biggest root problem facing humanity

[leftofthedial]

[baldguy]

1. #1: Religious Insanity

#2: Murderous Tribalism

[sam sarrha]

9. isn't that a euphemism for religion..?? tribalism..

[leftofthedial]

14. I guess several of these may actually be the same thing

a kind of blind hatred of "the other"

[Beam Me Up]

2. OTHER: Man's lack of self awareness and experiential self-knowledge.

[leftofthedial]

3. is that a universal problem

or a cultural one?

[Beam Me Up]

26. Universal. However, I think this applies even more to contemporary and

specifically Western civilization than it does to more archaic cultural groups.

[leftofthedial]

4. I can't choose between

1 and 2

maybe they're really the same thing

[Coyote_Bandit]

5. Greed and the need to win regardless of the cost n/t

[leftofthedial]

21. isn't that a description of capitalism?

[Coyote_Bandit]

39. Only if you think the only object of greed is money

Capitalism is after all primarily an economic structure. But by nature humanity is also greedy for other things and other forms of pleasure and gratification that reach beyond economics and financial considerations. Sex. Position. Power. Recognition. Security. Safety. Health. Opportunity. Another poster here cited fear as the greatest problem facing humanity. I have little doubt that most human behavior - financial or otherwise - can be explained by either fear or greed. These motives reach across the political and economic spectrum and are not unique to or exclusively defined by capitalism.

Edit to add that capitalism does reward and encourage greed - but greed is not exclusive to capitalism. People in general are primarily self-interested and hence motivated by fear and greed. They typically place their own interests above that of the community - and judge what is best for the community in terms of their own interests. I suppose you could say that self-interest underlies and is the root of both fear and greed.

[Marie26]

6. Fear. nt

[leftofthedial]

7. where does this fear come from?

is it the same thing as religious insanity or a cause of it?

is it intrinsically part of the human condition?

[Marie26]

16. Everywhere

Fear of the "other". Fear of what we don't understand. Fear of people who look different from us, or think differently from us. Fear of dying. I think fear of dying is at the heart of a lot of religious insanity - if our religion isn't the only true & just religion, maybe that means we won't live forever, or find heaven. To erase that fear, people try to erase the other religions. We created tribes to stay alive - and view all others w/fear. To erase the fear of other tribes, people try to erase those cultures. We have an instinctive reaction to try to erase the "other" instead of trying to understand it. All this is pretty constant over 2 million years of human history - it's probably not going anywhere soon. I think it is unfortunately an intrinsic part of the human condition.

[leftofthedial]

17. so it's innate? is it the cause of religion? of tribalism? of capitalism?

the root of all evil?

does it cause greed or do they both coexist like two grains of sand in the same oyster?

and like that, is fear ultimately also the inspiration for greatness?

[Marie26]

46. The root of all evil?

Whoa, getting pretty philosophical here. I don't know if it's the root of all evil, but it seems to be behind a lot of the atrocities that humans commit. But fear can also be the inspiration for courage, so maybe it does inspire greatness in people as well. I guess it depends how you face it. Greed is maybe partially about fear, but it's also just straight-up selfishness. Wanting more for yourself, not caring about your neighbors, getting more money to impress people & buy yourself more stuff, me me me. Maybe fear & selfishness together are the "two grains of sand" in the oyster. I think a big reason for Bush's success is his ability to exploit those two impulses. Fear & greed - terror & tax cuts - it's all the same thing. That's why he's so hard to beat.

[Warren DeMontague]

8. the inability to see problems as opportunities.

that's the biggest problem.

[leftofthedial]

20. and sometimes vice versa

[unkachuck]

10. a little poem....

Capitalisma, you are no friend,

I've come to my senses, I've come to the end,

....of the rope that you've sold me

to hang till I die, God bless America,

Arbeit macht frei....

[leftofthedial]

15. sweet

[Swamp Rat]

11. All of the above and then some.

:D

[graywarrior]

12. Religion is the new heroin.

[leftofthedial]

19. danke shoen, Herr Marx

religion is like a drug

[applegrove]

13. Neocons - who teach the dark arts to the world.

[leftofthedial]

23. why are there so many willing pupils?

