What the hell will life be like for our great grandchildren?
By James72
@James72 (26790)
Australia
February 6, 2007 2:11am CST
We are pretty lucky at this moment in time when you think about it. Global warming is an issue but we are all warned of the future effects rather than the current ones..... Conflict is going on around the world in some place or another but for most of us it is not happening directly so we are somewhat removed from it.....
Some of us own homes and cars some of us don't; some are educated, some are not but we all seem to get by..... Fact is, life isn't always easy but we survive. Most of us here eat regularly, have somewhere to sleep, have employment and hopes for the future.
What about our great grandchildren? They will pay the ultimate price for our selfish indifferences, yes? It is they who will feel the full brunt of our ignorance towards global warming; it is they who will struggle to compete in a rapidly expanding population; it is they who will struggle with unstable economies and increasing conflicts and the aftermath of the long term effects of Iraqi wars and other political tensions on global economies. We will all be dead I guess so why should we be so concerned?? It is actually quite scary to think what legacy will we leave them. Darwin's Theory of survival of the fittest will never be more relevant.
8 people like this
9 responses
@Thomas73 (1467)
• Switzerland
6 Feb 07
We are already paying the price of our forebears' misdemeanour toward the environment. The effect of Man on the planet shows more and more, but it really started on a global scale with the Industrial Revolution, a few generations ago.
It's up to us now to correct the past mistakes and try to give our descendents a better legacy than our grandparents did. If anything is done at all, that is!
Survival of the fittest has always applied, but the definition of being the fittest has somehow shifted regarding the human species. You're the fittest if you are a wealthy human and/or live in a civilised nation with substancial social welfare. You're also the fittest if, regardless of where you live, you can have as many children as possible in order to have a few of them survive and pass on your genes. After all, being the fittest means being able to live at least to the reproduction age and spread your genetic material.
Humans have always been quite good at adapting to their environment -- after all, it's also a change in the environment that allowed the apparition of the first hominids. When you see that Man has adapted to extreme places like the deserts or the ice shelf, I suppose that he won't have too many problems adapting to a warmed-up, contaminated atmosphere. Survival isn't really the issue here, but more the quality of life.
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
6 Feb 07
Yes we are paying the price already..... But are we actually learning from it? Subconsciously a lot of us are too preoccupied with our own lives to really consider the long term effects of our current actions. And I agree with your definition of "fittest", money talks, power talks etc survival of the fittest is significantly means driven in today's society. Thanks for responding.
3 people like this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
8 Feb 07
I see a real return to barbarism (what with human predators roaming the streets and all, and the newscasts). And this worries me more than global warming. Also I can't help but be suspicious of anything where there is no 'other side' allowed. Yes I believe we are damaging the environment with the excessive auto use, and mass production, but know there are also changing patterns of weather.. otherwise we wouldn't have had the developement of the glaciers and their receding... So many issues of today, are viewed as having only one possible side, or way of being looked at. This worries me lots too.
@morningangel (25)
• Philippines
6 Feb 07
It's a scary thought! I've just watched a documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, of Al Gore, he is a staunch fighter for the safety of our planet from global warming. I learned that the global warming is the product of too much carbon dioxide that traps heat on earth. If you want to know more about it, you can visit www.climatecrisis.com
2 people like this
@mansha (6298)
• India
6 Feb 07
My thoughts exactly. I alos dread the coming days for new generation. I often wonder when will one of my own generation will have to make a choice of not having any more kids becuase living conditions on this earth will be sobad or may be some of them imighthave to face nuclear holocast. I just hope it never happens in my kids time. how terrible it would be for them. World is moving so fast that it has no time to wit and think what we are doing to them or for them. I am glad you brought this point up. I don't know what fate will have in store for the future generations but some of them are going to have a terrible choice to make and a hard life to live.
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
•
6 Feb 07
I agree that our great grandchildren will undoubtably pay the price for our over indulgence and selfish indifference. We have become conditioned to believe that if something does not effect us immediately , it has no consequences for us. Such short term, empty headed thinking means that we are abusing our tennency of the earth.
Just one example of how far we have fallen can be seen by the way some individuals reacted to a discussion i started on car useage. The vitriol i received for even suggesting that we needed to limit our use of cars now while we have a choice, amazed even me, it was as though i had insulted a moslim.
However, I have faith that what makes us uncaring is comfort and security. Strip this away, as war and increasing population growth invariably does, the succeeding generations will start again, just as our parents and grandparents did before us
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
6 Feb 07
Maybe if all people had the opportunity to experience the pollution levels in places such as Mumbai, Manila and Kuala Lumpur etc they would appreciate more how cars, congestion and pollution affects the area. The attitude of "tomorrow never comes" is alive and well in us all I guess! Thanks for responding.
2 people like this
@jellybean80 (244)
•
6 Feb 07
It is a pretty scary thought, but I also think that as humans we do tend to focus on the negative, what about all the positive things in the world? Ok, so you do make a fair point about the global warming etc and yes everything you said about are serious issues, but if we destroy the planet then we won't have to worry about the rest of it! It won't be survival of anyone, fittest or otherwise.
Do have to say on the Darwin note that it's not technically true and humans as a species are no longer evolving, not in a biological sense anyway - not gonna go into the ins and outs of Darwinism and evolutionary theory and a lot of it is quite dry so I'm sure you don't really want to know!
1 person likes this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
7 Feb 07
I would have to disagree that we are not evolving biologically. I guess it all comes down to your definition of "biological evolution". As the world evolves, we evolve with it; however minute the changes may be, it still is occurring. And as for focusing on the negative; there are far more positives in the world but we cannot ignore the realities also. Thanks for responding.
@llabteksab73 (800)
• United States
7 Feb 07
With Technology these days it is so hard to really tell. I just hope the world will be very peaceful and have no hate. I know it is not realistic, but we can always hope and dream. THANKS!
1 person likes this
@ESKARENA1 (18261)
•
6 Feb 07
It certainly is in our hands, we have a god given opertunity to change things today if only we have the will , but comfort zones and the me always generation dictate otherwise. I thank the goddess that i was brought up with different values, blessed be
@ilovesarwesh (148)
• India
6 Feb 07
I don't think that we need to bother much about it because just think what was the life for our grandparents.They would have never thought of the life today.They are surprised to see us in this world like this but have we ever been surprised by this.Just because its we who have made this world.So thoink similarly for our grandparents.
1 person likes this
@lakshmithechemico07 (39)
• India
6 Feb 07
its nice to discuss abt our grand children.atleast we have that much time 2 discuss but i think our grand children wont have dat much time.
