(Warning: Heavy) Thoughts on humanity

[Coffeejack]

I found this repeating slideshow of pictures from the Battle for Stalingrad. I felt the hope beginning to dissipate from me just watching it.

It got me thinking: In countless bloody battles like Stalingrad that have occurred throughout the centuries, fully grown humans have been reduced to their very worst qualities. They have allowed confrontations to transform them into twisted, brutal parodies of their former selves. Conflicts boil over borders like an all-consuming plague as these savage butchers systematically destroy everything in sight fighting over land. Earth. The only home they've ever known in their lives. And at the end of it all, those who survived have forgotten who they were.

I could probably poke my head out the fucking window right now and hear someone getting into a fistfight over something utterly inconsequential. And this isn't even Glasgow. The vicious cycles of xenophobia, ignorance and violence don't seem to want to end.

I cannot stand the idea of this race reaching other planets and civilizations in its current condition. What would they bring, what could they bring to other races besides their own poisonous, lethal dogmas? Their diseases? Slavery? The same mistakes of their past would be repeated ad nauseum, on an increasingly large scale.

During my time here I have started thinking that the most noble act the human race could commit would be to end itself entirely. It would be an act of selflessness and mercy to anyone else out there in the cosmos. Otherwise, since starvation and disease don't seem to be killing enough of the population, war will probably pick up the slack. Again and again.

Anyway, I might as well ask people what they think. Do you find yourselves feeling this way? Ever snapped and wanted to "kill all humans", as the saying goes?

-----

TLR version for the bone-idle: The human race - Do we need it?

 

[Giftfromme]

lol you missed out the part where you say "I've lost all faith in humanity etc etc" and then you put in that Futurama pic.

I don't see the point in all this thinking really. If it's that bad, what's the point of living? What do you strive for? You simply cherry pick all the bad things, ignoring all the good. Easy to do and yet pointless.

 

[smearyllama]

Not really. Humans are pretty cool.
Sure, we're dicks a lot of the time, but we're, if a bit slowly, getting better. Besides, if there are other humanoid races out there, who's to say they're not the same, or even worse? I don't think we can be so arrogant as to say that we're the source of the universe's problems.
I'll admit that we've definitely got a lot of shaping up to do, but it's far from hopeless.
'Sides. Without humans, how would we have delicious, tasty things like ice cream sandwiches?

Spoiler: Tell Me You Don't Want That Inside You

 

[Darken12]

There's something called "Voluntary Human Extinction Movement" and I happen to agree with a lot of its tenets (I intend to keep my life as childless as possible, for example), but it's a doomed endeavour. Humanity will always have people who live mindlessly (and have children due to societal pressures or just don't take adequate measures to prevent pregnancy) or idealists who genuinely believe there is hope for a better future.

Either way, you can at least do your part to try and ever so slightly ameliorate the damage we cause as a species.

 

[burningdragoon]

Dude, offing the entire human race to spare "anyone else out there in the cosmos" has to be some of the most optimistic misanthropy I've ever seen. What makes you think we're the worst creatures in the universe let alone the ones on earth?

 

[Doclector]

I've felt apart from humanity for most of my life. I never understood other people, I always looked at them like another species.

Personally, from that outside view? They're brilliant and terrifying. They're capable of inconcievable evil and unbelievable good. Simultaneously splitting the atom to destroy worlds and mapping the genome to cure disease. They leave their mark where-ever they go, for better or for worse.

If I had to use one word, it's be unpredictable. You never quite know where you are with them. Sometimes even they don't know what they want, or whether what they're doing is right.

And as much as I realise the potential for good they have, personally, that unpredictability scares me.

 

[Dangit2019]

Personally? We're not perfect, but we're getting closer every minute. Evolution is telescoping into smaller and smaller periods of time.

I mean, think of the time it took humanity to get to the Industrial Revolution. Now, think of the time from there that we got to computers the size of a crumb. Advancements are coming closer and closer, and the more that humanity can advance, the more it can learn to fix/cope with primal issues such as violence. And when that happens, the pandora's box will open for us. Evolution then will no longer be "how do I get food", it will be a true advancement of ourselves as a species through inner realization and thought.

Maybe not in our lifetime, or the lifetime of the next generation, but fast forward about a hundred years, and I see great things for the human race.

We're definitely not something to waste just so that we don't possibly offend E.T.

 

[smearyllama]

We're definitely not something to waste just so that we don't possibly offend E.T.

That's one of the best things I've read on the internet today. An ice cream sandwich for you, my good man. An ice cream sandwich for you.

