Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 38

Thread: Humans are esentially good

  1. #1
    God/dess Paris's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    6,345
    Thanks
    168
    Thanked 801 Times in 419 Posts

    Default Humans are esentially good

    At their soul. Think about it. Are you an evil person? Are you greedy to the point that you would hurt others to satisfy your greed? No?

    Most people are exactly like you!

    Cheer up! Most of us don't toss puppies off of cliffs, or drown our children in a car driven into a lake and blame it on some african-american car jacker. We are appalled by these things. That is why the story makes it on the news, because it is so unthinkably appalling.

    For those of us that are evil, we have a place for those folks, it's called prison.

    Do you trust yourself to not kill puppies, not steal food from the mouthes of babies, not commit crimes against senior citizens? Good, you are like the vast majority of people. People are at their core GOOD.

    Just sayin'


    Promote yourself and earn more money! This is a business that is owned by strippers for strippers. Let's make that money!


  2. #2
    Banned i.breathe.in's Avatar
    Joined
    Sep 2006
    Location
    ohio
    Posts
    4,967
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    i wish i felt this way, however the atrocities you see going on in darfur, and all over the world just dont allow me to feel this way.

    people may be good when they are born but what they are surrounded by tends to make someone who they are, and if its bad, then they will mostl likely have a skewed view of what is good.

  3. #3
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    human beings will act like any other animal if not 'controlled' ...

  4. #4
    God/dess Paris's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    6,345
    Thanks
    168
    Thanked 801 Times in 419 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Even Darth Vader turned away from the dark side, eventually.

    Stop being sour pusses. Just think about yourself. Are you evil? No, you're not. So do some not evil stuff, just like we all do everyday. Plant some flowers, give a bum a dollar, pay someone a compliment.

    We'll have so much not-evil stuff going on that the evil people will feel really damn uncomfortable and awkward. I want evil people to feel uncomfortable and awkward.


    Promote yourself and earn more money! This is a business that is owned by strippers for strippers. Let's make that money!


  5. #5
    Featured Member francescadubois's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    1,595
    Thanks
    1
    Thanked 9 Times in 4 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Paris, I agree with you. I don't think there are as many rotten, shitty people as we are led to believe by the 6 o' clock news and awful talk shows. Not saying that you don't have to be mindful, but we're so busy thinking everyone is a bad guy, that we miss a LOT of amazing people!!

    Thanks for this thread. :
    "I came in like a lamb, but I intend to leave like a lion."

    -Sade
    Quote Originally Posted by Mastridonicus View Post
    The only thing a person hates more than being a sex object, is NOT being a sex object.
    Quote Originally Posted by TigersMilk View Post
    If you should your way through life you'll be should-ing all over yourself later.
    Quote Originally Posted by TheSexKitten View Post
    Finger pointing is awesome!! No really, it gets things done.

  6. #6
    God/dess
    Joined
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    8,427
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 30 Times in 22 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Quote Originally Posted by francescadubois View Post
    we're so busy thinking everyone is a bad guy, that we miss a LOT of amazing people!!
    i think that is so true. i know that i personally automatically assume people are manipulative, or bad, or doing something wrong, and they have to prove to me that theyre good. it should be the other way around.

    it stems from being judgemental, i think. a lot of us judge someone and consider them "bad" based on one part of them or one thing they do.

  7. #7
    MsQwerty
    Guest

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    I think everyone has good qualities although sometimes theyre hard to find. I think some people are good, I think very few people are purely evil but I think the majority can be swayed either way sadly.
    Most people like to go with the flow, most people wont speak up if they see wrong for fear of being singled out - its much easier to join in than be different.

    I think this poem sums it up - sorry for the grim post, lol!

    First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up,
    because I wasn’t a Communist.
    Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up,
    because I wasn’t a Jew.
    Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,
    because I wasnt a Catholic.
    Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left
    to speak up for me.

  8. #8
    Featured Member Jeska's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Vegas
    Posts
    998
    Thanks
    51
    Thanked 95 Times in 18 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    I don't believe it. There is way too much evil in the world.


