Humanity is just one of evolution's attempts; if we screw up, nature will
start again with something else - like maybe the cockroach.  People say
humanity is screwed up because we basically screwed ourselves up.  But I
don't think that's right.  We're creatures of nature, and nature I have good
faith in.  If you think of humans as just other products of nature, then
there's not much reason to be so pessimistic.

It seems to me there are very few alternatives to the way things are.

There's too many people on the Earth, given our current state of
technological, cultural, and philosophical development.  If there were only
a few hundred million people on the Earth, things would be much better for
everyone, and for the Earth.  But how does one make that happen ethically?

Most of the problems we have arise largely from the bickering between
"stakeholders."  We could devise some kind of global totalitarian state.
The bickering would go away then.  Things would get done.  But there's no
way to be sure the /right/ things would be done - as is obvious from
existent totalitarian states.

Too many people lie.  They're too Machiavellian, hypocritical, with too many
hidden agendas and ulterior motives.  All these lies mean there's no trust,
and without trust we can't get anything done.  Maybe if we were telepathic,
we could get around this problem.  But there's no such thing as telepathy.

...or you can just have faith in people, based on history.  There are plenty
of times in our history when things looked like they were going to go right
down the toilet.  Everyone (at the time) said so; it was the end of
civilization, the end of the world, the end of whatever.

But we're still here.

And if we do kill ourselves off completely, then we'll have deserved it.

So don't worry about that long-term stuff over which you have no control.
Focus on what you can do now, today, to help.

Cheers.
Fil

2009/7/3 Karen Fu <[log in to unmask]>

> Marcio,
>
> Well put ! I have thought I was one of the few who think that way. Glad to
> find
> a fellow who think about the same way about politics and sustainability.
> The way human nature works is sad but real. We cannot be idealistic to the
> point to say it will be eradicated or altered.
> But what can be done is to have good and intelligent people to lead
> the way and curb
> the ills of human nature. It can be done with diplomatic tact though
> difficult;
> for every person there are 2 sides of a personality. Activate the one that
> works
> positively.
>
> Cheers
> Karen Fu
>
> .....
>
>


-- 
Filippo A. Salustri, Ph.D., P.Eng.
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Ryerson University
350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON
M5B 2K3, Canada
Tel: 416/979-5000 ext 7749
Fax: 416/979-5265
Email: [log in to unmask]
http://deseng.ryerson.ca/~fil/