RIers, How do you feel about the future?

[Nordic]

The "civilized" world displays all the behavior of the worst sort of addict. Including the self-destructive aspect. I don't know what the wake-up call will be, or if there is one loud enough for this addict to hear. The denial is overwhelming and will destroy almost all human life, and a hell of a lot of the other life, very soon.

Rock bottom has to be found for the addict. Unfortunately in this case rock bottom is the destruction of our home in the cosmos, a mass extinction like that of the dinosaurs. Those who aren't caught up in the addiction will die just as easily as those who are.

That's where it's clearly headed. Unless some sort of near-miracle occurs.

[stillrobertpaulsen]

In the aftermath of the midterm election, I feel pretty dour about the future. Not that I foresee imminent doom, despite the fact that I regularly post on the Human Extinction thread. But over the course of this century, we will probably encounter gradual disintegration. Except, of course, for those Big Events where TPTB want us amped-up for a propaganda shift.

I guess what's really sticking in my craw is the Keystone XL vote. We'll see a re-vote in January that will probably be veto-proof with the new Rethuglican Senate. Maybe we'll get a carbon freeze consensus in Paris in 2015, maybe we won't. Doesn't matter. Once we get Bush or Walker in 2016 or some even more nakedly fascist fuck in the 20s, any previous accord would be chucked out the window.

As bad as the 20s will be, I think the really rough time will be the 30s. At that point, the Carbon Crisis will be in full effect and the fact that civilization never really had an effective Plan B to remedy the Infinite Growth Paradigm will be painfully felt by all but the Elite. Then we will see shit get really weird.

[Pele'sDaughter]

It's the twilight of the empire and I expect it to be downhill even faster from here. We're running up against the wall on so many issues and no one wants to make the drastic changes needed to mitigate any of them. I'm saddened to think how life could have been lived on this planet if we hadn't taken this particular direction.

[Ben D]

^ Hi Pele'sDaughter.....don't be dismayed, it's inevitable that in a material world, greed and ruthlessness wins against charity and forgiveness....it couldn't be any other way. Hopefully after the impending bust, the meek will inherit the earth..

[RocketMan]

The future ain't what it used to be.

[zangtang]

i wonder what jellyfish actually taste like

[Sounder]

^ Hi Pele'sDaughter.....don't be dismayed, it's inevitable that in a material world, greed and ruthlessness wins against charity and forgiveness....it couldn't be any other way.

Pish-posh

Hopefully after the impending bust, the meek will inherit the earth.

But wait; that would then indicate that it is not 'inevitable that in a material world, greed and ruthlessness wins against charity and forgiveness'.

It is not 'inevitable', we have been conned into taking human habit as being human nature.

[Ben D]

^ Pish posh huh? Sounder, as an aspirant to the charitable and forgiving section of humanity, I am giving you the benefit of the doubt wrt your reading skills and comprehension, and assuming you posted hastily without due consideration....the idea is that after the armageddon culling event...the humanity remaining are the charitable and forgiving non-materialistic, and not materialistically minded greedy and ruthless.

And you are only speaking for yourself, I have not been conned....you and all others who have been conned and who blame the conners are equally to blame..."the devil made me do it!" is no excuse, it's this attitude that makes it inevitable...shame on you.

[Sounder]

It is probably the case Ben, that you and I have different epistemic assumptions. (To me) yours seem based on ideas of transcendence, whereas mine call for embodiment.

So I do not think of or label this thing we are experiencing, as a material world. To me, it is precisely the way that we have, as individuated expressions of consciousness, to feel the touch of the creative powers.

I would love to hang out, and blather on some more, but the grand kids are visiting so I’m out.

Peace

[Ben D]

Fine friend Sounder...enjoy the grand kids.

[Sounder]

Come on Ben, don't let my grand kids chase you away from a well considered response.

You suggested that I had written hastily, true enough, still an explanation for our different understanding was then advanced and I would love to hear your thoughts on or response to that explanation.

[stillrobertpaulsen]

Hopefully after the impending bust, the meek will inherit the earth..

Stanley Kubrick begs to differ.

[Ben D]

Come on Ben, don't let my grand kids chase you away from a well considered response.

You suggested that I had written hastily, true enough, still an explanation for our different understanding was then advanced and I would love to hear your thoughts on or response to that explanation.

It is probably the case Ben, that you and I have different epistemic assumptions. (To me) yours seem based on ideas of transcendence, whereas mine call for embodiment.

So I do not think of or label this thing we are experiencing, as a material world. To me, it is precisely the way that we have, as individuated expressions of consciousness, to feel the touch of the creative powers.

I would love to hang out, and blather on some more, but the grand kids are visiting so I’m out.

Peace

Sure thing Sounder...while it is my understanding that transcendence* is the intended goal for souls, so are the obligatory and prerequisite terms in embodiment...and that there is no equality as to where on the evolutionary ladder each soul is presently at.

And I put it to you that as per the esoteric dictum...'as above, so below'...similarly it is my understanding that just as graduation is the intended goal for students, so are the obligatory and prerequisite terms in school...and that there is no equality as to what level of attainment each student is presently at.

Your present perception of the obligatory present term of embodiment appears to be predominnately......'being in and of the world'.....mine is predominately...'being in the world but not of it'. Iow, I accept I have lessons to learn here incarnate, but I have little interest in material goals such as power, position, wealth, respect, appearance, longevity, etc., for I see that these are karmic traps to keep the soul entangled in the materialism.

*transcendence: beyond time and space, non-duality.

[Sounder]

OK, that's a start, and with minimal pejorative inferences, good for you.

I'll write a bit after I sleep on it.

[Nordic]

Ben D, I don't see any difference between your view and that of evangelical "Christians" who in fact welcome the complete destruction of our world so we can all go to heaven and rah rah rah.

Seriously. Your view seems equally infantile.

It's one thing to practice detachment, it's another thing to welcome the massacre of everything well and good and sublime in this world in order to bring about some "new" utopia.

It's fucked up.