  9. #9
    God/dess ahmeerah's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Center of the World.
    Posts
    3,128
    Thanks
    66
    Thanked 82 Times in 51 Posts
    My Mood
    Breezy

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Paris, I agree with you. However, I think people can become numb if there's a chemical imbalance that's not taken care of. Which could lead to abuse, which could then warp someone else's innate goodness.

    "Evil" has a steamroller effect. Just like "good" has.

  10. #10
    God/dess Paris's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    6,345
    Thanks
    168
    Thanked 801 Times in 419 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeska View Post
    I don't believe it. There is way too much evil in the world.
    So do more non-evil stuff, sort of like carbon off-sets, we'll call them evil off-sets.

    There is only room for so much evil on the planet, so every good deed you do pushes out an evil deed. It could be something as simple as picking up a piece of litter that makes a park look cluttered or letting someone into your lane on the highway when you are in an extreme hurry, telling someone that they left their lights on and save their battery or offering your chair to the elderly lady with a cane in a waiting area (like at the DMV).

    See? So simple! We will not let evil have it's way with our world, dammit!


    Promote yourself and earn more money! This is a business that is owned by strippers for strippers. Let's make that money!


  11. #11
    God/dess Mr Hyde's Avatar
    Joined
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Tampa
    Posts
    4,035
    Thanks
    278
    Thanked 586 Times in 346 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Quote Originally Posted by Paris View Post
    At their soul. Think about it. Are you an evil person? Are you greedy to the point that you would hurt others to satisfy your greed? No?

    Most people are exactly like you!

    Cheer up! Most of us don't toss puppies off of cliffs, or drown our children in a car driven into a lake and blame it on some african-american car jacker. We are appalled by these things. That is why the story makes it on the news, because it is so unthinkably appalling.

    For those of us that are evil, we have a place for those folks, it's called prison.

    Do you trust yourself to not kill puppies, not steal food from the mouthes of babies, not commit crimes against senior citizens? Good, you are like the vast majority of people. People are at their core GOOD.

    Just sayin'
    I think people are essentially selfish, which is neither good nor bad. Essentially, people are driven by what all animals are driven by...the need to procreate. Now, we can fool ourselves into thinking that because we live in societies and that we try to be good people, that inherently, people are good.

    But take away the social structures that support this, and we would revert to a much more primitive dog-eat-dog situation. If some super-flu ravaged the earth and society broke down, and mass hunger and starvation reigned, do you think people would be quite as kind about sharing scarce food? If you were starving and found a cache of food somewhere and no one else knew about it, would you tell everyone, or keep it to yourself? I know what I'd do...and that's not good nor bad....it's called self-preservation.

    So...are people inherently good. No. Are they inherently bad? No. People are inherently motivated by self-preservation. Kindness is just another aspect of that, driven by societal need for self-preservation.

  12. #12
    Featured Member Jeska's Avatar
    Joined
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Vegas
    Posts
    998
    Thanks
    51
    Thanked 95 Times in 18 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Quote Originally Posted by Paris View Post
    So do more non-evil stuff, sort of like carbon off-sets, we'll call them evil off-sets.

    There is only room for so much evil on the planet, so every good deed you do pushes out an evil deed. It could be something as simple as picking up a piece of litter that makes a park look cluttered or letting someone into your lane on the highway when you are in an extreme hurry, telling someone that they left their lights on and save their battery or offering your chair to the elderly lady with a cane in a waiting area (like at the DMV).

    See? So simple! We will not let evil have it's way with our world, dammit!
    ^ I do those kinds of things, but I might be biased anyway since I live in sin city.


  13. #13
    Peanut_Butter
    Guest

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Attheir soul, are ALL humans good? no. Most humans maybe...but definatly not all.
    My own mother is not a good person in her soul. She is not a murderer and would not throw puppies off cliffs, but that does not make her a good person. Seconded for my brother.

    Evil people exist...but I won't let that get in the way of my own life and doing good for others.

