Humanity..Or The Lack There Of

Firstly, I apologize if this is in the wrong area of ATS..For some time now things have been getting to me, as they are bound to from time to time.. This topic has been brought up in different ways a few times, but i needed to rant a bit and would love some feed back from other free thinkers here!
The main question i have been asking myself for awhile now, is what the hell is going on in the world around us. I havent an answer, not even close to a guess as its most likey a number of issues combined over the years.. but theories and personal opinion, as always, i am chock full of lol. The other day at a store, we had quite a lot of items to go through the check out with, noticing there was an older women behind me with only one of two items i politely (and logically) told her to please go ahead of us.. the women was stunned. She thanked us a number of times..and it made me sad.. is doing such things no longer common? have we as a race lost such basic decency? It also reminds me of when my son, Kye was about 4 years old and started going to school half-day at the time, one day when i went to pick him up, his teacher had a word with me, telling me she was very impressed with Kyes manners, that he had suprised her earlier on by simply saying please and thank you for something!! As nice as it was to hear my son is behaving himself and being good, it angered me that such a thing would stand out as unusual these days.. do parents no longer teach their children manners? It appears far too many dont.
No parent is perfect, its impossible, i sure as hell am far from it.. but c'mon, basic human curtousy and decency is something i would think would be common knowledge to teach ones children! right up there with talking and walking really! It's also come to my attention that i have got to be one of two other parents i know within my village that actually gets excited and looks forward to our childs days off..all others beg for school to remain open if its snowing, or bitch and complain when its holiday time that..oh what horrors..they have to actually spend time with the kids they chose to have! Making me realize the scary number of parents that seem to have the children to get state money and then do # all to teach or raise the child(ren) they birthed, leaving it to the government run education systems and the government manipulated television to raise their offspring correctly.. with that, its no wonder at all why the youth of today are as they are.. I am well aware that adults for centuries have winged and yelled about the youngsters of their time for many different reasons.. and sometimes i wonder if thats all it is really.. but then i look at the youth today, and i do see a serious problem emerging.. mindless children lacking greatly in common sense, general knowledge, and politeness grow into mindless adults with the same issues, having children themselves to continue this cycle of ignorance.. so how eactly is the future going to be ok? Sure there are parents out there who ARE raising their kids well, who are paying attention and teaching the child outside of the school structures when they are at home, that dont fill them with chemical saturated junk foods (which greatly affects mood and behaviour), that teach them the joys of playing an actual instrument instead of, for instance Guitar Hero, parents that do not use the tv as a baby sitter, and who are actually interested in their childs development.. but sadly, those kinds of parents are quickly becoming the minority in our society..
But my question is WHAT exactly is causing all of this, and other aspects not mentioned here..what are the negative factors? certainly parents play a major role in the lives of every youth, the education system has been failing for a very long time now, teaching lies and baseless theories as truths and absolutes.. they even go so far as to make History an extremely dry and boring subject in schools specifically to bore students to tears so that they dont take it upon themselves to study deeper into our history, finding out truths the powers that be dont want them (us) to find.. Or is it the media mind control? programming, religious brainwashing? is it the foods alone? is it plastics used to eat from and as childrens toys?
A number of friends and family think i am crazy and paranoid when trying to tell them anything that goes against what this world has told them is true since birth.. trying to explain the indoctrination and predictive programming methods used against the populace is always wasted breath.. most people simply dont want to know, they want to remain in their ignorant lives and dismiss any one trying to help them open their eyes as lunatics..because, of course, people questioning our given reality and questioning the authoritive figures within it instantly classes a person as a threat.. their minds locked in a box that they dont wish to leave.. Its sad.. our world is going to hell and so many 'normal' people just want to keep their heads buried in the sand.. so what is to come of the future ? time only can tell but i cant, personally console myself by being optomistic.. there are big problems that no one wants to face, no one wants to pay attention to, instead finding topics such as brad and angelinas recent break up, or their favourite pop singers outfits far more insteresting and of importance! How can i.. or anyone.. not feel mankind as a whole is truly doomed??

