Progress
Making Life Better for Everyone
March 20, 2018
We have arrived at the time period of many sci-fi blockbusters portraying the future of mankind. Is this really the best we can do after 200,000 plus years of human existence? For all of our modern presentations, technological complexity, and political sophistication we are collectively just a bunch of shortsighted ingrates who distrust, spite and use one another. We have such little respect for the earth, for each other, and for past and future generations. Most of our relationships are only hollow conveniences based on sex, money, power, status and perverse alliances. Social destruction has become the new great American pastime and the ethos of our legal system. Landmines that were buried a hundred years ago are still killing us today and millions more are being placed for the continual random death and dismemberment of us all. We are a stupid and make-believe species that is forever destined to collapse beneath the untenable savagery of our own fabricated bullshit reality.
Everybody has tons of problems, so humanity's failures are everyone's responsibility and no one's fault in particular. As children we feel immune to the pitfalls and frailty of our elders but the rigors of time show us otherwise. As adults we oppose, judge and ostracize our neighbors through the same infantile reasoning. Experience is vitally important in understanding other people's challenges. Common ground enables greater depth of insight and feeling through internalization. Without empathy we are incapable of bridging the gaps between perception and reality, judgment and understanding, condemnation and forgiveness, and the downfall of every major civilization in human history. Without the Golden Rule being upheld our social contracts are nullified and relationships become utilitarian at best. All of us have an unspoken obligation to look out for one another and our individual contributions either make or break the whole of human civilization.
The world has always been in chaos due to hormones and pheromones, brain damage and chemical imbalance, mental illness, maladaptive behavior, ignorance, substance abuse, spiritual warfare, greed and inequality, bureaucratic detachment, etc. None of these underlying factors of mankind's incessant discord will ever cease to exist but we must stop trying to make things better through hatred and retaliation. It's pure insanity to continue tearing each other down in an effort to make ourselves feel better. We cannot find peace through strife and humanity will never move forward as long as we continue destroying people who cause us pain. Everything that we do to others will eventually make its way back to us again. Enough already with the juvenile finger pointing, name calling and psychopath control. Life will become better for everyone as we learn to turn offensive behaviors into constructive learning experiences based in humility and compassion.
Only by accepting that we could have been born into this world as any other person, and that we are each capable of every good and bad behavior, can we truly see ourselves in one another. Only by separating a person's problems from their everlasting soul can we adequately redirect their actions through sympathy and encouragement. Every one of us has plenty to regret and no way to redeem ourselves but through sincerity, fairness and goodwill towards all. No one is capable of shouldering the burden of perfection or living other people's lives and therefore none of us can rightfully damn any other. The only way to make this world a better place is by taking much better care of all who reside here. It's a two-person planet ultimately and every moment, word and gesture makes a world of difference with whoever's closest. If our government leaders are not able to identify with and help us for any reason, then we must be willing to change everything in the name of true and lasting progress.