I'm an old fart and any global disaster or great renaissance of human values , should either occur, will probably not occur in my lifetime. They will, however, occur in my daughters or grand children and, within a few years, in the lifetime of my great grand children. At this point in my life that's where my concern lies; my own future well being is no longer the chief issue.
The quagmire that the bulk of the world's people are currently slogging through will not improve without serious intervention, it will in fact, become much, much worse.
The rest beyond the swirly thingy....
At the current rate of population increase the world population will approach 16 billion before this century ends - almost 2 and 1/2 times the number of mouths to feed, clean water to grow their food and quench their thirst, shelter, health care and energy all demanding what we can't even provide today at 7 billion. Put the consequences of Global Warming on top of that to make things even more tenuous. Short of some truly remarkable developments in science and technology the future doesn't appear to be a bright shiny utopia, but rather, one of crushing human despair. All except for the thin layer of the population at the top of the economic food chain in their gated and guarded enclaves.
To maintain any semblance of order among the wretched bulk of humanity under those conditions will require totalitarian governments with historic levels of control over a population with little left to lose. Draconian measures of population control, of food, water and energy rationing, intense and intrusive surveillance, misinformation and propaganda on all the public media and any other devices needed to control an angry, abused population.
Throw in religious demagoguery, nationalism, racial and cultural hatreds and enemies “generated” out of whole cloth to distract the people from seeing the real villains – the ones that place themselves far above the “huddled masses” and immune to the laws that put a boot on the neck of the common herd. We will began to see George Orwell to be a starry eyed optimist.
Human beings seem to have an amazing tolerance to abuse from the governing powers. I'm curious just how far that tolerance can be stretched and finally break - creating a shit storm of righteous civil unrest and rebellion. And when that storm subsides what will arise in the wake of the destruction?
IMHO, I believe that the sooner that the tolerance snaps the better for all. Better that it occur soon before the litany of human misery becomes worse than wait with some dim hope that enlightened, human centered leadership will grow from the corrupt, incompetent, bought and paid for sock puppets currently disgracing the office of trust granted to them.
Our options for change become more limited every year the current system survives. The contract between the governed and the governors, the Constitution, is under attack by those of wealth, unearned privilege and naked greed every hour of the day.
Tolerance is a virtue that is foolish to follow in light of the conditions in which we find ourselves – screw the 1%; the rest of us deserve a future without undo pain and suffering.
As H.L. Mencken put so succinctly, “Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin to slit throats. “
I'm a wood carver – my knives always have a keen edge
End of old fart rant – now get off my fucking lawn.