[edit on 10-2-2010 by Full_Vision]

I understand exactly what you mean. People seem to be more and moer egoistic, ignorant and silly. The system(s) allow the people a good living standard, while they can be lazy. It's no longer necessary to fell, think or bring that stuff in an order by heath-moral. No, you can consume what you want, when you want. You are able to know anything with a few clicks - you need no library, you need no human contact.

Next crux is that people are full or fear and hate, and they are not able to reflect where this comes from. They flock together and strengthen their ignorance, - no need to reflect or listen to the opposite.

I think you are a nice person, and should be sure, this is the only right way. The only way to give the people the knowledge that they can see them self, and change - is to be a paragon. So stay strong, love will reach your live and you can be real free. we need no hate and greed. We need peace and wisdom.

Peace Cushy

[edit on 10-2-2010 by cushycrux]

I've often thought technology was somewhat of a curse.

I know, very hypocritical of me when I''m typing away on my computer, but think about it. With the advent of technology and industry, our lives have become more "simple." In the sense that doing laundry isn't an all day chore, I mean. So we have more free time, more time to think, more time to grow as people....and how do we choose to use it?

Slumped on a sofa, soda in hand, watching mindless drivel. Or you get my point.

It boils down to people are more selfish these days. We feel entitled to certain things when before we would count it privilidge. At least that's my opinion of my own country, US. And myself, because I certainly fit this stereotype.

Thanks for the thread. Good to have to moralize every now and then.

reply to post by cushycrux


I don't think that's necessarily true about the systems, as other countries in the world have such systems, and aren't full of rude people.

Causation does not equal correlation

You touched on the blame possibly going to the parents.

It is the parents, around here we call that "no home training"

It's sad but many kids are not being taught basic manners, then they grow up, have kids, etc. Broken homes have something to do with this as well.

And then the television, that's killing decorum as well.

reply to post by davesidious


I am swiss. Here we have the same tendencies, the OP is from UK. Where are you from davesidious, USA? So I fear the problem is global, or maybee just at 1st and 2nd world?

reply to post by cushycrux


Thank you very much for your reply and sincere words.. strength is needed but not always the easiest element to find some days lol.. and yes i agree completely with you, people have become so egotistical, selfish and it may sound harsh but...pointless..its a scary thing to see happening..
The fear and anger you speak of happening as a result of this build up i also think will be right around the corner, so to say.. consumerism doesnt bring happeness and there are bound to be many many angry empty people as a result..

reply to post by smyleegrl

I think humans by nature are hypocritical, its just the people who say 'oh i'm not a hypocrit' that are the worst, people who know they can be usually can have more control over being... if that makes sense lol.. I do understand what you mean about technology.. its a hard thing to damn or to justify..its a great tool, and has many uses that are helpful, but i do feel that mankind has lost out on a great many aspects of life because of it.. turning the youth especially into push button generations, no thought, no problem solving, just push buttons for answers and instruction.. creating lazy people indeed.. sure its given us more free time, but as you so well put, what the heck do people do with that free time as a majority?! rot on a sofa a lot of the time it seems.. and nope, I am certainly not free of blame either!
I will check back here later on when i can

reply to post by cushycrux


No, I'm not from the USA. I'm in Germany, not to far over the border from you Of course some people will abuse the welfare state, but to accuse it of being a contributing factor of the degradation of society seems, to me at least, to be clutching at straws. As I said, correlation does not equal causation. Trousers are popular in all our countries, too, I guess they are to blame

Several years ago, in another forum, there was a similar thread to this. A particular post caught my eye when it said that a community of 500 people or less is self-policing. I'm pretty sure it caught my attention because it contained a very basic truth. And it leads to consideration of problems encountered within large and very large communities

If we look back to the time of small villages, we see that criminal and poor behaviours were monitored by villagers themselves. Poor parenting, for example, impacted on all members of the community. If parents failed to teach their children respect for others and for others property, this resulted in attacks on the person and upon people's property. Smaller communities are swift to apportion blame and to condemn the offenders. Often this resulted in the problem-family being ejected from the village. If the offenders wished to stay, they learned to behave. If not, they paid the price

Small communities are also effective in correcting slovenliness, poor parenting, neglectful and brutal parenting, dishonesty, etc.