  14. #14
    God/dess Paris's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    6,345
    Thanks
    168
    Thanked 801 Times in 419 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Quote Originally Posted by Mr Hyde View Post

    So...are people inherently good. No. Are they inherently bad? No. People are inherently motivated by self-preservation. Kindness is just another aspect of that, driven by societal need for self-preservation.
    Soldier killed in Iraq to get Medal of Honor

    Our young people are amazingly selfless. The "ME" generation is being replaced with the "We" generation.


    Promote yourself and earn more money! This is a business that is owned by strippers for strippers. Let's make that money!


  15. #15
    God/dess xdamage's Avatar
    Joined
    Dec 2004
    Location
    PA
    Posts
    5,449
    Thanks
    74
    Thanked 165 Times in 119 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    I guess I don't see humans as essentially good or bad, just survivors. Part of survival is balancing our obvious self wants with others around us, but I also don't see this as being particularly altruistic. I just see it as what works since those who work together are better survivors then those who try to go it entirely alone. I do think people show apparent altruism towards those who are genetically related to them, in particular their offspring, but I view this as an evolved behavior; sort of like Beaver damn building; we do it instinctively now because those who had those behaviors had children that are more likely to survive in which means those genes for those behaviors were more likely to be passed on.

    However... I don't view life as pointless or meaningless. I view it as open ended. It is up to us to give it meaning, or not. There is no overseer going to make us do that, or cry for us if we don't. People often say we are Gods... well I don't know about that, but being a God is lonely business at times. There is nobody else higher up to play parent, give guidance, give purpose.... we have to do that ourselves, and if we do, there is a rich pay off.

  16. #16
    Veteran Member TheLioness's Avatar
    Joined
    Nov 2006
    Posts
    534
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Did anyone see this story?

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...060503705.html

    Sorry if it's already been posted...I've been too busy to get online much.

  17. #17
    God/dess Mr Hyde's Avatar
    Joined
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Tampa
    Posts
    4,035
    Thanks
    278
    Thanked 586 Times in 346 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Quote Originally Posted by Paris View Post
    Soldier killed in Iraq to get Medal of Honor

    Our young people are amazingly selfless. The "ME" generation is being replaced with the "We" generation.
    I think you missed my point...while I'm glad to see this, and I think American society breeds kindness more than many/most/all...the reason this soldier sacrificed himself was because he is part of a society in which sacrifice is rewarded and encouraged.

    When you're in a society, being kind helps the society function. Without such social structures as kindness, etiquette, etc OR brutality, martial law, etc..we wouldn't have a society...we'd have anarchy and chaos...and in THAT setting, you'd find out how truly "good" or "bad" people are.

    Read "The Lord of the Flies."

  18. #18
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    ^^^ or perhaps more to the point, the original 'Mad Max' !



    (snip)"According to a study by the Energy Watch Group (EWG), all of you Mad Max fans out there might get the chance to live the movie if oil production continues to decline. The oil industry believes Earth's oil reserves can last about another 42 years at current pumping rates. Energy Watch, basing its conclusions on actual rates of production, says that oil production has declined since 2006 and will continue to do so -- by 2030, oil production could be half of what it is today.

    The situation we're headed for -- and that some predict as soon as next year -- is called "peak oil." That means that although plenty of oil is still being pumped and sold, there isn't enough of it to go around. And that means the possibility of "widespread blackouts, the virtual collapse of transportation infrastructure in industrialized countries and a shortage of petroleum-based chemical fertilizers necessary to grow most of our food." And that means war, famine, pestilence, and hunger. A situation that is otherwise known as "deep doo-doo."

    Of course, the caveat to all of this is that no really knows how this is going to play out. Long-range predictions have a way of being false as often as they're true (paperless office anyone?). We aren't suggesting that EWG is wrong, and we aren't saying that we don't need to be a lot smarter about our resources... but a lot is going to change between now and 2030."(snip)

  19. #19
    God/dess
    Joined
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    4,704
    Thanks
    3
    Thanked 8 Times in 8 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    I sure hope you're right. Although to be completely honest, I'm not always good. I think I'm a closet philanthropist, I always donate money even when I'm flat broke. Not a lot, and none of my friends or even my boyfriend knows, but I do what I can to causes that move me (refugees are my pet cause). But also, I can be really selfish. Being on my own at a young age caused me to think about myself before anyone else (because no one else ever thought of me). It's kind of a defense mechanism, but I can be really sneaky to get what I want. I can be manipulative and tricky. I would never kill or anything like that to get my way (I hope), but I'm not all good. But I hope you're right.

