been made over time and are being made now. There have always, always been people saying "hey, we should all be nicer to each other." This isn't a new concept by a long stretch.
Bluntly, in my opinion, people have always, throughout history, been "tired of the bullshit." The exact nature of the bullshit has changed over time, but I guarantee you that people on the lowest tier of the feudal system, for example, hated their system's bullshit.
Again in my opinion, the choices being made aren't going to change much; some people will be "good," some people will be "bad," and most people will simply try and live their lives in the best way they can figure out and hope for the best. If someone tries to force or coax me into following some Utopian vision of theirs, then I'm going to be suspicious, skeptical, and resistant - not because I'm not an "intellectual" but because I'm old enough, experienced enough, and smart enough to know the problems involved.
As i have stated before, this was the idea in a very basic form. It's not like i woke up the other day and said "Know what would be neat? Devoting my life to the betterment of all humanity". Of course i have thought much of it out. As i also said before, i don't have every detail worked out. There will likely be challenges i haven't yet thought of, think of it as a work in progress.
If you would like to know something specific, feel free to ask. But seriously dude, i'm not going to write a books worth of text completely explaining my ideas for a new world in a single post, on a forum about virtual dwarves.
If all goes well, monetary systems in general will be phased out. Necessities would be provided to all, with the combined efforts of the collective working to ensure they are distributed to everyone within it. With money eliminated, and no longer being in control of production, tyrants and corporations lose much of their control and power, should people
choose to no longer be controlled, that is.
We can both agree, there are FAR more people on medication than there truly needs to be. I'm not against medical advancement, and if a person sincerely needs medication to deal with some illness or whatnot, until there are other, better treatments, it will suffice.
I don't expect everyone to always agree on everything, diversity is one of the greatest thing about humanity. What i expect, is for people to be able to work through these differences without stabbing each other in the face. To be able to use their varying opinions to come to the best overall solution, the ability to do so would be a large part of being considered an intellectual. The ability to do this also does not require a person of authority to say "this is how it's gonna go, no more questions."
Also, i generally use the word intellectual referring to people who are able to reason, and think for themselves, who can discuss even controversial subjects with an open mind among others in a civilized manner, who aren't brainwashed and broken by all the crap around them. It's not going to be "you need an I.Q. of xxx, or you're exiled".
Of course i don't consider myself to be the creator of these concepts, that's the very annoying part about it. They have been around for ages, yet they're still not as supported as they should be. I may not the one one who created them, but i
will be the one who does all in his power to bring them into fruition.
Once again, no one will be forced into this system. It will be for the intellectuals who choose to participate. Anyone who is afraid of this change can gladly hang on to the old systems. It is about giving the option to go against these systems, instead of having to be stuck in them because "that's just the way it is". If people, are confused or skeptic, they will gladly be welcomed to come learn more about the way things work. If they don't like it, no problem. No one will force you to stay. If you end up preferring it, then stick around.
Think of it sort of as gathering those who desire a better world into one large group,able to collectively support and protect each other, instead of being scattered across the earth, where the total impact they can make is limited.
Obviously this will not be like Nazi Germany, or the KKK, as there will be no intention to harm those who dislike the way things work. They will simply be excluded to a place where they can live life the way they wish.
If i failed to respond to any points you made, or misunderstood something, be sure to tell me. I've had a long, tiring day, and i'm probably not in my most aware state, at the moment.
Seeing as i missed most of the technology discussion, i'll just say this:
I will only consider technology truly superior humanity once it has the ability to create things greater than itself by it's own accord. Despite the fact that humans are always making their own natural abilities obsolete, everything a machine can do, can only do so because humans created it to.
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Topic: After much pondering, I have come to one conclusion: (Read 41024 times)