Asklemmy

That in the grand scheme of things none of this really matters. In 100 or 1000 or 10,000 year’s time there will have been just as much horrible stuff happening in the world whether I fret about it or not. Just as much rape, mutilation, disease, and killing either way. Historically things have been trending towards better, so I have to assume that trend will hold (despite what the news or the internet makes it seem like).

The only thing I can control is what I personally do or don’t do, so I can at least reduce it by that small infinitesimal amount by not doing bad things. I can also try to make the world slightly more bearable by trying to make people laugh, or at least help them enjoy themselves some, that’s a little bit more help. I also have three kids I hope I can raise well enough that they too try to not do bad things and also try to help those around them. Or maybe one of us will stumble upon something that just completely changes everything and all our problems go away, or it wipes out humanity, or we’re just waiting for Godot.

And while in the grand scheme of things nothing matters too much, we can at least make life a bit more bearable to those around us in the here and now. Because for us, the here and now is what matters the most, that’s all we can really know, this eternal moment until we die.

I'm not in a position to affect change in a powerful way. So I try to stay educated and informed, I vote at the ballot box, I vote with my wallet, I donate what I reasonably can to places where I think it will help, and I speak out when it's appropriate to do so.

I don't actually think it's that bad, once you shut out all the noise.

The world is getting better in a lot of ways but the uplifting headlines don’t garner clicks and views. A lot of people only post the doom-and-gloom headlines.

Lemmy hasn’t been any better than Reddit in this regard.

By believing that eventually people will be so fed up with how bad things have gotten and start a revolution.

I'm not an accelerationist though.

Going fishing.

I do what I can to just ignore it. Sure, I don't have a lot and my life is pretty shitty but I always remember that someone somewhere else probably has it significantly worse. Also, while I know it's morbid to think like this, I know that if things get really bad, there will always be a way out.

There's tons of evidence that the world is getting better. Life expectancies are the highest they've ever been, disease is the lowest it's ever been, globalization is distributing opportunities for relative prosperity to previously ignored or neglected regions. The only thing that's not getting better right now is climate change but the youth care about that more than ever so it seems like we'll make headway on that once the old guard ends their watch. The youth are aldo much more progressive so with their ascent to power, I expect more power to return to the people and more scrutiny to befall the rich and powerful as it once was.

What sort of critical life and death issues are getting worse in your perspective?

life is temporary.

im hangin on to the ride until i get thrown off. its my only shot, even if it sucks donkey balls

i guess my answer would be 'dont sweat the small stuff. its all small stuff'

That’s a very relative and personal question. Because for me the world is getting better. Not everyone lives in the US, here we graduate university with money saved instead of being in debt

I moved to Arizona, where I can drive 0.2 miles to the weed store.

I focus on one thing at a time in my sphere of influence.

Using the Serenity Prayer as inspiration (though I'm an atheist and not an addict), I try to accept what I cannot change, and change the things I can.

I also try to keep busy with hobbies such as gardening and woodworking.

I suppose I should probably try to get into some type of activism or community type stuff, but I'm not at all an outgoing type of person.

Not the answer you are looking for, but I think the world is generally getting better. What is getting worse is life in the imperial core, which has been rotting for a long time now as western capitalists cannibalize their own states to keep profit growth up. There are dangers associated with this for the rest of the world, and other places where things are also definitely getting worse (western Ukraine, Argentina, etc.), but I think for most of the population, besides the mounting threat of the US starting World War II 2, things look okay.

Can't change it, don't care about it.

You are tuning in to the Tragedy of the Week Show. Next week they'll have another to show you.

Got news for you, if you're working class, being white or male will not let you "coast right through" the inevitable boom/bust cycles that will befall the economies. You'll be under the boot like everyone else.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

Worry without action is of no tangible use. If you just worry, ACT!

I focus on the areas I can impact. So far that's going OK. As for the state of the world I tell myself that it's probably not as crazy as the media makes it out to be and most of the time that's true. I'm not American so it makes it easier to dismiss American issues.

I don't agree with the premise. The world on average is better than it has ever been and it just keeps getting better every year. It's understandable that heavy consumption of news might make it seem otherwise but virtually every metric you'd use to track this shows that things have been improving and keeps doing so.

We are now in the "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic" stage of humanity. So, roughly around step 5 to 6.

But to answer your question at the moment, nihilism. The sad reality is we’re an animal that thinks itself as the divinely chosen species on the planet, thus absolving us from any sense of responsibility for destroying others and setting it on fire.

Not getting better?

What are you basing that belief on?

the fact that the world isn't getting any better

I think you've beggared (begged) the question.

Alcohol and shitposting

I was sort of in the same boat, although in Canada. We had our own set of different, also serious issues that were not getting any better. I couldn't see any way to do anything about it myself, or even secure myself an OK life in the country.

So, I emigrated. Just like so many generations of my family before me, from their various home countries. I'm not sure if I'm up to the task of making the whole world better, but at least I can move somewhere where I can be productive enough to make things locally better (for myself and perhaps even a few others).

The only things worth worrying about are the things that you can control. Don’t worry about who wins the election, just worry about your vote. Don’t worry about what you don’t have, take joy in the things you do have.

Find your village, whether that’s the community of your favorite hobby, a group of local friends, or your family and invest in them and not a politician, celebrity, or athlete.

There is always a reason to find joy.