"The world is terribly nasty these days."

[Saint]

The world is terribly nasty these days. I would be scared for my child.

From a list in the article about INTJs generally not wanting children and exploring why.

Really? The world is terribly nasty? Compared to when? 500 AD? The 1300's? The 1800's? The 1950's?

Why do so many people seemingly think the world today is simply insufferable when compared to any period in the past?

[AresX9]

As of right now, not really. The future, however, looks very grim if the same direction continues.

[Dave C C]

Compared to the past we live in a utopia.

[Karamazov]

Nasty compared to periods in the past? Of course not. Is it still nasty? Sure.

[blueback]

Parts of the world are nasty. Parts are down right pampered.

[PHS Philip]

The world's much less nasty than it used to be thanks to modern medicine and agricultural technology. Of course, the way we're going we'll wipe ourselves out one way or another in the next couple centuries, but...

[Double Victory]

I always find this interesting. People are always talking about the "good old days" but they never mention how their times were hard. I don't know if this is scientifically proven or anything, but people usually end up viewing their past in a positive manner--downplaying the negative things that happened, and longing for the good things that used to happen.

People are also naturally resistant to change, and looking back at when things were different brings back a lot of nostalgia because of how much has changed and will never be the same.

Of course, this is also subject to your values. If you value white male supremacy, then suffrage for women and equality for minorities probably feels like a kick in the face.

Oh, and something that I always think about is how very rarely in my twelve grade school years of American history, was I taught about hard times for America. Our past is always paved in such a pleasant light, and movies always make the distant past look great (and clean). Grandparents always tell stories about being able to play in the street and keep their doors unlocked, and their "uphill both ways" stories never inspire much "Oh my gosh, that sounds so hard!"

[stasis]

Why do so many people seemingly think the world today is simply insufferable when compared to any period in the past?
I'd think this due mostly to the 'loss of innocence' being a pervasive narrative in western culture. Childlike naivety is mythologically characterized as a sort of purity, an idyllic simplicity, uncomplicated by new knowledge / power with which to sin and so on. The narrative is applied to everything, including history. So the past, for some, becomes something to uphold as an essential ideal as such.

[Karamazov]

Yeah, I think that's a given. I think the statement simply reflects a fear of the unknown, the uncertainty of what's to come and a perceived immorality that's blanketed the earth. That's always been the complaint of the older generation, when faced with changes.

I think we are all quite "pampered" when compared to the fishmonger in Djibouti, or mother of 5 in a Brazilian favela.

[BlackMita]

Why do so many people seemingly think the world today is simply insufferable when compared to any period in the past?

Being a person who is convinced the world is nasty, here's my take...

Having compared the past to the present isn't what lead me to believe the world is nasty. I didn't live in the past, so I have no experience to compare being-there with being-now to support this belief. I reason the world as being nasty is just a characteristic of my dealings with it which is magnified by knowing that I could potentially prevent most of my unpleasant experiences, mistakes, tragedies, if only I could utilize the hidden information within an arms reach in this day and age.

Before I get too vague I'll try to nail this down fast: If you brought a child into the world in the 1600's, the trail by error approach to parenting was reasonable. Parenthood wasn't under intense scrutiny back then, the best examples of 'how to do it right' were whomever in the community had children that didn't die early, didn't suck at various trade/survival skills, etc.

Nowadays there's empirical information that can guide a 'best' way to parent that coincides with your situation: global accounts on the internet, scientific studies, statistics, parenting books (the non BS ones), etc... the trail and error approach becomes inappropriate. Mistakes become inappropriate. However only the materialism is taken care of in privileged life. Back then "Continue survival, be proud of that" was sufficient spiritual meaning. Here, we have to twiddle our thumbs and hope it means something, THEN pass on the approach that fulfilled us to the next generation. You can't do this crap casually.

If I suck at parenting, I can't blame my circumstance. If my kid hates me, it's because I didn't read up. If you have the 'west' privileged life, the means to do a damn good job of parenting (or anything for that matter) are there. The next generation sucks if the previous generation doesn't aim high. This trend will continue until we explode each other.