It said, for good reason, that 'birds of a feather flock together'. In large cities, prositution, drug use and selling, slum dwellers, teenage gangs, etc. are relegated to specific areas which in turn attract others of their ilk.

In a village, the dishonest, the dirty and lazy, the brutal drunks, the delinquents, etc. are very easily spotted and subjected to community disapproval or ejection

A small community results in its inhabitants choosing to be socially accepted. After all, if one offends the members of a small community, one may as well be dead, for no-one will speak to, or trade with or support the outcast

The lazy mother who fails to take care of her children correctly in a small community will first be offered assistance. If the mother fails to improve, she will be subjected to open criticism: all general conversation will cease when she is present (for instance in a store) and all around her will be the sounds of 'tsk tsk', disapproving expressions or even, in extreme cases, open criticism within her hearing.

The mother may be brazen to the extent she continues to offend, but ... her children will learn from the experience and in most instances will grow to become adults who are anxious for public approval and keen to conform with community standards

Large towns and cities provide anonymity. An individual or family is able to relocate several times and need not monitor behaviour to acceptable level

Police, school teachers and clergy lack the resources and numbers to mend all society's ills. Communities have shown themselves to be very effective in maintaining standards but their influence is weakened when their numbers become too great

It's apparent though that governments, despite their false protests, have a vested interest in the breakdown of society and for decades now, have been eliminating smaller communities via railway, school and hospital closures, creating non-viable ghost-towns and driving people into large population centres

reply to post by Dock9


You should read this article. It deals with the theoretical maximum size of a community before fragmentation occurs. It ranges from 150 to nearly 300 people. It's due to the size of our brains, and our limited ability of maintaining social networks.

Many thanks for that, i will certainly have a look

I was wondering if anyone here has any experiences or examples of their own about the OP topic? would love to hear them if so..

reply to post by Dock9


Very interesting, and also very accurate i would say.. smaller societies were a lot easier to keep in order so to say, but (correct me if i'm wrong on this) it wasnt in the form of severe dominating control.. the people worked together and anyone that threatened the community would certainly have been cast out and/or alienated..for just cause.. In those times as well, children werent going off to public schooling systems with extreme biased curriculum and social engineering from a young age, and then coming home to an empty house, and the TV for company as both their parents work to make more money to give the kids pointless material goods yet very often anymore, any decent values at all..there was a great deal more pride and responsibility with the youth many years ago...

I think that people are having to work harder to maintain their financial position. WE have become totally enmeshed in the "me first" system and just don't have the time to be nice.

Also we live in post modern times where people don't hold with a lot of old values.

However we can make a difference if we want to !

T

reply to post by Tiger5


That is true..given our social standing as it is presently, for people to live as media and television tells people they should live, both parents have to work in order to provide for their -usually- demanding children...or for other consumer needs.. which is also a sign of our times more or less, and not at all in far older communities..I do understand that no matter if i like it or not, money in our system is a necessity...TPTB set it up that way.. but what i cant accept are people that choose to have children even though this wish to persue a career as well. from what i have seen and my own beliefs (that seem to be more and more old fashioned every day lol) on the matter a mother especially should choose one.. career or parenthood.. sometimes it can ork if its a family business or something to that extent, but in many cases, the people have the kids, then go off to their career work leaving the children they so badly wanted in the first place to be raised by school, television and often, strangers at day care or after school centres.. i just cant believe thats ok to do..
I agree whole heartedly that if we really want to we can make huge differences where we can.. absolutely

"Character" is doing the right thing whether anyone is watching or not.



Nice thoughts, OP - I still go back to hold doors for elderly or other situations no matter where I am - I refuse to belly up to the lack of morals and ethics that is so common these days.