A Depressing Thought That Just Occurred to Me

[megapenguinx]

What depressed me more than anything else is the knowledge that in this modern era where we can instantly communicate with people across the globe, have invented robots the size of human cells, have simulated the fusion reaction of our sun within a laboratory, and have gone so far as to set foot on another celestial body, there are still people in this world who believe a benevolent, sentient being created the world in seven days.

-Dread_Reaper

Agree with you there buddy

 

[Lancer723]

How bout that in the time it took me to post this it is likely that thousands of people have died at the hands of other human beings.
Not necessarily talking about war, though that does apply, just the inhumanity of it in general.

 

[Lancer723]

How about the fact that in the time it took me to type this, thousands of people died at the hands of other human beings.

 

[scotth266]

Our touching the corners of the world and the skies isn't so much the issue as the blatant disregard for it.

 

[Jimmyjames]

If you ever go to a place that has not been affected by humanity, you will YOURSELF be the one that affects the place. It is impossible to go someplace and have zero impact.

 

[sirsolo]

That's my main hope in life, actually.
To be able to stand somewhere and not be able to see any signs of humanity.
No civilization, roads, cars, etc., just wilderness in its purest form.
By the look of it, though, that dream is going away fast.

Come to Canada. Ill take you somewhere, and stay there with you. =D
I have the same dream.. that, plus losing.. (more like never having) any connections to other people ever. So I can be grief free for leaving and dying.

 

[BookishBarbarian]

its only depressing until you realize that without the rest of humanity at their modern technological level and the systems that keep our lives in a relative state of ease and comfort we'de be roughin it as hunters and gatherers, it works well enough for the tribes that still do it but i rather like my processed foods, warmed/ air conditioned house, and the copious amounts of books that rely on many technological achievements to reach my hands. depressing? i find it enthralling.

 

[scotth266]

What depressed me more than anything else is the knowledge that in this modern era where we can instantly communicate with people across the globe, have invented robots the size of human cells, have simulated the fusion reaction of our sun within a laboratory, and have gone so far as to set foot on another celestial body, there are still people in this world who believe a benevolent, sentient being created the world in seven days.

-Dread_Reaper

Agree with you there buddy

Errr... The official position on that now is that "days" means God's days, so that could be any length of time really... Only the extremists take that literally.

How about the fact that in the time it took me to type this, thousands of people died at the hands of other human beings.

Many thousands were saved by other people as well. The world is a balancing act, with the good folks doing their best to keep things from flying out of control. Question is, what have you contributed?

Been to Alaska, Kodiak and Anchorage. Those were pretty close.
Never been to Australia or Tasmania. Apparently I need to.

Alaska is a beaut. So many trees...

It's still ridiculous to call a person a conservative as an insult, unless I'm insane. Sorry for the confusion.

Agreed. Insulting someone on their veiws is a foolish thing to do... If you want to change their opinions, make a well-composed arguement.

 

[megapenguinx]

What depressed me more than anything else is the knowledge that in this modern era where we can instantly communicate with people across the globe, have invented robots the size of human cells, have simulated the fusion reaction of our sun within a laboratory, and have gone so far as to set foot on another celestial body, there are still people in this world who believe a benevolent, sentient being created the world in seven days.

-Dread_Reaper

Agree with you there buddy

Errr... The official position on that now is that "days" means God's days, so that could be any length of time really... Only the extremists take that literally.

Not the whole 7 days being 7 literal days. But the whole concept of god in general I find ridiculous

 

[scotth266]

If you really need the comfort of thinking there is some omnipotent watching over you to get you through the day, whatever, that's your problem. I prefer reality.

-Dread_Reaper

Never said I believed in it myself (agnosticism, yo.). Just that a lot of people are into the religion thing for various reasons (rewarding good/punishing evil, purpose, immortality, etc., are attractive concepts to a lot of people). Personally, I don't like the idea that because I don't attend weekly meetings to sing and drink "blood" and eat "flesh," I deserve to suffer untold sadistic torture for an unspecified amount of time.

I just prefer not to take a side in the eternally overdone conflict of Invisible Dude In The Sky VS Explosion.

Wrong. Knowing that one day your body will die and your remains will be eaten by worms is not a depressing thought. Rather, it gives you all the more reason to make the absolute most of out every day. If you live forever, what is there to live for?

-Dread_Reaper

Say I live my life to the fullest. Accomplish all my goals, have the job of my dreams, a sweet, caring, beautiful wife, and children whom I've raised well and can be proud of. Knowing that all of that will eventually mean absolutely nothing? That can be kind of depressing. That, and you can't experience everything life has to offer in one runthrough. Come to think of it, I'm becoming rather fond of the concept of reincarnation.

Also, the movie Waking Life brings up an interesting point. The brain continues to live on for a few minutes after a person's death. During that time, the person/brain's sense of time becomes distorted, and since it's deprived of any external stimuli, it begins to create its own (hallucination). So for those who believe in Heaven/Hell, it could very well become true once they've died - except it will only exist in their minds.

I'm pretty much with you here. Reincarnation is cool, because regardless of your belief system (or lack thereof), you still have opportunities to fulfill multiple lives. Absolute death or absolute paradise/agony is limited in that you are still the same person, with the same qualities and flaws and prejudices and people. I like to think that reincarnation renews everything about your being, making such absolutist decisions about your life on Earth irrelevant when reality is something that's continuous and constant. The relinquishing of power over "morals" vs. power over intellect is something not worth holding on.

