From: nospam@example.net   
      
   On Thu, 18 Apr 2024, oldernow wrote:   
      
   >> I mean think about democracy. You put a piece of paper   
   >> in a box so someone else can deal with problems. Someone   
   >> else justifies taking half your income by convincing you   
   >> that _they_ will solve all your problems.   
   >>   
   >> Now repeat this generation after generation, and you   
   >> can see what I'm getting at. But, at the risk of being   
   >> accused of being conspiratorial, this is a great myth for   
   >> the worlds politicians to perpetuate, since it guarantees   
   >> them a job.   
   >   
   > I'm pretty sure that ballot thing is a bullshit illusion.   
   > It's all a bunch of bleach-drinking, insurrective Russian   
   > collusion! :-)   
   >   
   > I think cause/effect is danged tricking when there are a   
   > lot of factors, especially if/when most are hidden.   
      
   But, it is much more fun to be sure and absolute in ones beliefs! ;)   
      
   >> Before democracy, the guys who wanted to play the game of   
   >> power often paid for it with their lives. It was a lot more   
   >> risk/reward. Today we're civilized and modern democracy   
   >> has eliminated a lot of the killing and if you don't win,   
   >> you'll sit on the opposition benches for 4 years and then   
   >> you get to try again, while still living of tax payers   
   >> money. Great deal for the power players compared with how   
   >> things were 300 years ago.  ;)   
   >   
   > I occasionally long for a society strictly along the lines   
   > of the *past* god of atheism also known as "survival of   
   > the fittest" - "past", because proponents rather backed   
   > off that stance once they realized everything it implies.   
   >   
   > It would no doubt mean shorter life spans for most, but   
   > survivors would be living much more fulfilling lives,   
   > possibly to the point of a net gain across the species -   
   > never mind probably guaranteeing healthier subsequent   
   > descendants/generations.   
      
   Yes, I often think about this and what it means for humans. We are   
   evolved to deal with dangers and risks. Modern society on the other hand   
   is evolving around eliminating all risk, and providing us with 100%   
   safety at all levels. Even safety when it comes to thinking the right   
   things, saying the right things. I mean, try to deviate an inch, and you   
   and me both know what happens when we deal with people who's lives focus   
   on safety.   
      
   One of my theories is that the more "safe" society becomes, the less   
   meaning people will find and the more our mental health will suffer. We   
   were never made from evolutionary point of view, to live in a state with   
   0% risk and 100% safety. It kills the soul of humanity, unless this   
   state is reached slowly so that psychology and our own inner software   
   manages to catch up.   
      
   Imagine what would happen with people without an inner drive an passion   
   in a society where every lives off the government without any demands.   
   The only ones who would thrive are the ones with internal drive and   
   passion, the rest would suffer.   
      
   I think this is partly why Nietzsche speaks about pain and struggle   
   being so enormously important to human growth and values. With pain and   
   struggle, how much can you feel that you live? How much would you value   
   your achievements? Of course he turns up the volume to 11 when he   
   writes, but I do think he has a point.   
      
   > But they've (you know who they are!) gone from   
   > championing a godless survival scenario (until realizing   
   > how un-fucking-fit they are...) to championing a "rule of   
   > the weakest/dumbest by way of guilting and such" scenario -   
   > which, unimpeded, probably means the end of the species.   
      
   Yes, and then, after a few generations, we'll get the movie Idiocracy.   
   ) Actually, perhaps, that should be a weeping smiley. ;)   
      
   But the idea I think is not that far fetched. Evolution has stopped   
   guiding us as a species with the modern welfare state, and based on   
   how evolution works, I guess we will pay a price eventually. On the   
   other hand, I still think that there are plenty of arenas for evolution   
   to work, but far less so, than before.   
      
   Then you can dial that up a notch too, by adding technology and genetic   
   modification to the mix. Should we enhance ourselves freely and fully as   
   a form of self expression? That scares many, because in todays world   
   equality is the value par excellence, and why should people be allowed   
   to "cheat"?   
      
   > But, again, I'll be safe in death's arms before then. But   
   > it's going to be close.... ;-)   
      
   That's what my father says. Literally, I'm ok, you'll have to watch all   
   the sh*t as it happens. And I say "thank you father, thank you so much". ;)   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)