The great tragedy of human history is that some people do things and other people don't do things. Much as you might loathe murderers, rapists, fraudsters and warmongers, you have to respect the fact that they did things. It is said that some of them may even have left the house, something many have never done. I rarely do anything, and I am not sure if this is positive or not. Working on the premise that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, I'm hoping that the road to heaven is paved with bad intentions. Even though my heart is filled with hatred and malice, I never actually do anything about it. This is good. On the other hand, I could definitely do more to help the poor and the needy, perhaps by encouraging them to express themselves through poetry.
2006-11-17 07:18:34 · 10 answers · asked by rabbit0102030 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
The great tragedy of human history is that the mistakes in history are repeated...
2006-11-17 20:57:49 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
interesting.
i think the tragedy of human history is our separation and alienation from our origins, and specifically our creator. encased in these material sleeves of flesh, which need things, feel pain and have fear, we are practically doomed to be selfish, which in my opinion is the true root of all evil. we can barely learn enough about each other, let alone our past and our maker/source of origin...
it is amazing that we have ever acheived enough enlightened self-interest to cooperate in anything rather than compete for everything. it is only through complete acceptance and cooperation that we will overcome the tragedy and perhaps come to know our better nature.
in the past, many have thought that this could only be acheived through the exercise of power, (napoleon and the continental system) or through the homogenization of ethnicity and culture (hitler, khmer rouge, modern serbia and genocide). even today, hegemony of one power over others is the favored mechanism for peace. unfortunately, hegemony is splintered. the us commands vast military and political power, but the greatest economic powers are in asia now. and christianity and islam vie for religous hegemony over our souls. what will bring security, prosperity and spirituality into peaceful harmony? can it even be done? God knows.
incidentally, the aphorism that the road to hell is paved with good intentions is a caution against situational ethics, utilitarianism, and "the ends justify the means" kinds of thinking. it argues in favor of following moral rules established over time, as opposed to doing wrong (such as lying, for instance) to acheive what we perceive to be a good purpose. your hope that the converse statement is true (ie the road to heaven is paved with bad intentions) is therefore flawed. the road to heaven is paved with good actions and good deeds, that spring from a moral code.
2006-11-17 07:29:53 · answer #2 · answered by Paul S 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
to three degree I agree. the mind-blowing tragedy is to waste now. it really is tragic that tens of millions of people born right into a age of wonderful freedom & wealth who imagine themselves imprisoned and negative. Tragedy isn't failure interior the face of impossibility, yet to have myriad opportunities and shortage the want to snatch them. The word "the line to hell is paved with good intentions" signifies that the want for positive substitute in no way implies one has the intellegence to create it." E.g. questioning that what the negative really want is poetry lessions. there is not any communicate implication that "the line to heaven is paved with undesirable intentions" purely possibly the suggestion that an evil guy ought to land up doing good through twist of destiny.
2016-10-16 09:21:46 · answer #3 · answered by Erika 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The great tragedy of human history is that we came down out of the trees. Everything else followed as a natural consequence and everything that happened subsequently is, as they say, history.
2006-11-17 07:24:36 · answer #4 · answered by Seeker 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The greatest human tragedy is perhaps the fact that half the world has the ability to feed, clothe, heal, educate and provide shelter for the other half... but chooses not to.
2006-11-17 07:33:22 · answer #5 · answered by Feathery 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
dude, if you heart is filled with hatred & malice,why do you want to help the poor & needy?
i feel that you really need to let the hatred go & see what you can replace it with, & pretty quickly..hatred only hurts you in the long run...pls try to heal this pain
2006-11-17 07:22:55 · answer #6 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
And the question is?
The real tradegy was that we lost 6 million Jews in WWII..
That Hitler should have never been born.
That the Nazi Party in Germany should have never gained aceptance.
That's the real tradegy. I am German-American. I hate this part of my history.
2006-11-17 07:21:45 · answer #7 · answered by angelikabertrand64 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Jalianwala Bagh Massacre.....in Indian history i have known.....
2006-11-17 07:28:28 · answer #8 · answered by friend4u730 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Holocaust.
2006-11-17 07:21:27 · answer #9 · answered by Hamish 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Alienation from God, beginning with Adam and all who followed....
2006-11-17 12:03:04 · answer #10 · answered by John D 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