How to make the world a better place?

[Barker 1408]

Ive always love the thought of helping others and giving back< so what do you think are some good ways to do that?? or what do you do?? big, small, in everyday life, once a month? Please feel free to share your ideas and stories :)

Edited April 12, 2013 by Quyneax
Improved readability :)

[Estonian dude]

To start off, I'm gonna say something that I know will attract criticism, but I think it is true: get rid of about 5 billion people on this planet. Thereis way too much of us. And that would improve living conditions to practically everybody except thr uberrich. Cause when you think about it, that means more all natural resources per person.

 

Other thing, I'd destroy absolutely every single firearm that is not used for sports or hunting and is in civilian use. Would get rid of a lot of trouble. Also control manufacturing of every single gun on this planet.

But I know my thoughts are just an utopia.

[nine naked men]

hat

[Ginger_Warrior]

I think the point of the thread was more aimed at helping out at your local community centre, you know, that sort of thing.

 

In other words, not mass genocide.

[Alg]

In other words, not mass genocide.

But it's so much fun, as long as you're the one who decides who lives and who dies.

 

I don't suppose "not being an [wagon]" counts? I try to be a good person. Politeness, helpfulness, not antagonizing people, that sort of thing.

[Giordano]

To start off, I'm gonna say something that I know will attract criticism, but I think it is true: get rid of about 5 billion people on this planet. Thereis way too much of us. And that would improve living conditions to practically everybody except thr uberrich. Cause when you think about it, that means more all natural resources per person.

 

Other thing, I'd destroy absolutely every single firearm that is not used for sports or hunting and is in civilian use. Would get rid of a lot of trouble. Also control manufacturing of every single gun on this planet.

But I know my thoughts are just an utopia.

What bluntless. You're anti-gun because presumably you're not a violent individual but then you want mass genocide?

 

Why not improve the efficiency of everything on the planet (e.g. Zimbawbe's farm on the production scale of a USA farm) so we can keep the 7 billion people?

[muggiwhplar]

Big topic, and I'm on my phone so I'll be concise. If this thread gets taken seriously I'll elaborate later when I'm at home. But in a nutshell:

 

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Pursue self-improvement

Accept responsibility for everything that happens in your life, for better or for worse

Be grateful for everything

Drop your attachments to everything

 

You don't have to be a spiritual leader like MLK or Gandhi to make the world a better place. Your INTENT is what matters in addition to your actions. The only difference between Hitler and the man next door who comes home and beats his kids every day is circumstance. The intent is the same-- to harm others. They're still making the world worse, just on a different scale because of circumstance. Similarly, if you're a "good" person who is kind, understanding, and nonjudgmental, you're doing a great service to the world; even if it's only one person at a time.

[Hedgehog]

To start off, I'm gonna say something that I know will attract criticism, but I think it is true: get rid of about 5 billion people on this planet. Thereis way too much of us. And that would improve living conditions to practically everybody except thr uberrich. Cause when you think about it, that means more all natural resources per person.

 

Other thing, I'd destroy absolutely every single firearm that is not used for sports or hunting and is in civilian use. Would get rid of a lot of trouble. Also control manufacturing of every single gun on this planet.

But I know my thoughts are just an utopia.

What bluntless. You're anti-gun because presumably you're not a violent individual but then you want mass genocide?

 

Why not improve the efficiency of everything on the planet (e.g. Zimbawbe's farm on the production scale of a USA farm) so we can keep the 7 billion people?

They can't defend themselves very well if they don't have any guns.

[Alg]

They can't defend themselves very well if they don't have any guns.

We all know that a world where everyone has a longbow instead of a gun would be a much better place.

[muggiwhplar]

They can't defend themselves very well if they don't have any guns.

We all know that a world where everyone has a longbow instead of a gun would be a much better place.

 

Don't be silly. Shortbows have much better DPS. The world wold be a much better place if everyone understood this. :P

[Estonian dude]

Oh god [bleep]ing damn it. I do not want a mass genocide. I just don't wat that too many people were born in the last century.

 

And also, dafuq dudes?

[Alg]

Don't be silly. Shortbows have much better DPS. The world wold be a much better place if everyone understood this. :P

Well played.

[Hedgehog]

They can't defend themselves very well if they don't have any guns.

We all know that a world where everyone has a longbow instead of a gun would be a much better place.

 

Don't be silly. Shortbows have much better DPS. The world wold be a much better place if everyone understood this. :P

Longbows don't even exist anymore :P

[RpgGamer]

Be chill

Don't be unchill

[Z_Berenice]

Oh god [bleep]ing damn it. I do not want a mass genocide. I just don't wat that too many people were born in the last century.

 

And also, dafuq dudes?

But there's already that many people on the planet, they aren't going to just pop out of existence. So you want to disarm people to perpretate a genocide?

 

lol

 

On a serious note, genocide and disarment aren't a good combination... No offense but I wouldn't want someone like you anywhere close to me.

[Guest Rob]

SaqPrets has a point - a planet with a population of seven billion and growing is pretty difficult to sustain. We wouldn't have to kill 80% of the humans on this planet, either - if we could get 85% to have no kids and the other 15% to only have one kid, then we could achieve a drastically lowered population over just a few generations. Then we'd somehow make everyone get along really well and then hey, we'd have our Utopia.

 

(I think I remember reading a book by Aldous Huxley that goes a bit like this)

 

Then again, if we could just get people to stop being more wasteful and make better use of out natural resources, then a population of seven billion might be sustainable. Especially if one day we can colonize other planets.

 

Anyways - as for helping to make the world a better place, treating others well is a really really good place to start. It's obvious, too, but it's overlooked so often. I think people sometimes just forget that this doesn't only mean to treat people that they know (Friends, family) well, but strangers and people that they might not get along with, too. One piece of advice that I heard recently went something like "Treat everyone you see with the same kindness that you would treat them with if they had a day left to live". I've been doing my best to follow it, and it feels really good so far. Even if you don't want to go do a favor for someone, I think that just pocketing insults/sarcasm, giving compliments, and just being generally friendly can go a long, long way.

[Hedgehog]

SaqPrets has a point - a planet with a population of seven billion and growing is pretty difficult to sustain. We wouldn't have to kill 80% of the humans on this planet, either - if we could get 85% to have no kids and the other 15% to only have one kid, then we could achieve a drastically lowered population over just a few generations. Then we'd somehow make everyone get along really well and then hey, we'd have our Utopia.

The problem with that is that in 50 or 60 years we would have a very small young population trying to support an older population. Perhaps if we killed everyone when they turned 60 for a decade or so it would work, but that's still genocide and genocide is bad.

[obfuscator]

SaqPrets has a point - a planet with a population of seven billion and growing is pretty difficult to sustain. We wouldn't have to kill 80% of the humans on this planet, either - if we could get 85% to have no kids and the other 15% to only have one kid, then we could achieve a drastically lowered population over just a few generations. Then we'd somehow make everyone get along really well and then hey, we'd have our Utopia.

The problem with that is that in 50 or 60 years we would have a very small young population trying to support an older population. Perhaps if we killed everyone when they turned 60 for a decade or so it would work, but that's still genocide and genocide is bad.

 

Capitalist society would fail completely if you institute reproduction limits like this. The only reason china can survive is because they're not a capitalist democracy, and they're heading for the shithole quickly.

 

The only practical way population control would actually work is killing people off at a certain age like you said. But that's out of the question.

[TTanT]

The only difference between Hitler and the man next door who comes home and beats his kids every day is circumstance. The intent is the same-- to harm others.

 

That was beautifully put.

[purpieman2]

I would add understading cultural relativism and that certain criminal behavior isn't excused by it. Not all worlds are the same.

[TTanT]

Also a reduced population would decrease mankind's ability to progress.

 

Think of how much less technology would be able to progress if our thinking pool decreased by 75%.

 

 

Edit and OT:

Personally I think some serious steps towards changing attitudes towards mental disorders would be a great step. I think we'd have a lot less people going out a massacring school if they could get proper psychiatric treatment (which would require them not being discouraged to by a society that shuns and distrusts the mentally unfit).

 

Also, let's turn prisoners into rehabilitation centers rather than criminal training and production centers.

[Hedgehog]

Only 5-10% of violent crimes are commited by those with mental disorders. Compare that to 26.2% of Americans who have a diagnosable mental disorder.

 

I can't vouch for the accuracy and relevance of this data, but it does show how misconceived mental disorders are in this country.

[Omar]

As a matter of fact, our store of natural resources is increasing. The way I understand the word, a resource is a means to an end. In this sense, the definition of a resource is not related to its physical properties but to its integration in the purposeful action of humans. Bitumen is not, intrinsically, a resource; it is the fact that a subject believes it can be used as a means to some end that makes it a resource. In this sense, we had oil prior to 1900, but it was no resource at the time; it was only when we learned how to extract it, use it, and economize other resources (such as labour) that it itself became a resource.

[RpgGamer]

If Amanda Bynes makes a sex tape with Justin Bieber and his agent in a three way.

[Vezon Dash]

If Amanda Bynes makes a sex tape with Justin Bieber and his agent in a three way.

 

Yes.

 

 

 

 

What we need in this world is less irresponsibility.