 

[BrassButtons]

It got me thinking: In countless bloody battles like Stalingrad that have occurred throughout the centuries, fully grown humans have been reduced to their very worst qualities. They have allowed confrontations to transform them into twisted, brutal parodies of their former selves. Conflicts boil over borders like an all-consuming plague as these savage butchers systematically destroy everything in sight fighting over land. Earth. The only home they've ever known in their lives. And at the end of it all, those who survived have forgotten who they were.

First, it's important to realize that the above isn't true of everyone who is involved in a battle. Some people aren't reduced to their worst qualities in such situations, but instead show their best qualities. Consider the medic who dodge gunfire in order to get to a wounded ally, or the soldier who throws himself on a grenade to save his friends. Wars are extreme situations and they bring out extreme reactions, but not all of those reactions involve turning into a butcher. Women in Liberia responded to constant warfare by gathering together and asking the armies to stop fighting [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_of_Liberia_Mass_Action_for_Peace]. And it worked.

The vicious cycles of xenophobia, ignorance and violence don't seem to want to end.

I'm pretty sure all of those things have been decreasing over the long term.

I cannot stand the idea of this race reaching other planets and civilizations in its current condition. What would they bring, what could they bring to other races besides their own poisonous, lethal dogmas? Their diseases? Slavery?

Art? Music? Folklore? Scientific knowledge? Literature? Philosophy?

Anyway, I might as well ask people what they think. Do you find yourselves feeling this way? Ever snapped and wanted to "kill all humans", as the saying goes?

Never.

 

[DevilWithaHalo]

When I start losing faith in humanity, I remind myself to look into the goodness that is humanity and the world around us...

<youtube=WibmcsEGLKo>

...and puppies never hurts...

<youtube=ydBmxoxVtq4>

...because if we don't take videos of puppies; then who will??!!

Don't worry, they are already attempting to solve the problem by eating us...

<youtube=pvNtv50vWA0>

 

[NightmareExpress]

I don't love or hate humanity.
All I know is that they are capable of the most beautiful and wretched things.
I'm interested to see where they will go.

There are some inherent flaws that beg to be corrected, some that are just human nature.
I guess to get over those silly little things, people will have to become more than human.
Again, the future holds great and horrible things.

To the Earth, humans are both the cancer and the cure.

 

[Shock and Awe]

I can't help but disagree on that idea. When you look at Stalingrad or any battle you do see the greatest evils a person could commit but you also see the greatest good as well. A great camaraderie that binds men together as one great family focused on a single cause. In addition, you can't really base humanity off its worst. You and I both know in general people try to be nice and peaceful. I have never subscribed to nihilism and never will because in general as much as I like to ***** about people they are mostly good and try to do whats best.

At the moment humanity is the only intelligent race we know of, so yes, its quite important.

Also, I am slightly inebriated at the moment so please give me benefit of the doubt on anything I've said.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

that's hilariously ignorant of you to group everyone under the same umbrella there, past and present, like we haven't "evolved" for shit.

disregarding you're talking about your own species, you're focusing on way too many damn negatives, as if we are consumed by war, which if that was the case, this planet would have already been gone and glazed over a longg time ago.

no, i would never essentially click the "reset" button, that would be selfishly ignorant of me to take away that choice and freedom of every other intelligent being on this planet.

plus not to mention, who's to say we are the worst intelligent species in the galaxy? who knows what else is out there, let alone we might cause offense to any other intelligent life out there, for simply existing.

 

[Soviet Steve]

I found this repeating slideshow of pictures from the Battle for Stalingrad. I felt the hope beginning to dissipate from me just watching it.

It got me thinking: In countless bloody battles like Stalingrad that have occurred throughout the centuries, fully grown humans have been reduced to their very worst qualities. They have allowed confrontations to transform them into twisted, brutal parodies of their former selves. Conflicts boil over borders like an all-consuming plague as these savage butchers systematically destroy everything in sight fighting over land. Earth. The only home they've ever known in their lives. And at the end of it all, those who survived have forgotten who they were.

Sounds like you're despairing at the dreamworld of the fascist invaders. I'm not sure if you've glanced at the history books but Stalingrad was the furthest reach of the dark hordes. Their vision for the world was rejected, their armies ground to dust and their industries pulverized. As for life after war, the men and women of the red army and the partisans who had risen up from Bordeaux to Rostov were quite happy to see peace return.

I cannot stand the idea of this race reaching other planets and civilizations in its current condition. What would they bring, what could they bring to other races besides their own poisonous, lethal dogmas? Their diseases? Slavery? The same mistakes of their past would be repeated ad nauseum, on an increasingly large scale.

We aren't technologically mature enough for that yet so I don't see what your concern there is. What are you comparing humanity to however?