[applegrove]

25. Well only the warped seem to be willing pupils. Putin, PM or Iran,

Korea, Zimbabwe, Sudan, etc ... those are the countries that are mirroring myth-making.

[applegrove]

28. Oh - and I forgot. Helll's Angels got busted throughout Northern Ontario.

They released a press statement saying that it was just election time posturing - or some such thing.

They're learning marketing. From Bush.

[PeachyDem88]

18. Overpopulation.

Capitalism has been around for a while...
Religious insanity has been around for a VERY LONG while...
We are working through nationalism, and our own intrinsic flaws.

Overpopulation is relatively new.
Of all the above problems, overpopulation is unique in its sure threat to mankind's continued existence. If we don't find some solutions, nature will find them for us.

[leftofthedial]

22. one could argue that the neotheocons and the bush crime gang

that misleads them are finding a solution to overpopulation, perhaps more quickly than even nature

[rman]

31. Yup, less population = more wealth for the powerful

If you think overpopulation is a problem, why not improve the world and start with yourself?

[wuushew]

40. Tighter labor markets = better for the rich?

Given that the future is definitely a steady state paradigm of material and energy resources how it advantageous to add mouths to a fixed pie? Unless efficiency and conservation perpetually match or exceed new demand we will not advance given these limits.

Problems of distribution can be solved through socialism.

[leftofthedial]

48. but, but, but gawdjeezis said go forth and multiply!

why do you hate gawdjeezis?

[Lorien]

43. More population= more wealth for the powerful

cheaper labor and more consumers. Why do you think that Right Wingers are so passionately anti-abortion and pro huge families? I've even heard some say that they are concerned about how slow population growth will effect social security.

[rman]

56. They don't need "consumers"

It's much more efficient to have the riches of the earth go to them directly.
Of course they need some people to do the required labor, but slavery works quite well for that - it's about as cheap as labor comes. Even slaves need some resources to be kept alive; the less "consumers" there are the more wealth there is for the ruling class.

It worked quite well for them for centuries on end - see the Dark Ages.

[More Than A Feeling]

24. Just basic differences like gender, class, and race

The three big ones, in order from most influential to least. Twisted, warped ideas of what it means to be a "man" are the cause of so much misery, to both women and men.

Class is an expression of Power, privilege, and prestige, and there are fewer that have them than those that don't, so they are more conscious of their class identity and easier to organize.

Racism still exists, no matter how much people want to pretend it has gone away. It poisons the soul of America, and traps innocents in lives of desperation and despair.

[Spider Jerusalem]

27. I have to say that it appears a lot of people have no idea what's going on

especially since the majority of votes have been for "religious insanity".

Compared to the effects of overpopulation and the results of a century and a half of unrestrained industrial capitalism, the problems caused by religious fanatics are insignificant.

The human population has quadrupled over the course of a century. This population expansion has been fuelled by relatively cheap and available energy in the form of petroleum, which is a rapidly depleteing resource. The modern agricultural techniques that allow the planet to support a population of six and a half billion people (by current estimates) are dependent upon the availability of petroleum and natural gas (as a fuel, as a base stock for pesticides, as a base stock for fertilisers, et cetera). The reserves of these resources are dwindling; the effect of their dimunition will probably be felt within the next two decades, if not sooner.

Not to mention that the environmental results of 150+ years of burning fossil fuels (coal and oil) to drive the engine of global capitalism, from the dawn of the industrial revolution till now, have contributed greatly to the phenomenon known as global warming, with rapidly accelerating and adverse effects to the global climate.

In comparison with these, EVEYTHING ELSE pales into insignificance.

[blindpig]

29. The threat of fundie wackos is an excellent diversion.

Sure, they can be weird and scary but without the help and encouragement of power centers like the BFEE their threat would be negligible. The sly bastards keep the left in a lather about social issues which have little bearing upon what really matters to them, money and power. The indirect approach is always to be preferred....This can be easily seen in the conversations surrounding recent SC nominations. All attention is paid to the nominees social stands, others issues are ignored. Thus Roberts gets a pass, something I expect we'll deeply regret.

What the BFEE wankers expect to do with their money and power when the economy, climate and biosphere all go sideways I don't understand. I don't think their fancy bunkers will save them for long.

