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Losing Faith in Humanity

I know it's a heavy statement for a first post, but I am actually very curious to hear ideas about restoring one's faith in humanity when it seems to be gone. I've never experienced this before and I am not sure what I need to do restore it for myself.

Firebug916 5 Mar 22
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2

Well, if it helps any, we haven't changed much...humanity, that is....we are actually at the 'getting to know each other stage' of global connectivity. It's kinda like an open house party, at first, there are a lot of struggles....but once we get to accept how weird our neighbors are, and maybe share a bit of their weirdness, we'll get along just fine....or....well, we'll stick with 'we'll get along just fine'....hehe

3

Too much TV and media exposure has that effect on me 🙂

2

I have felt the same way myself. Usually I have watched to much network news when i find myself thinking this way.

3

Don't have faith in humanity, that's for suckers.

Instead know that we are all foolish at times and need a bit of forgiveness from eachother.

11

Try researching Spiral Dynamics. It's a sociological study based on Maslow's Heirarchy of needs. It describes the progression or evolution of both individuals and societies.It clearly shows that humanity is on a long upward spiral toward our ultimate highest level of understanding and functionality. Not everyone will arrive at the same time though. As a whole though, things are improving. The tough part is that turmoil usually fuels our ascension up the spiral. Your current feelings are typical of a transition to your next level.

wow. cool. thanks for sharing

9

My "faith in humanity" is based on the education of children. Stick with me. I am trying to make a point.

A few years ago, a Chinese delegate was interviewed in our town-hall style question-and-answer TV show - funnily enough called, Q&A. I can't remember the exact question that one of the audience members asked him. But it had something to do with the advantages of living under the Chinese-styled, semi-corporate, Communist government - or lack of advantages.

He replied, and I'm paraphrasing here, with: "Even with our Communist government, we managed to lift up millions of our citizens from poverty into becoming millionaires."

It dawned on me that even under questionable conditions, there are still people who work very hard to help others live better lives. These are the teachers, social workers, trades people like plumbers, carpenters, etc - and, of course, the low-level bureacrats who ensure that the school lives of children are acceptable and that their educations progress forward - regardless of which idealogy they follow.

Of course, there are also the inventors. For example, the inventor of this gravity light:

Or the developers of the Barsha Pump which can pump water over a mile without the need for electricity.

Then there are the philantrophists. Although, Bill, Malinda and Buffet cop quite a bit of flak for various reasons that could be justified, I am still hopeful for their programs. Here is John Green, author and a member of VlogBrothers, who run the SciShow educational channels on YouTube, talking about some of the Gates' and Buffet's experiences with their philantrophy.

My point is anyone at the age of 21 or over is fucked! Hahaha! 😀 The best thing we can do is to ensure that those younger are able to live better lives.

My faith in future humanity is maintained when I see or learn about those that work towards that future.

EDIT: Some grammar. There may be other grammatical errors that I missed.

I was with you until your statement 'anyone over 21 is fucked' paraphrasing. I think it's that we're handing the batton to the younger people. As an elder, I'm giving them all the support I can. They're impressive, tuned in as a whole.

@crazycurlz I was being facetious, actually.

I do believe that we are living at the height of human civilisation - regardless of the current state of the world (drought in SA, the breaking of the Antarctic glaciers, the melting of Greenland, the refugee crisis, the dying of coral reefs, micro plastics in the Pacific Ocean garbage patch, the support for incompetent government administrations, etc.).

But I also believe that the future lives of today's children will be better still.

Seriously over 21? How about 7? Why do you think the Jesuits said "give us a child to the age of 7 and that child will be ours for life"?
I suggest that Jesuits aside, by seven children have become corrupted by the influence of adults and school mates.

@FrayedBear I was being facetious. See my comment above yours.

But you get my point. There is a certain age when a person's learned experiences become hard-wired - preventing them from changing easily. I suppose the age is different for everyone. And it'll be different for different social issues.

I was casually homophobic until about my late 20s: my girlfriend at the time was bisexual and introduced me to her circle of LBTQs friends. I was conservative until my mid 30s: wholly supporting the war against the Axis of Evil. (I now find that title ironic.) I wasn't a full atheist until my mid 40s when I rediscovered my love of science.

Admittedly, my choice of "21" was careless.

@SamKerry We all can learn until we die. Unfortunately many people walk around "dead in the head for most of their lives". Are you familiar with Professor Cippolla's 5 Laws of human stupidity?[en.wikipedia.org]

@FrayedBear No, I'm not familiar. Thanks for link. I like those 5 laws.

15

Some people suck, as do some of the things that are going on in the world. However it's worth remembering that the world is actually in a better place now than it has been at most points of our history.

In some respects we are mentally more vulnerable than previous generations, since we have had it so good for so long that we have become soft. As such, even relatively minor things can mentally effect us to a degree far greater than what such a thing objectify warrants.

The double whammy is that we are hyper-connected by technology now, so we are exposed to these minor things all the time, which makes everything seem worse than it is.

My advice for regaining one's faith in humanity is:

1: Turn off the news and avoid websites, YouTube channels etc. that are political or cover current events. Bad news sells more copies than good news, so the media will concentrate on these, which can create a pessimistically distorted view of the world.

2: Avoid negative people and anyone who is a bad influence. They will sap your energy and may embroil you in their BS and the fallout from their bad decisions.

3: Surround yourself with positive people who are good influences and do good deeds, then get involved in these good deeds yourself.

4: Make a commitment to be healthier in body and mind yourself, i.e. quit drinking, smoking, unhealthy food, bad lifestyle habits etc. and seek out the company of others who have done likewise.

You should start to feel better in a while. It may take time but keep with it. There have been several times I have lost all faith in humanity over the years, and this four-step program has helped me regain it every time.
Best of luck! ?

Nomad Level 6 Mar 22, 2018

nice, Nomad. We are in a better place than ever! Look at all the great people with open attitudes to others (including Jews! amazing lol) and myriad things being accomplished in the world rather than focusing on the crap. There's equal amounts out there, Firebug. Think of Stephen Hawking and how he lived. 400 years ago scientists were under house arrest for their 'beliefs'. it's all just perspective

@Firebug916 I don't know how much access you have to nature where you live, but if you can, get out into it. When I ride my mountainbike a few miles up to a mountain ridge overlooking vast open areas, and even the ocean sometimes, all the bullshit just disappears, and "it's a wonderful world." That's one way to get an uplift.

@Firebug916 OMG (my favorite expression with nonbelievers) galileo was called out as a heretic for a theory first proposed by copernicus, turing was chemically castrated for being gay, you know about the Scopes Monkey Trial? Roger Bacon, Hypatia, Socrates: a lot of philosophers in the mix. Google any and all. History is so totally fascinating.

@Firebug916 [newsroom.ucla.edu]

then there is getting burnt at the stake

[britannica.com]

3

I feel this way a lot especially since my divorce and trying to date. I guess for me it's seeing my beautiful 19 year old son who is one of the most kindest person I know. I think you might just need to identify the specific situations that are giving you these feeling and try to take a break from them if you can.

2

humans are mostly a self-serving virus

yes, its horrible considering how brilliant life could be for everything isn't it @Firebug916?

4

it's a great first post by the way

your welcome x

4

Put the bad news in perspective. It's news because it's different. With billions of people on the earth, bad things will happen to a few of them each day. However, that also means for the billions of the rest of us, its going to be an ordinary day and maybe for a few more of us, its going to be an extraordinary day. Focus yourself locally, what will your day be like? How will you make life work for you today? What will you do for others who might need your help and or attention? You see where this is going? You can control your own direction. Once, you can feel the strength that comes from this control, you can look outward to others. Together, you can become the humanity that you seek to believe in.

@PhitDoctor50 It's the squeeky hinge that gets oiled.

4

I lost faith in humanity a long time ago....wait, is 14 years a long time? No? Ok then, a long time ago.

The sad thing is, I am able to get it back to a degree, but something always happens that rips it away again. By and large, I really don't like humans. I am severely allergic to stupidity, so even leaving my apartment can set off an allergic reaction.

In order to restore it in myself, I try to live and act in a way that maybe restores it in others. Holding doors for people, offering to help if I see someone struggling, basically treating people the way I would want to be treated.

It takes no money, and very little time to be a decent person.

Well said @Fornax however I have totally disagree with you! You actions, unless you tell that which is not true, speak louder than your words. You do your "good deeds" in the expectation of others being led by your example. Therefore you have not lost hope but simply chagrined that there are not as many like you that you would hope for. Please keep up your standards and I hope that the Companions of Health, Peace and Fulfilment travel with you throughout your life.

I do what I do because it is the right thing to do, and because I know I am modeling the right behavior for my children.

7

The members on this site will help to restore your faith in humanity. Kinda ironic that those with no faith have more than those who do. 🙂

2

It can seem at times that humanity has corsened and hardened especially of late. "The evil men do," said Shakespeare, " lives after them. The good is often intered with their bones." Bad things make good press. So it's easy to be bombarded by sad news. In the end the only thing a person can do is to be the person you want to see in others. Not only does one become the army of one, but others of like mind and heart will be drawn in and the army will grow in numbers and strength. In short, don't lament the loss of kindness, be kind.

