Question for the older escapists: Has the world always seemed this f**ked to you?

[RocksW]

Things that make me worried:

We're in the grips of a worldwide reccession with no end in sight. Peak oil is forecasted to come about in the next few years and theres no alternative available. The country im living in is borrowing scary amounts of money to just stay afloat. Theres massive overpopulation all over the world, with not enough resources to support it.

The future seems a very very scary place....

But has it always been like this? Im only 18 now so ive only started to notice it recently. Im sure it felt like this during the cold war, or at other difficult times in history. Things are just going to decline. There doesnt seem to be anything at all worth believing in.

Recognise the feeling? It might make me feel better if everyone pretty much felt like this when drastic changes were coming...


And on peak oil:

Additional options include telecommuting, moving to rural areas, or moving to higher density areas, where walking and public transportation are more viable options. In the latter two cases, suburbia may become the slums of the future. * The issues of petroleum supply and demand is also a concern for growing cities in developing countries (where urban areas are expected to absorb most of the world's projected 2.3 billion population increase by 2050).

*Yeah thats where I live. That worries me. I know its from wikipedia but still....

 

[Dogstile]

Peak oil is forecasted to come about in the next few years and theres no alternative available.

Erm no, there is alternatives being developed, if not developed.

Yeah, for a start there was actually a nuclear fuel found which would leave no waste I believe. Apparently a tonne of the stuff could power ireland for a week. (Source: Over enthusiastic teacher)

 

[DigitalSushi]

Peak oil is forecasted to come about in the next few years and theres no alternative available.

Erm no, there is alternatives being developed, if not developed.

Oil as a fuel is not the issue, oil for what it can do it is.

You know all that plastic you use?, guess where that comes from, rubber?, when the oil runs out the least of our problems is running a car, and good luck finding a set of Pirelli's for your wheels man.

 

[LaBambaMan]

The world wasn't always this fucked up. When I was a kid, growing up in the late 80's and through the 90's, things seemed alright. Maybe it was just childhood ignorance, but I wasn't worrying about wheather or not everything was coming to and end each day. As cliche as it sounds; everything really did change after 9/11 around here. I live less than 20 miles outside of Washington D.C. in Maryland, and with all that's gone down(Beltway Sniper included) it really sullies your world view.

And let's not even get me started on how much I think modern politicians are fuckwits.

 

[lostzombies.com]

Really? Think back if you were in the 1930s, a worse resession and the world is on the brink of all out apocalypse. Same in 1914 and add in no human rights and worldwide poverty. Try living in the cold war when the whole world lived under a very real reality of the constant threat of nuclear holocaust every day. I bet you dont remember being shown drills at school showing you what to do if a nuclear attack on your country is imminent.

Go back further and its hacking each other into pieces in the mud while a few hundred people live castles wearing ruby encrusted crowns. In terms of quality of life things have never been better for the majority of the human race (at least the western world)

The resession isn't that bad (at least in the UK the economy is growing again) and while things will be tight for a few years it wont be long before things are back to normal and we can start getting worked up about reality TV again.

The technology to replace fossil fuel based transport was developed and perfected decades ago, the next 20 years will see the price of fuel go to an all time high as stocks diminish, no company will release an alternative on the brink of the start of their most successful financial period in their history.

 

[George Palmer]

Its always like this. Ive been hearing "The end of the world is just around the corner" since I was 7 years old. The difference now is that there are 24 hour news channels that need to keep ratings as high as possible and anybody, no matter how much of a whack job they might be, can have their voice heard on the internet.

As far as running out of oil... You will be AMAZED at the "sudden" discovery of alternate energy sources once oil runs out and once they figure out a way to make you pay as much money as possible for it. Seriously, Ive been hearing for 30+ years that "we just don't have the technology to make solar power really possible yet". REALLY? No, of course not. They are just full of shit. I'm also willing to bet you will find out how the rest of the world couldn't give two shits about the middle east once the oil is gone, but that's off topic lol.

Turn off the news, take a deep breath, go for a walk in the woods every now and then and you will be fine.

 

[Dublin Solo]

The world wasn't always this fucked up. When I was a kid, growing up in the late 80's and through the 90's, things seemed alright. Maybe it was just childhood ignorance, but I wasn't worrying about wheather or not everything was coming to and end each day. As cliche as it sounds; everything really did change after 9/11 around here. I live less than 20 miles outside of Washington D.C. in Maryland, and with all that's gone down(Beltway Sniper included) it really sullies your world view.

And let's not even get me started on how much I think modern politicians are fuckwits.

Same here, I gew up in the late 80's. I think it's definitely childhood ignorance. I look back at the overall history, and it doesn't seem all better: Chernobyl in 1986, appearance of crack cocaine, spreading of AIDS, Reagan as President (that's aguable), Black Monday...

Story simply repeats itself. There are good times as well, we must never forget.

