This planet

[LetMeOut67]

Does anyone else ever think about the totality of human history, all the wars, oppression , slavery, torture, poverty, famines , natural disasters, all the psychological (and physical) pain in every individual's life, all the people driven insane, all the animals mistreated.


One persons torture isn't worth all the happiness ever.

This isn't hell, it's something way, way beyond that.

 

[cemeteryismyhome]

I often suspect this is hell, or as you said, something far worse.

 

[s00ngone]

Huh. What a well-timed post for exactly what I've been trying to find conveyed in Reddit searches and come up empty. I've always had this dissociative streak where I would consider all of history at once, wondering how any of us can even function knowing that we live on a planet with history. Maybe it doesn't take much to incapacitate me, but just thinking of the empires that have risen and fallen, of times before humans were even a concept... it's disturbing, and sweetly, surreally comforting.

I think of what would become of me if I were, say, a medieval peasant. Would I be thicker skinned/skulled or would I be just as ready to leave the inherent arbitrariness of existence? Couldn't say. I just know I resent it, now.

 

[broken_stoic]

Does anyone else ever think about the totality of human history, all the wars, oppression , slavery, torture, poverty, famines , natural disasters, all the psychological (and physical) pain in every individual's life, all the people driven insane, all the animals mistreated.


One persons torture isn't worth all the happiness ever.

This isn't hell, it's something way, way beyond that.

I still haven't come to a conclusion about what I ultimately think of life. Whether evolution on earth is a horrifying machine or ultimately something good. To me right now it seems like there is an overabundance of absolute horror that overshadows the good. But then maybe someday that can change. If you are stuck in a dystopian machine, then I think we have to make as many changes for the better that we can. Maybe life will continue to get better for everyone and eventually be good.

 

[LetMeOut67]

There's probably plenty of other universes with similar set ups.
Whatever horrors occur it was all made possible by whatever created all this. We'll probably never know what this is or understand it. Perhaps we're not meant to.

 

[Kbeau]

I still haven't come to a conclusion about what I ultimately think of life. Whether evolution on earth is a horrifying machine or ultimately something good. To me right now it seems like there is an overabundance of absolute horror that overshadows the good. But then maybe someday that can change. If you are stuck in a dystopian machine, then I think we have to make as many changes for the better that we can. Maybe life will continue to get better for everyone and eventually be good.

It fascinated me to think that humans have been here for a millisecond compared to the dinosaurs and they would still be here (and not humans) were it not for the Ice Age

 

[person2]

Does anyone else ever think about the totality of human history, all the wars, oppression , slavery, torture, poverty, famines , natural disasters, all the psychological (and physical) pain in every individual's life, all the people driven insane, all the animals mistreated.


One persons torture isn't worth all the happiness ever.

This isn't hell, it's something way, way beyond that.

Yes. And then people have the audacity to use such pleasantries as "how are you" and "have a nice day". That's the norm. At least if we were in hell it would be acceptable to greet one another with "ahhhhh"!!!

 

[broken_stoic]

It fascinated me to think that humans have been here for a millisecond compared to the dinosaurs and they would still be here (and not humans) were it not for the Ice Age

Horrors aside, yes the development of life and the incomprehensible timelines are fantastic to think about. And I would love to see a dino planet =D

 

[darksouls]

I still haven't come to a conclusion about what I ultimately think of life. Whether evolution on earth is a horrifying machine or ultimately something good. To me right now it seems like there is an overabundance of absolute horror that overshadows the good. But then maybe someday that can change. If you are stuck in a dystopian machine, then I think we have to make as many changes for the better that we can. Maybe life will continue to get better for everyone and eventually be good.

I have long since given up hope for humanity
humanity will never improve

 

[FuneralCry]

It really is just so horrific to me, I see this world as the most hellish place that just causes harm and suffering torturing existing beings so unnecessarily and I'd just never wish for any of this rather I only want to not exist, existence to me really is the most terrible tragic mistake and I'll always see existing as being only suffering. I see it as the most torturous abomination to be conscious in this existence capable of suffering to unlimited extents and the suffering of existing is endless, for me non-existence really is all that's positive, I wish I never had to suffer at all more than anything.

 

[brassicasaur]

Hmm, yes. I often ponder how our standard of life gets better and better, and at the same time, the scale of systematic violence we perpetrate against our fellow human and fellow animal gets larger and larger. There are many acts of individual violence that I am horrified by, yet I don't lose my faith in humanity over, as I understand they are single incidents. What does make me lose faith in humanity is things like genocide and the animal industries. What makes me lose faith in nature, or God, if He exists, is the sheer endless cycle of violence and destruction required to sustain life on Earth, an infinite game of cat-and-mouse for all of the planet's inhabitants. I sometimes feel very guilty about being human, in the sense that I cause ecological destruction simply by existing. I suppose that wasn't my choice.
We're all so thin-skinned, though. I love barn owls. They regularly eat their own babies. I have to wonder how the barn owl is not rendered a depressed and miserable shell of a bird through such circumstances. I guess they've never known anything different. Life simply is violence to them, and they're used to it. In creating a largely peaceful, civil society, I reckon we have pampered ourselves to the point of being unable to handle reality.

 

[Forever Sleep]

Yeah. I think because I'm a pessimist, I tend to dwell on all the violent, horrible things. There's good too. Especially when you compare us to the animal kingdom. We have welfare and healthcare systems that are at least supposed to look after the less fortunate. Some of 'our' inventions are pretty impressive, although ultimately quite often toxic!

I get more annoyed with the suffering written into our blueprint design. In which case, I ultimately start getting angry with a God- if there is one. Parents too though, seeing as we at least know they exist! I kind of wish I knew the full thought process that lead them to decide to have children- knowing how hard life is. Knowing the risks we face- having experienced some of them themselves. I can't really get my head around that.