Quote Originally Posted by delusionsofNORMALity
well Lmom, at least humanity has your vote. however, your optimism is, i fear, sorely misplaced.

those great intellects you put such faith in are more concerned with control than solutions. billions are spent to support those efforts and those billions are coming from the very people who profit most from the suffering. any answers they may find only serve to strengthen the few. each new discovery is patented, cataloged and passed on to the masses for a price.

yes, a quantum leap. that's what it would take, but where have civilization's leaps and bounds taken us to date? rome, with its violent conquest of the known world and its eventual spiral into oblivion? jerusalem, supposed birthplace of the religion of peace and its eventual degradation into just another means to control the masses? perhaps we should look to los alamos, home to one of the greatest "leaps" of the modern age and we all know what was born there. our leaps all seem to be in the same direction, straight toward the edge of the cliff.

ah, communication. the free exchange of ideas should allow us to solve a few of our many problems, but have you noticed what kind of information we are spreading. everything is for sale, hatred is rampant, misinformation passes for truth, and behind it all we are watched. the cutting edge of society is more concerned with porn than any ivory tower ideals, predator and prey play merrily in an electronic landscape filled with mankind's petty conceits.

i know, i know, i'm just a cynical little man hiding under the ice, but i am also a realist. i opted out decades ago and i've been watching too, studying the players as well as the game. when a true visionary pops up he is quickly crushed, nothing upsets the status quo. power is accrued by the powerful and then used to destroy those too weak or slow to get out of the way. violence and cruelty are our past, present and future.
It's funny how the cynical always claim to be realists. To me you sound defeated and sad. Nihilism in isolation can also be considered cowardice, or "nausea," or bitterness, or simply a symptom of depression. Where you are feels safe for you. Fortunately, there will still be some of us willing to raise the children and encourage them to have dreams. I hope something happens in your life to make you have them again too.