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There’s been evidence that pollution is reducing. Shouldn’t we take a step back and be objective? If this shows how we are trashing the planet then what good are humans to the planet? It’s an honest question. And isn’t social distancing nice for a change? Or for those that don’t go to a job now. Isn’t that nice? All I’m saying is why don’t we take a step back and look at the big picture?
What is so great about going out into civilization anyways? Even before this happened, most people were just on their phones anyways. Do you really miss the packed subways and the endless traffic? Didn’t that get old? I feel like we were living in The Matrix. What’s so great about that life?
Just please hear me out. Most people do not interact anymore outside the house. It’s a different time. And do you really need to go to concerts anymore? Or to basketball games? The best seat in the house is your living room and you can watch on a high def tv.
You have to look at the future and be honest. Self driving cars are coming. You think now jobs are becoming automated well what about 5, 10, or 15 years from now? Most jobs are not needed and money doesn’t exist in the way we think it does. It’s just a system. A flawed one and in the future we’ll have to come up with a better and more practical one. And this pandemic can occur again. We have to stop living in The Matrix. We are beginning to see things for what they are.
The world is quieter, more tranquil and peaceful. We don’t need the hectic lifestyle anymore. You just think you do. That’s the past. The world doesn’t need tons of people going to work and polluting the airs. You see how many people can work from home. Schools don’t need to reopen, we have the internet which is better. We don’t need people traveling to go on business trips. Use Zoom. In a few years we will think that going on a business trip is unthinkable and unnecessary. We won’t even have to travel for vacations due to Virtual reality. Oh yes.
In a few years, malls and movie theatres will be far and few between. They really aren’t needed. Many types of businesses are going to close. Remember before Facebook and smartphones? Life became different after and people adjusted and started to care more about likes than real life. And now with this pandemic we are entering a new way of life just like we did with smart phones and social media. And social media will become virtual so it feels like we are in the same room with other people.
Let me ask you. What is so great about socializing too closely and going out? Stay home is the new motto. It used to be stay drug free and don’t smoke. Now it’s stay home. Like you’ve heard, this is our new normal.
The effects of the pandemic are temporary at best. People are already screaming to get back to "normal" and its only lasted about 3 months. What makes you think any of the transitory impacts from business shut-downs/social distancing/isolation are going to persist long enough to really change the conditions on the planet? It took decades to over 100 years to create many of the environmental problems the earth faces and it will take more than a few months to undo them. I suspect there will be a backlash by many populations...they're going to ramp up everything they missed doing for that 3 month period and cancel out any benefits. Unless countries decide to make some major long term changes in how they operate their economies I doubt anything will be very lasting. Now if a pandemic actually cut the total human population in half, that might make a dent.
I did look at the big picture and the only part I agree with is that social distancing is nice. Humans are generally sociable. Nobody "needs" to go to concerts for sporting events, just like nobody "needs" friends, but I do believe it's a very nice option to have. If people stay home all the time, less gets done. Most workers cannot work from home. Teaching kids through the internet full time is a terrible idea. Things will get back to the way they were before the virus, which I think is a good thing.
The effects of the pandemic are temporary at best. People are already screaming to get back to "normal" and its only lasted about 3 months. What makes you think any of the transitory impacts from business shut-downs/social distancing/isolation are going to persist long enough to really change the conditions on the planet? It took decades to over 100 years to create many of the environmental problems the earth faces and it will take more than a few months to undo them. I suspect there will be a backlash by many populations...they're going to ramp up everything they missed doing for that 3 month period and cancel out any benefits. Unless countries decide to make some major long term changes in how they operate their economies I doubt anything will be very lasting. Now if a pandemic actually cut the total human population in half, that might make a dent.
So you’re saying since the Earth is polluted might as well just keep doing it? Isn’t the planet more important than people?
[quote=Einhander;57894277]There’s been evidence that pollution is reducing. Shouldn’t we take a step back and be objective? If this shows how we are trashing the planet then what good are humans to the planet? It’s an honest question. And isn’t social distancing nice for a change? Or for those that don’t go to a job now. Isn’t that nice? All I’m saying is why don’t we take a step back and look at the big picture?
What is so great about going out into civilization anyways? Even before this happened, most people were just on their phones anyways. Do you really miss the packed subways and the endless traffic? Didn’t that get old? I feel like we were living in The Matrix. What’s so great about that life?
Your post made me think of a cool special that was on The National Geographic Channel a few years ago.
I'm pretty sure it was called Life After People. A lot of engineers were interviewed and they explained
how people keep things going. For instance, a tall building could easily get struck by lightening causing a fire, no one to put the fire out. Subways would get flooded. Bridges would collapse from lack of maintenance,
overgrowth of weeds, grass. Wild animals on the loose. It painted a pretty scary picture if there were only a few humans left. But they did say the oceans would thrive due to lack of fishing.
The poor rats are having a hard time finding food now! I don't like pollution and wish people would be
more considerate. There are news stories about an increase in divorce filings - too much forced alone time,
I guess. I'm wondering if domestic violence calls are on the rise now as well. I wouldn't miss a terrible commute, but many people are chomping at the bit to return to work. For many, it's an economic necessity, for
others, it could be for their mental health - they like their jobs, hate being home.
I'm introverted by nature and not a big people person. But I miss having the choice to just go out and
do something if I feel like it. When this ends, I have the urge to go to the country or visit another
national park. Not to be with people so much but to enjoy nature and fresh air. (I live in an apt building -
urban environment).
I am more introverted than I ever imagined. I love not having to go socialize. I live in a rural location. My house is big enough that the four residents never have to be on top of each other. We have miles and miles of trails and a creek behind our house to explore for exercise.
But I can see other are suffering. Every time I go outside my very neighbors show up to chit chat. Customers call into the office and they want to talk... I hate being on the phone longer than I need to be..
I love less vehicles on the road. I don’t see a difference pollution wise but living in the country, we don’t see the effects of pollution like those in urban areas.
There’s been evidence that pollution is reducing. Shouldn’t we take a step back and be objective? If this shows how we are trashing the planet then what good are humans to the planet? It’s an honest question. And isn’t social distancing nice for a change? Or for those that don’t go to a job now. Isn’t that nice? All I’m saying is why don’t we take a step back and look at the big picture?
What is so great about going out into civilization anyways? Even before this happened, most people were just on their phones anyways. Do you really miss the packed subways and the endless traffic? Didn’t that get old? I feel like we were living in The Matrix. What’s so great about that life?
Just please hear me out. Most people do not interact anymore outside the house. It’s a different time. And do you really need to go to concerts anymore? Or to basketball games? The best seat in the house is your living room and you can watch on a high def tv.
You have to look at the future and be honest. Self driving cars are coming. You think now jobs are becoming automated well what about 5, 10, or 15 years from now? Most jobs are not needed and money doesn’t exist in the way we think it does. It’s just a system. A flawed one and in the future we’ll have to come up with a better and more practical one. And this pandemic can occur again. We have to stop living in The Matrix. We are beginning to see things for what they are.
The world is quieter, more tranquil and peaceful. We don’t need the hectic lifestyle anymore. You just think you do. That’s the past. The world doesn’t need tons of people going to work and polluting the airs. You see how many people can work from home. Schools don’t need to reopen, we have the internet which is better. We don’t need people traveling to go on business trips. Use Zoom. In a few years we will think that going on a business trip is unthinkable and unnecessary. We won’t even have to travel for vacations due to Virtual reality. Oh yes.
In a few years, malls and movie theatres will be far and few between. They really aren’t needed. Many types of businesses are going to close. Remember before Facebook and smartphones? Life became different after and people adjusted and started to care more about likes than real life. And now with this pandemic we are entering a new way of life just like we did with smart phones and social media. And social media will become virtual so it feels like we are in the same room with other people.
Let me ask you. What is so great about socializing too closely and going out? Stay home is the new motto. It used to be stay drug free and don’t smoke. Now it’s stay home. Like you’ve heard, this is our new normal.