  20. #20
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    restating my point, it's relatively easy for humans to 'appear' to be good hearted when everyone is well fed, clothed, housed, entertained, and 'protected'. However, as has been proven over and over again from the Roman Empire to Andalusia to colonial China, when food falls into short supply, when residents are no longer safe in their homes, and when gov't troops / police can't / won't protect residents from 'vandals', goodness has a way of going out the window in a big hurry !!!

  21. #21
    God/dess Mr Hyde's Avatar
    Joined
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Tampa
    Posts
    4,035
    Thanks
    278
    Thanked 586 Times in 346 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie View Post
    ^^^ or perhaps more to the point, the original 'Mad Max' !

    http://www.autoblog.com/2008/02/13/w...d-max-society/

    (snip)"According to a study by the Energy Watch Group (EWG), all of you Mad Max fans out there might get the chance to live the movie if oil production continues to decline. The oil industry believes Earth's oil reserves can last about another 42 years at current pumping rates. Energy Watch, basing its conclusions on actual rates of production, says that oil production has declined since 2006 and will continue to do so -- by 2030, oil production could be half of what it is today.

    The situation we're headed for -- and that some predict as soon as next year -- is called "peak oil." That means that although plenty of oil is still being pumped and sold, there isn't enough of it to go around. And that means the possibility of "widespread blackouts, the virtual collapse of transportation infrastructure in industrialized countries and a shortage of petroleum-based chemical fertilizers necessary to grow most of our food." And that means war, famine, pestilence, and hunger. A situation that is otherwise known as "deep doo-doo."

    Of course, the caveat to all of this is that no really knows how this is going to play out. Long-range predictions have a way of being false as often as they're true (paperless office anyone?). We aren't suggesting that EWG is wrong, and we aren't saying that we don't need to be a lot smarter about our resources... but a lot is going to change between now and 2030."(snip)
    That's armageddon-type stuff, it'll never happen. We have the capability RIGHT NOW to be completely petroleum-free...it's just that oil is the cheapest fuel we have and so we keep using it. Once its price goes higher than the price of other energy sources, we won't use it any more, and we'll all be forced to drive electric cars by market forces.

  22. #22
    MsQwerty
    Guest

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    ^^^Yep, totally agree with you on that one Melonie. Thats sort of what I was getting at.

  23. #23
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    We have the capability RIGHT NOW to be completely petroleum-free...it's just that oil is the cheapest fuel we have and so we keep using it. Once its price goes higher than the price of other energy sources, we won't use it any more, and we'll all be forced to drive electric cars by market forces
    Unfortunately, there are a few nightmares within your dream ...

    A - 69% of US electricity is derived from fossil fuel sources. In the absence of massive new electric generation facilities which can be counted on (which basically means nuclear), pricing out fossil fuels is going to lead to a reduction in the amount of electric power available not an increase. This certainly can't accomodate the massive new electrical load of charging any significant number of electric vehicles.

    Yes it is possible that, given high enough oil prices and given high enough gov't subsidies, that solar power might eventually become competitive versus nuclear. But actually being able to bring new non-fossil fuel generation online with any significant scale will require a decade ... and that assumes that all political hurdles to new power plant construction are bulldozed aside !

    see


    back to the 'armageddon' scenario, all I can say is that America got a 'taste' of just how quickly urban civilization can go to hell in a handbasket during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. A slow motion version of that scenario is developing already in many half-empty suburban communities, where vacant houses and 'broke' local gov'ts allow 'civilization' to erode ...