During my time here I have started thinking that the most noble act the human race could commit would be to end itself entirely. It would be an act of selflessness and mercy to anyone else out there in the cosmos. Otherwise, since starvation and disease don't seem to be killing enough of the population, war will probably pick up the slack. Again and again.

Which alternative species are you suggesting take over our task of ensuring the survival of terrestrial life against cosmic events? And what other intelligent species are we being compared against that leaves our species with an unfavorable comparison? Street sharks?

 

[Evil Smurf]

I find my faith in God helps me with this. Humans as a whole can be monsters and idiots, however we are capable of love and compassion. This is the greatest gift ever. Next time you feel depressed, just think of all the people you have and can make happy. You are a beautiful person, believe it.

 

[TheNaut131]

Can no one else believe in the simple idea that shit just happens?

Why does it have to be one or the other? We're here, billions of us on this tiny rock trying to figure out what the fuck we're doing. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we don't, and sometimes we end up in a weird gray area. Shit happens. Deal with it.

Oh and as for exploring the stars, I'm fairly certain that if there are any even remotely sentient, advanced lifeforms out there, the only reason they haven't made full contact is because they're still trying to sort out their shit, know we're doing the same, and dealing with an entirely different planets would just be too difficult for the both of us. No matter how advanced either of us are.

 

[axlryder]

Wow this is melodramatic. Yeah, humans can be shitty. Get over it. You know what else can be shitty? Other animals. They do some really shitty stuff by human standards. Do you think a bunch of species should off themselves because they don't meet your own subjective moral standards of what's "good"?

Honestly, this whole thing smacks of an entitled sense of moral superiority and idealistic nonsense about what life "should" be combined with a rather fatalistic perspective. Not exactly something I'd aspire towards.

Honestly, the fact that humans have made it this far is truly miraculous in and of itself, and you'd throw that all away because we're not as "nice" as you'd like us to be? that's just silly. If you think humanity sucks, then do what you can to change it. Life has almost always existed in a state of conflict, but that conflict has grown increasingly more complex as life has evolved. Now perhaps it's time to fight against the base instincts that helped forge us into what we are today. Maybe we're heading down the entirely wrong path and need to be drastically course corrected. Who knows? If that's what you think we should aim for, then go ahead and fight for that goal. Don't just act like a quitter and say "oooh, humanity sucks, let's kill ourselves". That's just about the least interesting outcome I could think of.

Also, I honestly think you're overestimating human's sphere of influence in the universe as well as the seemingly greater inherent value of other hypothetical species. What's more, I imagine any other species that has managed to evolve very far past where we are now wouldn't exactly view us as much of a threat even if we did manage to get leaps and bounds ahead of where we currently are technologically (though that's totally speculative and potentially highly improbable). We may all just blow ourselves up before that point regardless.

 

[Blood Brain Barrier]

Personally? We're not perfect, but we're getting closer every minute. Evolution is telescoping into smaller and smaller periods of time.

I mean, think of the time it took humanity to get to the Industrial Revolution. Now, think of the time from there that we got to computers the size of a crumb. Advancements are coming closer and closer, and the more that humanity can advance, the more it can learn to fix/cope with primal issues such as violence. And when that happens, the pandora's box will open for us. Evolution then will no longer be "how do I get food", it will be a true advancement of ourselves as a species through inner realization and thought.

Inner realization and thought is precisely where advancement is not forthcoming. What kind of realization have we achieved so far via our sprawling mess of concepts and abstract relations? What will be achieved by more of it? You might say technology and I would agree, but it's far from obvious that technology will lead to anything but carrying us yet further from ourselves.

 

[Dangit2019]

Inner realization and thought is precisely where advancement is not forthcoming. What kind of realization have we achieved so far via our sprawling mess of concepts and abstract relations? What will be achieved by more of it? You might say technology and I would agree, but it's far from obvious that technology will lead to anything but carrying us yet further from ourselves.

That's one way to look at it. True communication and sincerity have been cut down a bit in this world where you have conversations with all of your friends in short, pseudo-humorous blurbs instead of actual human sentences, but I say that that is still OUR fault.

I'm not predicting a technological utopia, or perfection in the world, I just see positive change happening more rapidly.

Technology itself is still misunderstood by people. Remember in the late 90s when people thought the Internet would be on of the most rapid and profound advancements of humans due to the availability of information? Remember how that didn't happen and the most watched video possibly ever is currently a dancing Korean man making fun of American pop stars?

The tech isn't what's making us less human, it's our misuse of the tech. The Internet hasn't made us unemotional, we've chosen that path as a shortcut instead of pairing our shared humanity with the possibilities given to us.

Okay, it's 1 AM, so if this post is shit, give me some slack.