1) There really is no 'good' or 'bad' for 'the planet'. Both good and bad are human constructs. The planet is simply a chunk of iron/oxygen/silicon/magnesium/trace elements. The Earth is no 'better off' having a biosphere than Mercury or the rest of the planets are 'better off' for not having one.
2) As with the planet, the things are neither good nor bad for the biosphere. They just are. The great evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr estimated that roughly 50 billion species have existed since life began on Earth. Now, there are somewhere less than 10 million - more than 4999 out of every 5000 that have ever lived are gone. That is neither good nor bad - it is just a result of evolution and natural selection.
3) All the good and bad notions of 'caring for the Earth' are constructs of human interest, either practical or aesthetic. That doesn't mean we should not have them. But beyond us, it does not matter. Except to other species. And like us, they are all self-interested.
4) If you really want to measure 'good for the planet' by a metric of, say, biodiversity, it should be noted that while every extinction event in Earth's history has resulted in a short-term crash in biodiversity, it has also resulted in a long-term increase in biodiversity. The vast opening of biological niches allows those niches to be filled not only by sister species of those species rendered extinct (by an asteroid, outgassing, climate change ... or another species run amok) as well as by other species that were previously completely unable to penetrate this niches. Thus, mass extinctions are ultimately drivers of biodiversity. Again, this is neither good nor bad but merely a dynamic of life.
PS - The last part of your post is just complaining about how much 'the world these days sucks'. And people have been doing that, while idolizing 'the world of a generation or two ago' for as long as there has been writing for people to record their thoughts (and probably before - we just can't know about it).
Some 'One' or some 'Thing' PUT Mankind (and 'LIFE' in general) here on this planet.
Why ?
Was it 'Just because it (or they) Could' ?
There must be a reason, and along with that reason are all the OTHER reasons why we are subjected to ALL the good AND bad things, which constitute LIFE, here on Earth.
I ask the bigger questions too, but am no more closer to the answers than anyone-else...
...but I instictively KNOW there HAS to be 'more than this'...
We won’t even have to travel for vacations due to Virtual reality. Oh yes.
I'm such an introvert, and I could easily see myself being pretty happy as a recluse, because I have very little interest in actually being around other people. I agree with some of your thoughts, not so much with others. But virtual vacations? Not unless they come up with a way to include smell, taste, and full body sensation.
Going to the beach involves the feel of hot sand between your toes, the tang of salt on your lips, the smell of suntan lotion and fish and maybe rotting seaweed. Looking at a centuries old painting on a computer screen is vastly different than seeing it up close and personal. A week of immersing yourself in local food and culture in a strange city or country can't be replicated with technology.
Internet and virtual reality are great and can substitute for an awful lot of things, but some things still need to be experienced.
The effects of the pandemic are temporary at best. People are already screaming to get back to "normal" and its only lasted about 3 months. What makes you think any of the transitory impacts from business shut-downs/social distancing/isolation are going to persist long enough to really change the conditions on the planet? It took decades to over 100 years to create many of the environmental problems the earth faces and it will take more than a few months to undo them. I suspect there will be a backlash by many populations...they're going to ramp up everything they missed doing for that 3 month period and cancel out any benefits. Unless countries decide to make some major long term changes in how they operate their economies I doubt anything will be very lasting. Now if a pandemic actually cut the total human population in half, that might make a dent.
I don't think it will necessarily change conditions of the planet, but many small businesses have already taken such a big hit that they will not be coming back. Same with many of the big box stores (apparently this may be the final nail in the coffin for Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond, and others); so at least in the intermediate-term, there will probably be a reduction in the crowds/etc seen from malls, restaurants, etc. at least for a little while. Sports and concerts (and maybe even restaurants) likely won't look the same until there is a vaccine (a year or more). It won't change the conditions of the planet in a large sense, but it will lead to some of the things the OP mentioned.
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I don't like pollution and wish people would be
When this ends, I have the urge to go to the country or visit another