    (snip)"In the Franklin Reserve neighborhood of Elk Grove, California, south of Sacramento, the houses are nicer than those at Windy Ridge—many once sold for well over $500,000—but the phenomenon is the same. At the height of the boom, 10,000 new homes were built there in just four years. Now many are empty; renters of dubious character occupy others. Graffiti, broken windows, and other markers of decay have multiplied. Susan McDonald, president of the local residents’ association and an executive at a local bank, told the Associated Press, “There’s been gang activity. Things have really been changing, the last few years.”

    In the first half of last year, residential burglaries rose by 35 percent and robberies by 58 percent in suburban Lee County, Florida, where one in four houses stands empty. Charlotte’s crime rates have stayed flat overall in recent years—but from 2003 to 2006, in the 10 suburbs of the city that have experienced the highest foreclosure rates, crime rose 33 percent. Civic organizations in some suburbs have begun to mow the lawns around empty houses to keep up the appearance of stability. Police departments are mapping foreclosures in an effort to identify emerging criminal hot spots. "(snip)

    ... in other words, things are going to get worse when state / local budget problems force a reduction in police protection, when rising food / energy prices / taxes leave everybody more hungry and less 'entertained', when more and more homeowners go belly-up creating more and more empty houses,

  24. #24
    God/dess virgoamm's Avatar
    Joined
    Jun 2006
    Location
    In the clouds.....
    Posts
    2,413
    Thanks
    6
    Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    Quote Originally Posted by Melonie View Post
    human beings will act like any other animal if not 'controlled' ...
    Could you elaborate a bit more on this Mel? I'm really curious about what you mean by being 'controlled'.

  25. #25
    Banned Melonie's Avatar
    Joined
    Jul 2002
    Location
    way south of the border
    Posts
    25,932
    Thanks
    612
    Thanked 10,563 Times in 4,646 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3
    My Mood
    Cynical

    Default Re: Humans are esentially good

    ^^^ the 'control' I was speaking of comes in many forms ... not all of which can be counted on to continue as-is in the future

    A - fear of being busted / police protection. In all honesty, ask yourself how many people choose not to commit a robbery / burglary because they find such acts to be morally wrong, versus how many people choose not to commit a robbery / burglary for fear that they will be busted and jailed. As state and local budget cuts reduce the levels of police protection, and as an increasing number of robbery / burglary busts jam up the courts and jails, there will be less and less to fear for a would be robber / burglar.

    B - social stigma. In the distant past, the threat of being stigmatized by friends and family for committing a robbery / burglary undoubtedly dissuaded many potential burglars / robbers. However, in a future where food is scarce and money is even scarcer, friends and family may tacitly encourage such acts (especially if some of the 'proceeds' trickles back to their dinner table).

    C - education / indoctrination. In the distant past, organized religion (maybe the right word is fundamentalist) as well as an element of morality within school systems taught young children that crimes were bad as well as morally wrong. However, as organized religion goes by the wayside, and as morality within school systems becomes a 'moving target', the fear factor of past decades takes a back seat to 'moral relativism'. If family members are hungry or cold in the future, that same 'moral relativism' would allow for the possibility of robbery / burglary ... for example as a rationalized means of 'taking back from the rich what they took from us'.

    D - 'f$%k the dog, beware of owner'. In the distant past, when effective police protection couldn't be counted on, in many communities would-be criminals were dissuated from commiting crimes out of fear that the intended victim, or the intended victim's family / neighbors, would 'exact justice' that was much more swift and final than anything that might be dished out by the cops and the courts. However, over time, gun control laws + non-violence in public education have created a situation where many communities lack the resolve and lack the weapons to defend themselves against a would-be criminal attack.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Will the male gender disappear among humans?
    By ilbbaicnl in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 26
    Last Post: 09-29-2010, 11:40 PM
  2. Life after Humans
    By cameron_keys in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 01-27-2008, 01:16 AM
  3. Replies: 6
    Last Post: 02-28-2007, 05:05 PM
  4. Stingrays are rebelling against humans =(
    By supermaruchi in forum The Lounge
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 10-19-2006, 01:05 PM
  5. Do humans need to be this annoying?
    By discretedancer in forum Political Poo
    Replies: 16
    Last Post: 04-08-2005, 08:06 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •