Man, you summarized my feelings the last year better than I have. At a time when we have such potential, and such need to be taking action before we hit crisis mode, humanity is just STUCK at its most dysfunctional. (This is a first-world perspective, but that's where action NEEDS to be happening. ) I don't know what's unique about this time; humanity has been through a lot of dysfunctional shit before, and pulled through...but that was with about 7-8 billion fewer of us. I think our descendants will muddle through, but what they'll have is questionable. An unending slow decline? Scavenging the ruins?
I wish I had answers. I desperately do. But so far, the closest thing I have to hope is the fact that I'll keel over in the next 30 years and likely miss the worst of it. I find myself getting more religious, or spiritual at least, if only in hopes that there's SOMETHING giving meaning to this, and we're not just an accidental blip; primates just smart enough to make nuclear weapons and change the climate and too dumb to know what STOP means.
I try to talk to people, but I'm not good at that to begin with. And it seems like it's hard enough to make common cause with the left, let alone the right. Entirely too many people simply do not believe in things I always thought were universal (or should be); human rights, freedom, equality, tolerance. I can't talk to people who don't even recognize climate change, LGBT rights, or wealth inequality - and think I'm an anarchist/pervert/communist just for having a view on those that conflict with their God-given truths.
I've been a political aberration most of my life so I stopped trying to find commonality there, though there's always a way to find overlap with most people.
I am not an especially hopeful person about humanity's future, but we'll see how the rest of my life goes! Hopefully things get better and the world begins to change.
One thing you don't touch on that I think about a lot is the age of our politicians and how that translates in this online culture war. As you say, our politicians have basically become influencers; however, most of them have only the barest grasp of the internet, social media, and online culture.
Honestly, I think politicians as influencers could be effective (note: I don't think they SHOULD be, but that's beside the point). I think the problem is they don't understand that the internet honestly isn't the wild west it appears to be. Not everyone can be an influencer. Try making a living using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube right now. It's a hell of a lot harder than most people think.
So we have politicians desperately wanting to be influencers but having zero clue how to effectively use social media. That's the perfect recipe for the disaster we all own right now.
Man, you summarized my feelings the last year better than I have. At a time when we have such potential, and such need to be taking action before we hit crisis mode, humanity is just STUCK at its most dysfunctional. (This is a first-world perspective, but that's where action NEEDS to be happening. ) I don't know what's unique about this time; humanity has been through a lot of dysfunctional shit before, and pulled through...but that was with about 7-8 billion fewer of us. I think our descendants will muddle through, but what they'll have is questionable. An unending slow decline? Scavenging the ruins?
I wish I had answers. I desperately do. But so far, the closest thing I have to hope is the fact that I'll keel over in the next 30 years and likely miss the worst of it. I find myself getting more religious, or spiritual at least, if only in hopes that there's SOMETHING giving meaning to this, and we're not just an accidental blip; primates just smart enough to make nuclear weapons and change the climate and too dumb to know what STOP means.
I try to talk to people, but I'm not good at that to begin with. And it seems like it's hard enough to make common cause with the left, let alone the right. Entirely too many people simply do not believe in things I always thought were universal (or should be); human rights, freedom, equality, tolerance. I can't talk to people who don't even recognize climate change, LGBT rights, or wealth inequality - and think I'm an anarchist/pervert/communist just for having a view on those that conflict with their God-given truths.
I've been a political aberration most of my life so I stopped trying to find commonality there, though there's always a way to find overlap with most people.
I am not an especially hopeful person about humanity's future, but we'll see how the rest of my life goes! Hopefully things get better and the world begins to change.
One thing you don't touch on that I think about a lot is the age of our politicians and how that translates in this online culture war. As you say, our politicians have basically become influencers; however, most of them have only the barest grasp of the internet, social media, and online culture.
Honestly, I think politicians as influencers could be effective (note: I don't think they SHOULD be, but that's beside the point). I think the problem is they don't understand that the internet honestly isn't the wild west it appears to be. Not everyone can be an influencer. Try making a living using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube right now. It's a hell of a lot harder than most people think.
So we have politicians desperately wanting to be influencers but having zero clue how to effectively use social media. That's the perfect recipe for the disaster we all own right now.
Ah, this is an interesting point. Hadn't even thought to consider it, but I think you're right.
Messaging is a very important aspect of being a politician and so few seem to understand how to use social media as a tool.