Chronicles of Naivety: Wanting to change the world.

I used to believe in the innate goodness and nobility of mankind. Thankfully ATS cured me of that dumbass notion!

a reply to: deadlyhope

Yup, it is Fantasy. It would be nice if it was that way, but I doubt it will ever be that way. It actually was better back in the early seventies than now.

It would be nice if we could just get along, help each other, and not have to spend so much on military powers. Just think how we could all be living if we were just social and friendly with each other. No governments trying to drive wedges between us, no disruptive people trying to force us to choose sides. If Science did not gobble up so much money it would also help. Do we need all the things we have? We have created a society full of deceivers, people do not even know they are part of it most of the time.

a reply to: WalkInSilence

Can I ask what place you are talking about? I know of no such place myself, but I have very little experience - I have only lived in America.

It would be wonderful if we could have such mentalities.

Seeing a homeless person, and thinking it is a very odd sight - And fixing it.
Curing illnesses, instead of treating symptoms with illness-causing agents.
Where education is about learning, and experience, and is wonderful and encouraged and supported in all manners...

a reply to: deadlyhope

What makes you think you can't achieve any of that?

I'd say you could work towards, and achieve, at least some of it.

I like to think of "Utopia" as something we can work towards, but not necessarily achieve. Kind of like perfection. I know that I will never be "perfect," but I use it as a goal that I work towards every day. To me at least, the fact that I will never be "perfect" doesn't mean I should throw my arms in the air and give up completely and I feel much the same way about "Utopia."

In my own life, I make pretty immense daily sacrifices in order to create inventions and technology that will change the world. No one will probably ever know what I've done (beyond reading and forgetting this post) and what I have to fight through to bring these things to fruition, and even if they did, they probably wouldn't care. That's the misanthrope in me, but it tends to be spot on.

But you know what? I don't care. I create them in the hope that someday, some things will be different. Maybe. And I really think about how it can change kids' lives. I don't know why that aspect motivates me so strongly, but it does. Maybe just find the items that do the same for you? I see many of our species issues as the result of a false, self-imposed prisoners dilemma. Even if its incredibly unlikely, there is the potential for change eventually.

Naivete is one thing, but giving up before you've started is another. If you really want to change the world, work towards that and find the things that will motivate you even when it gets tough. If you don't really want to change the world and are more in love with the idea of it than the reality, then move your focus and dedication on to other things.

a reply to: Serdgiam

Fair enough assessment, I can agree with your premise - That it's a goal to work towards realizing that the achievement is in the process of changing things, not always in the end result. Results will vary, but it's important that we give it our all - Impact will follow.

Ah, how I just wish I could create that electricity-generating machine that runs on gravity. I'm not really a creator nor inventor, but I am a dreamer sometimes, and sometimes I just think we could come up with amazing things that would change things in huge ways.

a reply to: deadlyhope

A generator like that really would be cool.

What else?

You don't even need to post it here. Just come up with a general idea of the types of things you want to create. Then, get the information and knowledge to pursue it.

You may find some things simply wont work, and you may stumble across some truly revolutionary stuff.

My naivete is that I believe everyone is a creator and inventor. That may manifest in a lot of different ways, but we live in a time that we can pretty damn easily gain the knowledge and information to enable us to achieve these things. MIT has pretty much their entire curriculum from undergraduate to graduate available online, for free. And that's just one avenue among many. I think its really pretty amazing, but it does take discipline, focus, and perseverance. Maybe a touch of smarts.

I figure that maybe with the right tools (technology, inventions, etc.) all the horrible, wretched people in the world may become a bit less horrible and wretched. Over time, maybe generations, the things we create might echo loudly enough to even make them tolerable.

Maybe being naive isn't the worst thing. I mean, do what you want, but don't let impossibility stop you. Batman said "everything is impossible until somebody does it" and he's a freakin superhero, so...

I understand your desire to change the world. The sad truth is ain't gonna happen at least not in our lifetimes. First we had to get rid of religion,selfishness,greed,racial division,shadow governments and many more. The list is endless. The only thing that could truly unite mankind without all of that would be an event that effects the whole world. An event that forces the whole population to work together for a common goal. The weird thing is that good people could change the world because we outnumber the evil people. Unfortunately nobody wants to go first to do it. A lot of good people would die and the logistics of an coordinated world wide attack would be insane but not impossible. I'm not sure if the military of all the countries would help in that endeavour though. It would be real carnage but in the end it could be worth it. Getting rid of evil poeple sounds like an utopia to me.

There is also the posibility to just try to destroy god. If this entity exists of course.

What would happen if science discovered that death is the worst thing that could happen to us humans. No afterlife but also no peace. Your're conscious the whole time but there is nothing but darkness for all eternity. Would all the conflicts suddenly stop or just continue? The thought about it is exciting and frightening at the same time.