[enWTFp]

Problem:
- Average Human lifetime is nearly constant since ages ago.
- Average Human lifestyle revolutions decrease periods exponentially.
Our bodies and minds cannot catch up anymore. Especially our nervous systems.

The way I see it, since the Cold War ended and Internet created the medium for a quiet world civil war (anarchy), we are headed towards a future of crazy schizoid people with awful/unnatural bodies and mindless schizoid robot friends. Not exactly my childhood dream. I'm sure Jules Verne and Leonardo didn't think of that.

No, more seriously, the problem is suddenly we have the whole knowledge at once. The only valuable resource for the mind that's left is creativity and becoming very competitive between people, it's going dry rapidly. We are like bicyclists that got too fast and now it's out of control, we don't enjoy the ride anymore, but we can't stop.

Progress is eating itself.

"I don't read no papers, and I don't listen to radios either. I know the world's been shaved by a drunken barber, and I don't have to read it." The Colonel in Meet John Doe, 1941

stasis says it better and shorter.

as to that:I think we are all quite "pampered" when compared to the fishmonger in Djibouti, or mother of 5 in a Brazilian favela. At least their minds are safe. I've personally felt the taste of living in poverty on the verge of extinction, but it was the strongest moral norm I could have against the world, so my sanity was better protected back then. You wake up every morning happy to be still alive.

I wish sometimes to just run in the woods and never see anything nonnatural ever again.

[Karamazov]

as to that:At least their minds are safe. I've personally felt the taste of living in poverty on the verge of extinction, but it was the strongest moral norm I could have against the world, so my sanity was better protected back then. You wake up every morning happy to be still alive.

I wish sometimes to just run in the woods and never see anything nonnatural ever again.

True. Ironic you say that; according to many Legionnaires who've been based in Djibouti, they actually don't mind their poverty at all, even in the midst of the suffocating heat in the region. They are near the horn of Africa, after all. Suffering does have a sort of purifying effect.

[Avid]

People appreciate life better when they are surviving. Makes them fight for it and not take it for granted. Then again some personality types that over general statement varies by degrees.

But the world has always been a cruel uncaring place and all creatures in this world struggle for their own survival or give up aka suicide. As far as places of poverty where life isn't even sustainable....ugh, nvm I'll probably just get stoned to death only in word form.

[SiMey]

What annoys and frustrates me is that people have it within themselves, particularly in wealthier nations, to make the world really great for everyone but they choose not to do so.

As might makes right and people think primarily of themselves first, I'm not sure how things may ever change. It's not like you can get everyone to agree to stop making and using weapons (people feel the need to "defend their freedom!").

I live in hope that the internet and other global communication (and financial interdependence) will at least help to break down some barriers of prejudice and reasons for armed conflict.

However I think the law of the jungle will persist. We are animals.

Would it change it we had an unlimited power source provided free to everyone and a replicator to instantly create any material possession that anyone wanted? I fear people would still find reasons to scam and one-up each other.

[stasis]

What annoys and frustrates me is that people have it within themselves, particularly in wealthier nations, to make the world really great for everyone
Do they really.

[Karamazov]

What annoys and frustrates me is that people have it within themselves, particularly in wealthier nations, to make the world really great for everyone but they choose not to do so.

People are naturally self-interested. That's what makes the whole "rectifying the disparity between the rich and the poor", rather silly.

[Avid]

What annoys and frustrates me is that people have it within themselves, particularly in wealthier nations, to make the world really great for everyone but they choose not to do so.

As might makes right and people think primarily of themselves first, I'm not sure how things may ever change. It's not like you can get everyone to agree to stop making and using weapons (people feel the need to "defend their freedom!").

I live in hope that the internet and other global communication (and financial interdependence) will at least help to break down some barriers of prejudice and reasons for armed conflict.

However I think the law of the jungle will persist. We are animals.

Would it change it we had an unlimited power source provided free to everyone and a replicator to instantly create any material possession that anyone wanted? I fear people would still find reasons to scam and one-up each other.

While I get your line of reasoning I firmly believe some of it won't change and I gave up caring about the macro world I can't change. I shouldn't have to be a sheep herder to keep the masses in line. Besides I have the charisma of an AOL install cd.....

"WTF. I thought I got rid of that thing"