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What a mess we've made of things

Billy87

Random thought but does anyone else feel like we have completely screwed ourselves as a species? Im just listening to Ken Dodd's classic song Happiness and it strikes me that all the things that actually make humans happy are very simple things. 50 years ago (even 20 years ago) people seemed to focus on those things more yet now we have created this absolutley awful digital world of social media, endless emails, 24 hour rolling news and goodness knows what else and guess what? The whole human race is depressed and absolutely blooming miserable, worried about what everyone thinks of them, whether they are getting enough likes or expressing the right views. They are constantly chased by endless stressful work emails and spend their lives glued to their phones, reading every pointless notification and scrolling through posts of things that theyre not even interested in or people they dont even like. 
Wow we have screwed ourselves

I long for the day when all this ends and we get out in the countryside and enjoy nature, sit round the table playing board games, read books or watch TV programmes that cheer us up but then I think that world is gone. Oh well I still live in it anyway 

Sorry for the rant but these are the sort of random thoughts that go through my mind at this time of night and sometimes it does good to get them out and see if anyone else feels the same 

(For the record I am greatful for the invention of the internet, without it we wouldn't have this wonderful forum and those of us that struggle to speak to people wouldn't have a place to talk and make friends) 

  • I can understand you feeling that way and there is some truth in it. However, you can’t put the genie back in the bottle and it would even be unhealthy (if even possible) to do so. The only way out is through as they say. Currently we are in a very immature phase of the next leap forward. People will be unhappy and anxious in this generation and the next one and the next one. At some point, technology and human sophistication and innately better conduct in its use will become so entwined that a calmer and less troubled era of humanity (balancing very well the best of the things you list above) will manifest. When that tipping point comes is anyone’s guess. But for now, knowing I won’t live to see it, but happy for those who will, I’ll join you in that world of reduced ambient complexity to the best of my ability. I’ve opted out of much of the digital saturation of the streaming world and so on. Give me a physical dvd any day. A life with those, and real paper books, and CDs and the PC asleep for most of the time feels best for me. We can’t escape the nervous air molecules of the wifi soup we live in now, but those in the future will be at one with it. Progress is unstoppable, and ultimately for the best. Those future immortals, free of our sufferings, will raise a glass to what we went through to bring about their utopian existence. For now, all we can do is try and find our own way each to numb the discomfort of the futures ongoing birth pains.