 

['Aredor]

Well, what can I say, the future looks always bleak, you're right of course, living during the cold war or during WW2 or during the Industrial Revolution certainly wasn't the most fun, either. World's a fucked up place, be glad you live in an industrialized country and only have to worry about your comfort being reduced.

As for no alternatives to oil, that's just nonsense. Might be that not every single US citizen might be able to afford taking their Hummer to go get some cigarettes, but other than that, we're good.

 

[LaBambaMan]

The world wasn't always this fucked up. When I was a kid, growing up in the late 80's and through the 90's, things seemed alright. Maybe it was just childhood ignorance, but I wasn't worrying about wheather or not everything was coming to and end each day. As cliche as it sounds; everything really did change after 9/11 around here. I live less than 20 miles outside of Washington D.C. in Maryland, and with all that's gone down(Beltway Sniper included) it really sullies your world view.

And let's not even get me started on how much I think modern politicians are fuckwits.

Same here, I gew up in the late 80's. I think it's definitely childhood ignorance. I look back at the overall history, and it doesn't seem all better: Chernobyl in 1986, appearance of crack cocaine, spreading of AIDS, Reagan as President (that's aguable), Black Monday...

Story simply repeats itself. There are good times as well, we must never forget.

Very true, and I'm more than willing to chalk it up to chilhood ignorance. They do say that ignorance is bliss, though.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

Yes, yes it has...wait, no it hasn't. IMO things are better now than they ever have been. If you think things are bad now then quite frankly I think you need to adjust your yardstick.

 

[kannibus]

Future always seems scary and yes, as you get older you start to get more cynical. But we've had the ability to destroy the planet for a goodly while now and we still haven't done it, at least not intentionally.

Besides, if I keep telling myself that the world is doomed, every day that it's still around becomes a pleasant surprise.

 

[The Rockerfly]

18 and yeah there has always been something to try and scare us. War, economic depression, don't go out at night, don't take the back routes, don't have sex with anyone you don't know, don't touch bodily fluids of anyone you don't know, copyright bullshit and everything else

It is scaremongering, it is a lie, it is statistical data that can show anything that the media want to show because you will listen to the news, trust them and buy their media.

I think most of it is bullshit. Don't worry about it, try not to get too scared, make sure you see the numbers before you believe the whole story and above all

Calm yourself, unless there is something you can do about it calm down and let it happen

 

[pjm]

As a 30 something gamer, i can answer this, yes the world is f?ed but it has never not been f?ed, it the pass 100 years there have been 2 world wars (plus lots of smaller ones), during ww2 I had a grandfather in the British navy and another in the Red Army, i think they would say it was a lot more f?ed back then.

As for oil, that?s easy, there will always be oil, you can make it out of coal, but when oil becomes too expensive to use for cars, we will move to electric or hydrogen powered cars (then oil will be very cheap), there will always be cars.

 

[spookydom]

Yes. I'm 35 years old. In my time I have lived with the imminent spectres of nuclear war, a new ice age, asteroide colisions, global warming, the millenium bug, bird flu, swine flu, Aids, terrorist attacks e.t.c e.t.c. Nothings killed us yet however and there no reason to belive the end is just round the corner. It's a bad way to live your life belive me. When I was your age op I so strongly belived there was going to be a nuclear war that I found it very hard to belive there would be a future for me or anything else and my life sufferd becouse of that. Despite all the shit going on it can still be a very cool world out there. Live your life acordingly and do your best by your fellow man. That's my advice to you

 

[Space Spoons]

It's always been pretty messed up. It's just easier to ignore when you're a kid because you're more concerned with bumping up your English grade a few points before Progress Report day than you are with whatever's going on outside your home and your school.

 

[cynicalandbored]

Peak oil is forecasted to come about in the next few years and theres no alternative available.

Erm no, there is alternatives being developed, if not developed.

Yeah, for a start there was actually a nuclear fuel found which would leave no waste I believe. Apparently a tonne of the stuff could power ireland for a week. (Source: Over enthusiastic teacher)

Depleted uranium counts as waste. And it's non-renewable anyway. Only a limited amount of uranium on the planet. As well as that, mining and enriching takes energy. It's not a viable alternative for countries (like Ireland) that don't have existing nuclear infrastructure.

All of the alternatives that have been developed aren't available in large enough quantities to meet the world's energy demands when the oil runs out, which will be soon. Solar, wind, wave, and nuclear power fall far short of the energy output of carbon-burning power sources. And once the price of oil starts rising exponentially, nobody will be able to afford to construct the infrastructure for the solar, wind, wave, or biofuel plants. Basically if the planet had acknowledged this problem ten years ago when people first pointed it out we might have a chance. But now it's too late.

 

[Darwins_Folly]

Take some history classes. Things have been fucked for thousands of years, its not anything new.

 

[Dublin Solo]

Very true, and I'm more than willing to chalk it up to chilhood ignorance. They do say that ignorance is bliss, though.

Oh yeah, it is.... Sweet childhood innocence, how I miss you...

Gladly, I found this bottle of vodka, and I'm quite fond of it