Why are people constantly trying to save every person on the planet?

Question

It may sound heartless (I feel bad saying it myself) but if we in fact did save everyone from AIDS, starvation, ect, people would feel good about it for a little bit, but the long term consequences could be severe. The population would sky rocket and that could be a little problem.

That's what I'm sort of thinking, I'm pretty faulty about it, that view of 'Save the people!' is dominate over the optimistic side. I think of it as nature's population control, people will die, it's fact. Give me three fantastic reasons to make me feel otherwise, but I'm wondering why people aren't taking the long-term consequences into affect when they try to save a nation.

Answer 1

One simple answer: Empathy

Answer 2

I think it is human nature to try and preserve life in the whole.

Despite the wars where we kill in the name of self protection or self gain I think generally people take pity upon those suffering and try to relieve their guilt by doing the save the "?" thing.

Nations like Australia seem t have always been at the front of generosity in helping others less fortunate. I think it is a good thing in many ways.
But often futile where those requiring help and receiving it do little to help themselves, or make changes once the crisis is averted,

Indonesia is a classicle example of a country that has received aid to assist it get better drainage and sanitation in poor areas.
The Biafran fiasco! was sent grain and tractors only to wreck the land further and cause greater problems for the inhabitants

Quite often I think if they were left alone then they might seek an answer to their own problems without aid. Sure many would die, but the survivors are the strong and will make the changes to prevent the reoccurance. First aid is no aid!= survival of the fittest and continuity of the specie

Answer 3

Save the planet! That is such a great sounding mission that it is a shame that it is nothing more than an empty saying. This is an undertaking that is unachievable and can have no possible clear-cut plan, so that anybody who takes this mission on can do practically anything and call it work. That way, they never have to finish, or get pretty close, or even really show any visible progress. If you want to save something, pick something that *can* be saved.

Answer 4

Sure it's easy to have the opinion that it's okay for people to die for a little population control, when you're healthy and well-fed and sitting at your computer. As long as it's not YOU and YOUR loved ones, then everything's okay in the world. As long as it's poor non-whites in Africa and Asia, who cares?

Do you honestly think that your life is more precious than theirs?

It is possible to feed and take care of more people in the world, but people like you, who live in first-world countries which use up the vast majority of the world's resources don't want to give up any of their current lifestyle to do it.

If we don't save people from starvation and AIDS, why stop there? I notice you didn't mention things like heart disease and cancer as being useful to control population. Maybe it's because unlike the aids and starvation, they aren't associated with poor or nonwhite people in other countries.

Answer 5

An interesting question. I think most healthy human being deplore seeing pain and suffering of others (although with the popularity of the "Saw" movie series, which I refuse to watch, I could be wrong) and want to help. On the one hand I believe that when we act to take up for those who are defenseless we are not only trying to save them but preserve our own humanity. Looking away is callousness. Unfortunately, I think often our attempts to help get messed up with issues of power, control and self interest. My view is that as far as this country goes we need to concentrate on addressing some of the pain and suffering in our own backyard. When we can't even clean up New Orleans, we look pretty stupid in the eyes of the rest of the world trying to fix Iraq.

Answer 6

Don't take the pain about the population control of the world honey, that is the work of nature and it is doing it very effectively. When you try to save someone and help him improve his living conditions it is not just for himslef but also for your own satisfaction. Because you feel more satisfied and contented and you have this feeling that at least you are helping someone not hurting.

Answer 7

I like a more optimistic approach. For every one life that is saved, all the hard work to do that was worth it. You never know the value of life until it has an opportunity to bloom.

Answer 8

If you were in pain, hungry, etc. you would want help---regardless of the longterm consequences......Let me give you a Christian perspective on it....God told us to help our neighbors. His plan will be fulfilled, no matter what happens. We should simply help everyone out as best we can and not worry about over-population or anything else crazy like that.

Answer 9

its always good to take care of the human life for which you never know the life you save may be your own, a sister, parents, brothers or any relative that you care about or you save someone who will someday invent something that you will need for your existence in the future, so i look at it this way always respect life for it is the only one we got!

Answer 10

I'm not! That would be a lesson in futility!
Wanting to see better changes and doing YOUR OWN part is enough. It's all you can do.