Are humans idiots

[Mig]

I have been pondering about this question over and over without sharing with anyone. As I get older, I realized all the mistakes I have done, all my reactions and attitudes toward others and observing humans I always ask myself, are humans idiots? Since we are almost done with 2021, I thought we could have learned better but still see human stupidity at the highest level. Looking in the environment where I live, I see how people feel entitled to say or do whatever they want (of course, I am generalizing but I see that more and more from younger individuals) and wash their hands even if they were wrong. Road rage, car chasing, pick up a fight seem to be far common these days and everyone knows that the outcome is not glamorous or ends in a tragic accident or incident. Then I look how people around the world still believe in fairy tales, marketing or God's truth to repeat the same history as in the past. Looking at the news about Nicaragua, Central America, fiasco in their election is in the news but apparently news ignore what's happening in Honduras where history is repeating by itself and people again, are living in poverty and misery but still believe in politicians and religious movements. If I look what's going on in other countries around the world, is not better either and by this time I would consider human conditions should be better at least to have water to drink or water for irrigation, better living conditions or better education. In the 70's I used to travel before traveling was a trend and found so much bad conditions in human life and today, thanks to YouTube or internet, I see the same situation. Are humans idiots?

[natural]

34 minutes ago, Mig said:

I have been pondering about this question over and over without sharing with anyone. As I get older, I realized all the mistakes I have done, all my reactions and attitudes toward others and observing humans I always ask myself, are humans idiots? Since we are almost done with 2021, I thought we could have learned better but still see human stupidity at the highest level. Looking in the environment where I live, I see how people feel entitled to say or do whatever they want (of course, I am generalizing but I see that more and more from younger individuals) and wash their hands even if they were wrong. Road rage, car chasing, pick up a fight seem to be far common these days and everyone knows that the outcome is not glamorous or ends in a tragic accident or incident. Then I look how people around the world still believe in fairy tales, marketing or God's truth to repeat the same history as in the past. Looking at the news about Nicaragua, Central America, fiasco in their election is in the news but apparently news ignore what's happening in Honduras where history is repeating by itself and people again, are living in poverty and misery but still believe in politicians and religious movements. If I look what's going on in other countries around the world, is not better either and by this time I would consider human conditions should be better at least to have water to drink or water for irrigation, better living conditions or better education. In the 70's I used to travel before traveling was a trend and found so much bad conditions in human life and today, thanks to YouTube or internet, I see the same situation. Are humans idiots?

 

Simply put, yes, and don't worry be happy!

[Nungali]

Collectively  .... certainly !   I have read psychologists opinion of  collective humanity as an individual  ;  nationalistic, neurotic,  retributive, rampaging, slaughtering  psychopathic , etc

 

It used to amaze me , I would think, how did humans ever get this far  . It is amazing they could do all  this under such a handicap .... then I look around more and further afield  .... and realise what a mess ' all this ' is  !

 

One day , far in the future , we MIGHT  get better  ;

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galápagos_(novel)#Plot_summary

 

" Trout maintains that all the sorrows of humankind were caused by "the only true villain in my story: the oversized human brain"."

[Mig]

8 hours ago, natural said:

 

Simply put, yes, and don't worry be happy!

What makes you say " I am worried", I am making a statement of a situation that I keep observing wherever I go. It sounds like not to worry is more of a selfish act or ignoring what is around me and then be happy. I am not happy nor sad but I keep seeing the same thing and have hard time to reconcile what I am reading about Daoism or some Buddhist sutras.

 

[silent thunder]

Bad news has always had good legs.

 

I observe our supportive, helpful and communal nature far outweighs the moronic, or even violent.

 

Our communal ways are evidenced by our thriving in spite of all nature has to offer for challenge... if not for our innately loving nature and overriding tendency to come together in hardship, we'd have died off long ago, given pestilence, famine, drought, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, disease, wars and the myriad other ways in which our frail selves can perish.

 

Our network of ingenuity and loving support far outweighs the density of ignorance in my experience.

[Nungali]

Survival is one thing  .....  but what we have left ( eg our messed up environment that is going to make an exponential rate of problems soon  ) and the   GAHS   .... over time .

 

 

( Gross Amount of Human Suffering )

 

A  'slow boiled frog' is still surviving  .... for now .

 

OR

 

No , this is not 'as good as it gets'  - we can do a LOT better !

[Gerard]

Nothing has really changed:

 

“Our sires’ age was worse than our grandsires’. We, their sons, are more worthless than they; so in our turn we shall give the world a progeny yet more corrupt.” Book III of Odes, Horace (Roman poet), 20 BC.

 

[Seeking]

Yes. By design. Not nature.

[Mig]

3 hours ago, Seeking said:

Yes. By design. Not nature.

Aren't we conditioned by the social environment where we live in? Somehow it seems that we behave based on what we learn from others and are manipulated by what they say. If we survive in nature, chances we won't survive alone because our incapacity to find our way out unless we learn observing nature.

[doc benway]

Humans are idiots, for sure, and lots of other things too -

loving, kind, scared, confused, conditioned, cruel, greedy, ingenious, awake… lots of things.

Often my heart breaks… and often it soars.

 

[Nungali]

27 minutes ago, steve said:

Humans are idiots, for sure, and lots of other things too -

loving, kind, scared, confused, conditioned, cruel, greedy, ingenious, awake… lots of things.

Often my heart breaks… and often it soars.

 

 

 

" 

BEFORE the beginning of years
There came to the making of man
Time, with a gift of tears;
Grief, with a glass that ran;
Pleasure, with pain for leaven;	5
Summer, with flowers that fell;
Remembrance fallen from heaven,
And madness risen from hell ... "   - Swinburne

[Mig]

I am not sure if someone has experienced looking at some humans who cannot think beyond their own needs but can believe in fairy tales. Not only that if they don't learn from books or from a teacher they won't be able to figure out some mechanical or engineering feats. Myself, there are things I would have never thought to build or assemble for practical reasons. I noticed that if I have some tools, I can figure out and when I cannot find a solution I check several sources to come up with an idea. It can be in the backyard, in the shed or in the front yard, trimming trees or fixing some tools. If I didn't have those tools, I think I wouldn't be able to find a solution by my own. In that respect, yes, I consider myself and idiot. Then my thoughts go back, how in the hell, I can learn about applying Daoists principals or Buddhists saying?