Is there more pity on loss today than before?

When it comes to natural disasters like Katrina or events Like 9/11 and of course war in Iraq, would you say people pity and suffer more because they have more to loose?

Example if a hurricane hit a populated area lets say 2000bc years ago, would the survivors suffer more emotionally then or now in 2005ad.

People then would find it easier to move place and start again without losing too much and land was more free lets say, no national insurance or IDs to think about.

Today it seems harder for people to leave what they worked for or start again in some cases.

Are we suffering more today because mankind has reached a certain stage of comfortable form from open nature or is man today suffering more because of the loss of material things and infrastructure as we have lost many survival skill even basic cooking for some and yet losing everything will seem a lot more scarier? As 2000 years ago people knew how to survive.
Are we more sensitive by nature and emotionally weaker than before or were people 2000bc a lot tougher mentally.

Hope it makes sense and gives good discussion but forget the technicallity that taxes were around in Biblical times its about who are worse off from two differnt time lines and how people would cope individaully and keep it as being exactly the same test in statistics and location.

There is a lot to balance out, where would you prefer to be?

[edit on 5-10-2005 by sanctum]

[edit on 5-10-2005 by The time lord]

Lets say you go live in ethiopia for a few years, and then after those years you answer your own question....

I do have an opinion just more interested in what people from all walks of life have to say. Again its not povety its about losing what we have compared to what we did not have. There were towns but they did not have much so there was not much to lose and people moved on.
The survival skill then would mentally make us stronger and less frantic but still leave us with hope. If people lost a town today would we get more broken hearts long term? Or would people not care due to the fact they are not so lonely and some help may come their way? Obviously we have medicine these days to depend on but where would you rather be>To any one that is?

[edit on 5-10-2005 by The time lord]

[edit on 5-10-2005 by The time lord]

I think that people thousands of years ago, had no real values on personal possessions etc, like the way we do today.

We, today, tend to put value on basic things that we regard as necessities. When these have gone, we think, and hope that someone can help us replace our bare necessities.

Not sure if i made sense here, but its the only way i can figure to, maybe answer your initial question.

I think we get more pity as a world watching each other like Katrina, 9/11 and the tsunami at least the world can reflect on mankind more. Are we not man enough to handle disasters, imagine a world black out everything from power to homes being destroyed? I think in the long run a jungle tribe would be better off if something major were to happen.
If you were to watch a disaster movie set 2000 years ago and compared it to a city disaster of the modern day what would affect you the most? Not having much losing basic things and be able to rebuild and rely on ones own skill to survive or a City where everybody depends on each other?


[edit on 5-10-2005 by The time lord]

Hmm, I don't know about that, remember Pompey?

Maybe I'm not getting the point.

The world is a much smaller place in this day than it was even 30 years ago. We are much more aware of what's going on EVERYWHERE if we want.

Originally posted by Bikereddie
I think that people thousands of years ago, had no real values on personal possessions etc, like the way we do today.

I dont know about that, humans have been wearing jewelry as far back as 75,000 years ago. People have enjoyed non-essential possessions for a long long time.

news.nationalgeographic.com... jewelry.html

It might not be as bad as today but the basic reason a person wanted a piece of jewelry thousands of years and are not very different from today. non-essential possessions show off a certain status.

As for suffering of people in history compared to today, Losing your flock of sheep 2000yrs ago would be just as tramatic as losing your 6 figure job today IMHO.

I suppose the answer then is all about 'parallels?

What we define as basic needs , and what we have defined as basic needs thousands of years ago, could be construed as similar to some extent?

Its really hard to compare them though there is just so many different factors to consider. Enviroments people were raised , education lvls, religons the list could go on and on. I think during the dark ages for example Suffering was thought of as something you could not avoid on earth by many people. Like suffering was a prerequisite for "soul building" or to be expected.

Its a interesting thread

Originally posted by The time lord


Example if a hurricane hit a populated area lets say 2000bc years ago, would the survivors suffer more emotionally then or now in 2005ad.

Way different God would have done it then, ans we know how it happens now. Then they would have gone on with their merry lives because the wanted to go to haven and not forsake their god.

There is a Biblical spin on this also as in Revelations it talks about how the world will weep at the fall of Babylon for its ritches and trade had falen and destroyed. Seeing how the world is pycologically tuning into this way of thinking.

Also another thought a distaster like katrina 2000 years ago
today 2006ad
or on mars where 4000bc there is man and cities on a new planet?

I think like 9/11 or a man populated city on mars will be quite shocking for the progress of man has been hindered or set back. The more we have the more we have to lose? A difficult issue to tackle though. Like a space rocket disater vs an average plane crash?

[edit on 6-10-2005 by The time lord]

It's an old post but what I am saying is that we cry over spilt milk more and we don't see reality for what it is.
Tell me how many people would eat meat the same way if they saw it killed? Back then everyone probably did it to survive, today it's like, I would not eat meat again. Has man become soft and lost his worrior status to survive and take longer to get over tragedy more than ever before.

Then again when there were droughts like the Bible describes, people did care and worry even if they had very little. Sometimes having little and losing it is worse. We have many things in life today but we can buy material things again if needed. But I think it can be sad for mankind to reach such luxery in life and yet go back to poverty or a reality check as an emotional event.

If you your house was robbed in this day and age, you would feel even sadder than if you lived in a hut and was robbed. We have more to lose today and people have lost basic survival techniques when disaster strikes as we are no longer being taught or practice basic cooking and hunting and making skills. We would feel lost and desperate even more in our modern age than ancient man did.

Anyway as disasters go I don't think people would care too much about their belongings as long as they live. Maybe these days more people die at once than they ever did because of Populations and maybe today as the human race can feel the unimagineable numbers.

Thought I bring this up since the disasters with Burma and China.

[edit on 20-5-2008 by The time lord]

Maybe some ancients just wondered round and they never really had proper homes to stay in, of course there have always been towns and cities somewhere and if they ever got raided I am sure how ever little they had the same emotions aply then than today. At least today some have some form of insurance and products can be found any where there will always be builders somewhere to do the fixing, a lot of the ancient ways was based on finding and having your own skills, skills today that we lack, even making food is a chore for some.

reply to post by The time lord


I think people do suffer alot more,we live in a more dog eat dog society than they use to. Now you compete for your place in society and if you lose it your at the end of the line.