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A nostalgic rant about the state of the world

12/27/2012

13 Comments

 
Picture
     Daily, I am reminded of just how far our world and the richness of culture has fallen. We are surrounded by advertisements that promote inadequacy, where it’s sole purpose is to drive people towards greed and materialism. You can’t turn on the television without some sort of brain-numbing filth consuming you. Humankind as a whole has become domesticated and has lost sight of most of the natural instincts that once defined our race. Things like the drive for discovery and exploration have been lost, as well as the quest for honor and the respect of morals was apparently been thrown out of the window ages ago.

     What happened to the heroes of our world? The people that the world used to look up to and to take inspiration from have been transformed to complete rubbish. I mean, what the hell is wrong with this world (particularly the Western societies)? The people who used to be famous and were looked to as truly-great were the scholars, artists, writers, explorers and the true-thinkers. But to my great embarrassment (and it should be yours as well), the people who are influencing the world, the famous and the rich are mostly pieces of shit. As I’ve said before, we should not be idolizing orange-tinted drunk-whores from New Jersey - the same can be said about bowl-topped teen-sensations and the obese and pregnant adolescents. You can tell that the world is pretty damned worthless when pretty much the only news is which slutty-celebrity cheated on their husband, and now their having a kid with the new guy... blah blah blah. Or even worse is when the news is giving fame to a mass-murderer, who’s incidentally influencing other nobodies to commit the same horrible crimes.
     When I take a look around the world, I am violently sick to my stomach. To be honest, escaping the world’s path of self-destruction is part of the reason I travel. I want to dig deep and find the last remnants of the world’s culture, before it’s all diseased and gone. Then, I want to escape to the furthest, most remote place on this earth - just to spare myself from the shame and the influence of what humankind has turned our precious planet into.
     When you look at the ‘big picture’ in life, (that many only slow down enough to see once upon their deathbed) you will realize that the ONLY things that are important in life are those you love, the experiences you shared with them, those you’ve had it in your heart to help and potentially the growth of self-discovery. I urge you, NO... I PLEAD YOU to see reason, to quit wasting your time and happiness on the faux shackles keeping you from living your life the way you want to live it. Life is SO DAMN SHORT - for F#%K sake, just do what makes you happy!
     Do you want to lead a different life? Then do something about it! Want to travel? Think it’s too expensive? Well, newsflash - it’s not! Remember this quote by Benjamin Franklin, “You can do anything you set your mind to.” It may sound cliche, but it’s the truth. You may have an ultimate goal, but the path to reaching that goal may not be exactly what you think, and it may not be as glamorous as you imagined, but with enough thought, passion, drive and tenacity, I believe you can accomplish anything! For me personally, my entire family judged me and believed that I would fail at opening a photography studio - fast forward to one year later, I was 20 years old, running a profitable high-end studio that was worth well over six-figures.
     You have a choice - get your head in the game or continue living a dying life of unfulfillment.
(Photo via http://www.onslowcountync.gov/Landfill/)
13 Comments
Ian
12/27/2012 07:31:28 am

As an individual you choose how you see the world. Look for experiences that allow you to see the good in others. I did the kettle thing this year and I can tell you that every shift included someone adult or kid that added to my belief in mankind. Be open to good and you shall find it t

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/27/2012 08:20:52 am

I didn't say everything is bad, Ian. But there's no denying the truths. ;)

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Navy
12/27/2012 10:45:38 am

This seems more a rant against the media rather that a commentary on the state of humanity. I have travelled quite a bit and my philosophy has been to immerse oneself into the culture. In general I find that much if humanity is the same, regardless of geography. And most of it is good. There are unsung heroes. There are living families.

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Navy
12/27/2012 10:50:22 am

Sorry submitted too soon. What I was trying to say is that there are "loving" families. It's the media that highlights the bad, and the ugly side of life. To me the only way to counteract the negative influences if the media is to go out and see the world for oneself. Now, I am not naive and under no illusions about reality. But it's no different than any other time in history is it? Except we now have the ability to see more than we did before, via the filter of the media.

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
1/24/2014 01:22:03 am

Yes, going to view a place for one's self is the only sure fire way to get a real opinion on the environment. The media does highlight the negative versus the positive.

KT
12/28/2012 03:53:59 am

This rant says more about you than it does about the state of the world today.

"Things like the drive for discovery and exploration have been lost, as well as the quest for honor and the respect of morals was apparently been thrown out of the window ages ago." - Really? This was an amazing year for discovery and exploration. Look at the Higgs Boson or the Mars rover Curiosity, just off the top of my head. Here's a list, by month, of how science kicked ass this year: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_in_science. There are a ton of people out there striving to know more about our world and better humanity.

