Riffing off @denmarkguy's post about misplaced interest and value, I thought I'd take @lexiconical's advice and turn my comment into a post, hopefully contributing to what I see as an important topic:
Will humanity ever figure it's shit out?
We're at a point where we have more knowledge, communication, and technological capabilities than ever before. Yet at the same time we continue on a self destructive path, we destroy the environment, waste food, kill each other, and waste away, distracting ourselves from it all with whatever mindless entertainment we can find.
People are terrified of facing themselves. They dread even a moment of aloneness. Thus the constant frantic activities: the endless socializing, talking, texting, reading, music playing, working, traveling, sightseeing, shopping, overeating, gambling, movie-going, pill-taking, drug-using, and cocktail-partying. Many of the foregoing mechanisms of escape are faulty, stressful, and ineffective.”
-David R. Hawkins, Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender
I've struggled with this fact in the past, and I know I've contributed to it, I've never really done anything to help the state of things and tried to find escapes. It's not that I didn't and don't want to turn things around, it's that I couldn't see how to in the current system, and I think there are a lot of people in the same spot.
How did we get here, why are we in this funk?
Basically I think it comes down to this: We've been force fed conditioning since we were born.
Every tv show, classroom lecture, belief system, history lesson, pop song, commercial, sermon, and social interaction has contributed to us being in this state. We've been tuning into "tonight's program" all our lives and picked up some programming.
It's no surprise people are obsessed with absolutely worthless things. It's no surprise that we don't know how to act and make change in our lives. We've always been told how things are.
The bad guys have been winning. They've making, or stealing, all the money, getting away with murder on a mass scale, finding themselves in positions of power, and all they've dumbed us down. We've been put in a weakened mental, physical, and spiritual state. By our constrictive school system, terrible diets, mindless entertainment, and chemical laden products. By the very people we trust, the "authority," the people who write the news and the history. It's disgusting.
But there are two major things I see happening that I think can help us overcome this: A subtle spiritual revolution I see happening on a larger and larger scale, and the less subtle advancements in technology we're seeing come to fruition. These two things combined could very well alter the course of humanity, righting the ship!
Spiritual Uprising
I don't know if you've noticed it in your own life, but lately I see more and more people taking up some kind of spiritual practice. Things like yoga, mindfulness, presence, shamanic retreats, meditation, travel, and people pursuing their passion seem to be increasing daily. These things are almost becoming popular due to their inherent value to people.
But is it enough to change the course we've already set? Can the small actions of others to connect to their true selves be enough to overcome our problems? I think so and this Hawkins might help in understanding this:
"When we heal something in ourselves, we heal it for the world."
-David R. Hawkins
Every change we make for the better in ourselves, helps everyone around us. Gandhi has that saying:
Be the change you want to see in the world.
To me, this is the answer. All any of us can do is be the change, right our own ship in order to help those around us. So instead of thinking that you are the sum of the 5 people around you, flip that idea on it's head. Become an influence for good to your sphere of people. The more we be the change, the faster positive change will occur.
Blockchain and New Tech
As most of you know since you're on steemit, blockchain has the capability to bring back the power to people. It's a technology that can never be fully controlled by a central authority. It can bring us privacy, it can enable free expression, and it can help us create positive change from a distance, helping people in different countries, people who really need help and haven't had the avenues to get it. It is a major step in the right direction for the rights of the people.
Being a part of the steemit community and witnessing the advancements of blockchain has really helped give me hope for humanity. I see so many amazing people working to make change happen. People are enriching lives, advancing technology to help people, raising money and awareness for good causes, and just being amazing people expressing themselves.
Even with all the uncertainty, it's an exciting time to be alive. What do you think, can we turn things around and live up to our potential?