Also, to Death-Reaper, you're making all atheists look bad with your comments. Trust me, to get worked up over that just gives the religious ammo to label us "scientific evangelists" or whatever nicknames they've come up with these days. I don't resent the belief in God, just the act of putting words into the mouth of a God who creates limitless stars, planets and galaxies, can raise mountains from the bottom of the sea, is time and space, and using him to suppress human rights.

I'd like to think that if there is a God, we would be unable to apply human thinking to him, provided he supposedly created us in the first place. He would be impossible to rationalize, simply because our minds would be unable to comprehend just how much power he wields and how vulnerable we are. I'm probably slipping into Lovecraftian ideas now, so I think I'll stop here.

I thought this whole trail deserved its own post.

First, to correct a misconception:
Ok, that whole thing on the suffering in purgatory? It isn't what people make it out to be. The idea is meant to be that you make up for your wrongs done, no more, no less. It's no different than when your parents scold you for doing something out of line, but they always forgive you in the end. And Hell? If you read Dante's Divine Comedy, and look into it, the reason for it is there: hell is only for those who chose it, willingly. Morale is: Be a decent person to other folks. Can't make it any simpler.

Reincarnation is also an appealing idea to me on a personal level. However, who said that we can't change who we are once we die? No religion, to my knowledge, has ever preached that we stop changing after death. The only things we have are implied, something to think on. Personally, I believe that all religions are the same in the end: they all believe in some unknown power that caused us to be. The differences between them are simply what that power is and what it wants us to do.

On those Lovecraftian ideas? Perhaps the answer lies in math: infinity. Something we think we understand, but never can really grasp: it's simply beyond our ability.

Cheers go out to RebelRising for good postage. Our ideas may not match up perfectly, but for expressing your thoughts clearly and without any sense of antagonism I give you thanks. Hopefully you think the same of my response.

And for those who might be thinking about shredding up this post, keep in mind: I only intended to state my ideas.

 

[.Ricks.]

I don't feel particularly depressed about it since:

A - Living in civilization is great for the reasons others above me already gave.

B - If I need to escape from "civilization" to a calm natural beautiful place I can go any time I want since here in Portugal we have a lot of world protected Natural Areas where man can't touch.

Although I think we could be less aggressive in our expansions, there are there will always be some safe havens for those who wish to hear birds, a waterfall and enjoy some amazing beaches caves woods and Islands.

 

[Dread_Reaper]

sex, druggs and rock'n roll is probably too obvious?

It's really bloody obvious, but I dig the sentiments.

*Throws up horns*

-Dread_Reaper

 

[Dread_Reaper]

Say I live my life to the fullest. Accomplish all my goals, have the job of my dreams, a sweet, caring, beautiful wife, and children whom I've raised well and can be proud of. Knowing that all of that will eventually mean absolutely nothing? That can be kind of depressing. That, and you can't experience everything life has to offer in one runthrough. Come to think of it, I'm becoming rather fond of the concept of reincarnation.

It doesn't have to be meaningless. My grandparents who have passed on have shaped who my parents were. When my parents die, I will carry with them a lifetime of wonderful memories. We still tell stories of my great grandparents and the deeds they accomplished and the lives they led.

A life, no matter how insignificant, is not without meaning. Your hypothetical wife and children will remember you, and your financial success will help pave the way for their future. Don't think that just because you're gone you've stopped affecting people's lives. In anything, wouldn't you be more motivated to leave your mark on the world if ultimately that is all you have?

And true, we can't experience everything, but knowing that shouldn't stop us! Don't get up in the morning of thinking of all that you can't do. Awake with the hope of possibility! That sort of defeatist attitude will make you miserable. Mankind has been defined by doing that which cannot be done. It is in our very nature to break boundaries. Damn it, we can't experience everything, but a life well lived is a life where you try to do just that.

And its nice to see that you don't believe that, "because I don't attend weekly meetings to sing and drink 'blood' and eat 'flesh,' I deserve to suffer untold sadistic torture for an unspecified amount of time", and that you "prefer not to take a side in the eternally overdone conflict of Invisible Dude In The Sky VS Explosion," but you believe that after you die your actions will determine what manner of creature you are reincarnated as.

Because that makes a lot more sense.

-Dread_Reaper

 

[rabidmidget]

look at the sky at night
problem solved

 

[rokudan]

Think about wiping your butt with leaves and pine cone shells and having a cave or a pit for shelter for the sub zero winters.

angst solved.

 

[anti_strunt]

I get depressed, because whenever I look around, even in the countryside, I see evidence of filthy biological life. I wish I could move to the Synchronised Worlds, or at least the Moon...

 

[Svenparty]

You should Never read "American Psycho" I think the hollowness and the pain that book could cause you would be too awful.

 

[RyantheLion]

Can't blame them for wanting them to believe that. If this life is all there is. That's pretty depressing.

Wrong. Knowing that one day your body will die and your remains will be eaten by worms is not a depressing thought. Rather, it gives you all the more reason to make the absolute most of out every day. If you live forever, what is there to live for?

-Dread_Reaper

Pancakes...

 

[hypothetical fact]

Move to central Australia where you will get to be the most isolated person on Earth.
A much more depressing thought is that of growing old without accomplishing anything and not dieing; at the point where you are 100 you will be too feeble to do anything except count the days go by and wish you had done something with your life.

 

[acer840]

There are quite a few spots in the South Island of New Zealand where you can experience nature without human intervenance. But give it a few years and tourism will take them too. Shame really.