Why don't we do something about it?

Question

I asked the question a little while ago of 'what would the future think of us?' We llok back and find the way that they did thing to be stupid, unhealthy and nearsighted.

The tone of the answers that I got was that the future would see us as we see the past, nearsighted, stupid and barbarick.

So my question is, If we are in the very special position to know how the future will regard us, Why don't we do something to change it now?

Why don't we try to make look of our history better than what it would if left to itself?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi Arthur.

Here is a question for you. What would you like "us" to do? It is funny, because if you look back in the past, you see lots of "movements" that had they succeeded would have created a very different world (and not for the better)

for example 30 years ago the big idea about the environment was global cooling. And many people were running around yellig we need more greenhouse gases. Today you hear the opposite. Which is true? I'm not sure, how about you?

How about the rise of fascism in the 1930's. At the time it seemed like a good idea. Europe was the envy of the world (germany, italy, and spain) because they had 97% employment and the trains ran on time.

The idea that the JEWS were the biggest problem in europe led to the holocaust. Yet when it started many people agreed, that the JEWS were the problem, and no one wanted to help them. (A really good example is the boat full of jews kicked out of germany that sailed to cuba for safety to be rejected, who were rejected in the US, and had to sail back to germany so they could go into the Death Camps.)

At the time though, no one said anything. why? Because they believed it was ok.

How about slavery. For 300 years of "enlightened christian leadership" in America, it was ok. The people of the times had no problems with it. But change happens on it's own, and people came to realize that it was bad, and then it eventually stopped.

So what do you want to change? Will it make a difference? What are the unintended consequences of that change?

You see, change happens whether we want it to or not, but people will always look back at previous generations, society's and think, we are so much better than that.

Answer 2

Because unfortunately many of the people in positions of power won't admit their mistakes & will refuse to change.

For the rest of us, we can only do so much to change the world.

I'm feeling a little bleak at present & starting to doubt my power to effect any change even within my own life. I've been trying to be positive but it's an uphill battle & everything is just getting me down. I can only take so much disappointment...

Answer 3

Its hard enough to do things for the good of humanity, let alone doing them to make people from the future like our image. This question is like asking what color interior should we use for a car in a demolishon derby.

Answer 4

I personally don't think less of the past than where we are now.
We are growing, if we don't respect the past how do we intend on making the correct foot forward.
We learn from our mistakes. (well we can hope too).

Look at the good in what we have achieved -
Look at the mistakes. It is part and parcel of our existence.

Answer 5

Because we have learned from the history that we have learned nothing from it. So the future will be as it should be, the result of its past and its history.

Answer 6

present and future generations learn to change and progress from the mistakes made by those in the past

Answer 7

because it easier said then done and Who to say if we try and changed it that the future wouldn't still thing what we did was stupid or unhealthy.

Answer 8

its true tho. the future generations will not care about the past, just as we dont. its irrelevent to the here and now

Answer 9

I also think that we should ask ourselves, Why don't " I " doing something about it ? Because if we are not part of the solution then we are part of the problem too.