And as for morals and heroes, examples are everywhere. Did you see how people helped each other during Hurricane Sandy? Or any of the many viral responses to people in need? Have you heard about Kiva, Donors Choose, or any of the charities that connect individuals to those they help? Have you seen the people who counter-protest WBC? Or read a story about Bikers Against Child Abuse? (If not, you simply must: http://x.co/rLQw)

And you say no one looks up to great thinkers, but what about Neil DeGrasse Tyson? He was even in Superman, dude. Stephen Colbert is another example - a brilliant, literary, political celebrity. They may seem few and far between, but they're out there.

Sure, the world is shitty sometimes. But it always has been, just as it's been balanced out by the good works of good people. The time you're living in is no worse than previous eras... when women had no rights, when minorities were enslaved, when children and the poor were put in work camps, when one could be killed by the government because of their religion, when there was no clean water, etc. I can't think of an era when morality and human decency were valued more than they are now. What time period, exactly, are you nostalgic for??

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/28/2012 04:07:13 am

KT,

'State of the world' meaning the world as in general, as a whole. I think there's hope and I do believe there are some individuals who are still accomplishing great things, but they aren't celebrated like they used to be.

Concerning "Katrina" and other charities you mentioned - again, I'm speaking in general. When a massive catastrophe happens, there is always help. That's a great thing. However when it's comes down to the smaller things in life. Most (again, generalizing) of the population acts oblivious.

Take this experiment. Talk to 1000 random people around the US and ask them which one they've heard of most. You will see my points. I'm not saying that all great people are ignored by everyone, but when you look at the majority - it's a sad world in that respect.

The previous eras weren't on the rapid verge of destroying the earth like we are now - due to in majority by our 'improvements' and 'advancements' from just the last 3-4 decades.

Also, I didn't say one certain era was immensely better than present day, but some aspects definitely are. I spoke of nostalgia of times like the mid 1800's to 1900's for example; when morals and decency were were prideful and defining characteristics.

Reply
KT
12/28/2012 07:00:44 am

In the 1800's and early 1900's: Minorities and women were not considered equal citizens - it was okay to enslave, beat, and rape them. Poor people were put in work houses. There were many extremely bloody wars. Entire populations of people were exterminated. Religious persecution was common. Human rights abuses were rampant. The Japanese were put in internment camps. Black people were given diseases on purpose, just to study them. Poor and minority women were made infertile against their will. Lynchings were more common then than school shootings are now, and they were considered just as impossible to prevent. That is not moral and decent. They just had different standards for who counted as a 'person'.

Culturally, more people were at a disadvantage. Many people couldn't read or write. For a long time, girls and minorities did not attend school. Access to knowledge and art were limited to those with money and status. Do people seem to be getting stupider over time? Sure. But I guarantee you, someone of every single generation ever has said that. We speak fewer words now, less people read, that's depressing. But more people know how to work with technology, so perhaps it balances out.

And I'd like to point out that you say you were talking about the "world as a whole" but your post was very specific to American culture or Western culture. You said nothing so general that it could be applied to the entire world. Your view seems very narrow for a world traveler.

Brandon Elijah Scott link
12/28/2012 12:22:43 pm

Thank you for your opinion and the useful information. Please remember that I was simply sharing my opinion of some aspects of the world - which, yes, was focused more on western societies.

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Carrie link
12/29/2012 07:22:34 am

I can understand what you're saying and I have to agree with you! For me, the pace of life has increased so much I find that I have less and less time to enjoy the simple things and people around me. I have become so focused on trying to survive each day without completely stressing out, I forget that there are other people around me. I mean, real people, whom I've come to see as obstacles that get in my way. And for what? So that I can get to work 5 minutes earlier? I grew up during the 70s and 80s, and lately I've missed the simpler and slower pace of life.

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Brandon Elijah Scott link
1/24/2014 01:27:13 am

Life passes so fast!. It's like you blink and two years goes by. There is a song that is a little reggae but it's an awesome and very powerful song. You can youtube it. The band is called Soja and the song is called "Everything changes" Such a good song. I encourage you to have a listen. There is another one I like too. Same band but the name of the song is "Strength to survive". Let me know what you think! :)

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antony beswick link
1/6/2013 06:22:25 am

excellent site.

Reply
Brandon Elijah Scott link
1/24/2014 01:28:04 am

Thank you! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and say hi. :)

Reply



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