[Deja Q]

38. It's not one sided. People hate politics and prefer their own microworld.

It's not a D vs R thing in many cases.

[Lorien]

52. Great post. I couldn't agree more

and "religious insanity" isn't entirely what's driving the republican party, either. I know many people who vote republican because they are rabidly pro-gun, or isolationists, or anti-tax, or fearful of "brown people". Extremism doesn't always go hand in hand with religious fanaticism.

One solution; making a good education available to all. In nations where women in particular are well educated, the birth rate drops significantly. Well educated populations will also understand the critical need to protect our environment.

[rman]

30. religion is merely a tool for those who are the problem

i suppose that means i vote "other"

[usregimechange]

32. Struggle over limited resources, i.e. land, food, power

[Deja Q]

37. Pity more countries didn't bother with population controlling methods...

...in the first place... :think:

[Greyhound]

33. Overpopulation is the root of all the other problems. n/t

[nightperson]

34. Overpopulation Overpopulation Overpopulation Overpopulation Overpopulation

A disease that for whatever reasons (fear of brutal honesty?) doesn't get anywhere near as much attention as its symptoms (crime, poverty, etc. etc....).

Get a grip! ZPG!

Also.

[Deja Q]

36. So what would YOU do about overpopulation?

Global warming might be taking care of that...

Or a war...

Hard to say.

But nobody lives forever. Too many people (myself included) like to think otherwise. Just try to enjoy life while ya can.

[Lorien]

42. Personally, I chose not to have children

I'll adopt if I can someday.

By the time global warming "takes care" of the problem, all of us will be facing unimaginable hardships and impending extinction. Recent reports state that we could be in for a very rough time in as little as 15-20 years, so I guess we can all try to "enjoy life" until then.

[wuushew]

45. Free condoms for every male on the Earth

the cost of such a program would be but the tiniest fraction of our military expenditures.

[Lorien]

50. And equal rights and a decent education for every woman on earth

in societies where women are treated more as equals, the birth rate plummets.

Education for all would certainly go a long way toward solving many of humanity's ills as well.

[Deja Q]

35. Nationalism with "fair trade" is more than fine by me.

"free trade" and exchanging our infrastructure for cheap cash only serves to erode the nation. In ways increasing more horrible than the obvious (the terror attack in India being cold hard proof that offshoring can be potentially harmful...)

[Lorien]

41. Overpopulation and resource misuse leading to climate change

sorry, but the other issues won't matter at all of we don't have a place to live and can't breathe.

[DrDebug]

44. Politics

I'm sorry. I don't think it's religion or overpopulation even though they are big issues, but politics remains the biggest problem. Posting on a political website on makes matters worse...

[zippy890]

47. religion

period
:hide:

[xchrom]

49. i voted for capitalism -- though the answer is complicated.

mankind has not developed the ethical and spiritual tools to keep up with our inventions -- not to mention our inventions are killing us.

in our current landscape we are seeing a confluence of two forces -- fear or modernity{religion} and the crushing weight of capitalisms new face: corporatism.

spider jerusalem gives a good run down on capitalism and our current state.

[philosophie_en_rose]

51. Waste and Consumerism.

Overpopulation is a huge problem, but rampant waste and greed exacerbates the problem.

[yurbud]

53. capitalism isn't quite it. More like greed unchecked by the social good

We cannot expect someone who dedicates their life to making a shitload of money restrain themselves morally if it prevents them from making more money. And it is not to say that all corporate boards, executives, and major stockholders are criminals. But enough are that just as we do for serial killers, child molesters, and drug dealers, we need to apply some external constraints and enforce it.

That doesn't happen with self-policing, or picking someone from within the industry to run the regulatory agency. That's a little like putting Ted Bundy on the serial killer task force, having Michael Jackson crack down on child molesters, or George Bush round up drug dealers.

[MN ChimpH8R]

54. Gotta be religious insanity

Combining the fear, intolerance and monomania of the religiously insane with nuclear or other weapons of mass death is a recipe for the swift end of life on earth. Tribalism is bad, but it doesn't promise a phony supernatural payoff, unlike religious insanity. Deal with religious insanity and we then have a fair chance of dealing with greed and the excesses of capitalism.

[leftofthedial]

55. thanks for the comment