2

Faith in Humanity? What is Humanity/ One big glob of beings? I don't think so. There are differences in the haves and have nots. The 1% that control everything in the rest of our lives are the pieces of shit we should have no faith or consideration for. The rest of us are not simply one monolithic bloc of "souls", but it is us, the 99% against the 1% who exercise a rule by force if necessary. Religion, patriotism, phony democracy, all part of trying to keep us in lockstep with the party line. i personally do have faith in the downtrodden of the world to some day take over and bring about what John Lennon sings about In "Imagine". Imagine all the people sharing all the world, what's wrong with being a dreamer?

I think you will have to up the education levels particularly in the so called western countries.

1

unplug the TV, volunteer at a homeless shelter, watch kids get sticky eating ice cream, pay attention to older folks who are still full of living life, have some fun, smile more.

1

I don't know if this is the right ballpark I am in, but I seriously mistrust my own Government (London and Northern Ireland). I feel I am being fed fake news, I feel I don't have a community any more even though I live in a sheltered housing scheme - also I have Hyperacusis which means Loud noises are really troubling for me and send me a bit dotty and no one recognises this .

My Housing Association is off the chart for just doing stuff without consulting us even though we are the ones who have to live here and pay for that privilege and I realise to that the word community can be bandied about but mean nothing. so many things just happen- to us and htis asn tthe case when I came here - Consulatation was key! Safety was key!

0
I have not lost faith in humanity; however, we face at least three three things that challenge our existence, climate change, the emergence of AI, and environmental damage. These things may seem to be a perfect storm that is unavoidable, and it is easy to say humanity will fail to solve these issues; thus, wiped from the face of the Earth. However, IMO there is hope.
I see AI playing a key role in climate change remediation. Automated factories to build electric vehicles are already being used, and more are being built. Renewable energy devices are being built in evermore automated factories. And, food production factories will grow things locally and shorten distribution lines; some are already in use and more are being constructed. Food production factories will reduce the amount of water used to grow food; thus, freeing water for people. Automation will extend become ubiquitous. 
As economies electrify, climate will become worse, and remediation efforts will begin. IDK how yet, but suggestions include a vast shade in space to block sunlight. 
Once climate change is under control, we still must learn to live with our environment, instead of raping it. Again, technologies exist to lessen our impact on the envoronment, and to improve the environment. We need to adopt to them or adapt to them. 
The final issue may be contending with super smart AI that can either help us or destroy us. I believe AI will create a post scarcity civilization, in which everyone has basic necessities, and a better life reqruies effort. But, there are no guarantees. 
0

How about the fact that there are still people out there trying to do good for humanity in the face of all the shittiness of it? I think as long as there are people trying, no matter how bad it gets, speaks volumes about us and how valuable we really are.

0

I am not sure that I have much faith in humanity. We are all false information and "monkey see - monkey do."

0

After skimming through the responses to your post I think plenty of evidence has been presented that "Humanity" is not a lost cause. I would add to this, however, that Humanity is made up of Humans, individuals. So it's important to remember that our "collective" efforts are almost never in-concert with each other. There are many, many individuals and organizations doing good things (and opinions on what's "good" will also differ wildly). So my advice is for you to have faith in yourself. You can't control anyone else. If enough individuals do the "right things," Humanity will be alright. =]

1

First off, welcome to the asylum. Enjoy your stay. We're a pretty good bunch here.
Regarding your post, I often lose faith in humanity. An awful lot of the time, we seem
pretty freakin' hopeless. Then, I'll see someone doing something good for others. Or I'll
hear a news story about a group of people working to tackle an issue that affects many.
For me, you take your "faith" where you can find it. I think, overall, there are still lots of
good people in the world. Unfortunately, they tend to be overshadowed by the assholes, who also seem to have most of the money and power.
Take heart, hang around here for a while. Engage with other members of the community.
There are some truly intelligent, truly caring, and truly funny people who contribute here.
Hopefully, your faith in humanity will be somewhat restored.
Try not to focus on the negative. There is still much to be found that is positive and good.
Again, welcome!

0

I have no faith of any type. I hate the concept of faith. I have my understanding of humanity as being lead towards selfish ends or being lead towards an altruistic purpose. The key word being lead. Humanities "fate" (another word I hate) is going to be determined by the leadership of this world. If our leaders continue to be Trumps, Putin's, Kim Jong-un's Theresa May's we are not going to fair very well.

0

Love your self and the people that love you and everything will fall in place.

0

In an age when all of our politicians are bought by big money and the powerful and wealthy seem to want more and more at the expense of us, it is difficult to believe in humanity. That said, I see underpaid teachers work their butts off because they care about their students and want the best for them. Day after day they quietly go about their business enlightening young minds. I also watch them spend some of their hard earned money to help a student who needs food or clothes. I see these because I am a teacher in the lowest paying state in the land for teachers. Believe me, there are good people out there. We may not always notice their good deeds.

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