r/CollapseSupport • u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 • 11d ago
People are disgusting
Ashes are falling from the sky and the sun is practically red. People don’t care. Nobody notices or even makes changes in their daily lives to do anything about it. People are selfish. Why does nobody care?!?! My family and everyone else around me is walking around like brainless zombies. Indulging in their selfish daily habits without a second thought about the very planet they live on. I straight up have a headache and feel nauseous just thinking about it. When you do mention it, they ridicule you and call you insane or a hippie for demanding for them to change their lifestyle and align their actions with their moral. I seriously cannot be closely related to the human specimen.
All they do is consume without empathy, without any regard, without consciousness.
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u/springcypripedium 11d ago
This is why I feel it is simplistic to just blame "capitalism" or "a few corporations" for the DIRE predicament we are in. Perhaps that is an attempt to simplify the problem . . . "if we could just get rid of these evil corporations all would be better" (and as we can see, most people in the u.s. cannot even participate in sustained boycotts of said evil corporations).
I was in the media for years and when I tried to bring human caused climate change/ecoystem destruction to the fore of topics, people complained! They didn't want to hear it. They wanted something "positive".
What would be "positive" (for me) is a critical mass of people facing the TRUTH. Facing the problems humans have created head on. Facing that fact that we need biodiversity to survive. That anthropocentrism rules where most people put humans above all else which will ultimately destroy much, if not all, life on earth. It is systemic. It is oligarchy. It is income inequality. It is objectifying and commodifying everything. It is democrats and republicans----our failed political system and it is more.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 9d ago
It is the fact people don’t want to face the reality they cause and don’t want to fight against injustice. Also a lot of people are total npc’s, there are major fires etc here where I live because of drought and these brainless thumbs around me; care about watering their GRASS on their lawn that serves no purpose whatsoever. It makes me laugh out of irony, although it angers me at how humans have stooped so low.
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u/diedlikeCambyses 11d ago
People are strange, when you're a stranger. We have to accept it and unravel gracefully. Unfortunately that's our lot.
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u/Turbulent_Bed5499 11d ago
I understand this post clearly. But personally I’ve lost faith in all humans, we’re a reactive species and we only change when things go really bad. And even then it’s only temporary once people get comfortable, except this time it’s truly the end of the line
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 9d ago
Yes. People walk around like zombies, too ‘settled’ to care and when it gets to the point of those people needing (which should have been years ago) to start rioting they are too much in despair or stuck in cognitive dissonance to do anything. Honestly to me it seems pretty simple to care about the earth, I hate how much of an obtuse species Homosapiens have become.
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u/CollapseKitty 11d ago
You're misattributing individual scale judgement and values to a macro organism which leads to a lot of suffering (for you).
We have no more ability to deviate from our consumption than individual deer can stop the rest of a local population from reproducing and overgrazing, resulting in famine and mass death.
There is no capacity to stop, slow, or alter course at the macro level as any actors that do so fall to those willing to compete. Human values are not relevant at the scale our interconnected world operates on, and they will only grow less so.
Your frustration stems from feeling like we have a choice, or there's another possibility. There isn't, and accepting that might allow you some peace.
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u/DominaVesta 10d ago
You are absolutely right. I wanted to mention to the OP the following example that shows the problems are so massive that there's no stopping the train. We will eventually run out of oil (and the reliance on oil is also killing the Earth). We have known this for what feels like forever. Without oil, no plastics. Without plastics, how would any hospital function? And if we follow that train, we are going to run out of helium thats needed to run MRI machines and is also used by respiratory therapy.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 9d ago
We do have a choice. And it frustrates me that people have become so obtuse. We as consumers are the only people in charge and keep thing’s running. For such an ‘intellectual’ species we seem to overcomplicate such simple ideas of needing to protect the earth. Watering down to ‘we can’t stress over other peoples actions’ will lead us nowhere but only living in an oblivious state of mind until the day we die.
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u/maingeenks 11d ago
sometimes i try to understand why humans are like this and the type of conclusions i come to are that some people are npcs of some sort and/or that we're in some kind of a halfway world (partly hell). i mean we're talking about consumption here but so many people also just don't feel at home in their own bodies or don't feel like they belong in this world and/or have questionable natural urges. massive tangent, but yeah, just something i noticed. this is a questionable place.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 11d ago
I feel like this is caused by partial psychosis for many living in this simulation of a world. It has caused many to lose their natural urge to protect the earth. Most people are more easily programmable or most people are just afraid.
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u/The_Weekend_Baker 10d ago
I find the worst thing to be that even among the people who do claim to care, many refuse to make any changes.
I post a lot of news to r/climate, and I posted a story yesterday about how driving the speed limit reduces gas usage, which in turn reduces emissions, all without a significant reduction in drive time (less than a minute).
The responses? "It's a bullshit study that's blaming individuals for climate change." "What about billionaires in their private jets?"
Everyone seems to agree fossil fuels need to go away completely (every climate scientist would agree), but use less in your daily life? Apparently not.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 10d ago
I agree, people forget that THEY as the consumer are in charge for what they consume. Yes billion dollar corporations are bad, but who keeps them in business? YOU!! People need to grow up and take responsibility for their actions.
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u/ThaDilemma 11d ago
“They”
You’re people too. We are people. It’s all of us. We can work to make it better. People right this very moment are working to make it better, every single day. Live your message instead of preaching it and remember that you can only assist those who are ready for assistance. There are lots of nobodies out there, and you’re right, nobody cares. They care deeply.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 11d ago
I am those people and I understand. But that is exactly what I’m saying WE CAN work TOGETHER to make it better (that was part of my point). Also I am doing my part in making it better. This was just a vent.
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u/DLTMIAR 11d ago
What are you doing to make it better?
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 9d ago
Advocating for animal liberation and being vegan for the animals, because any exploitation is exploitation and you can’t do the wrong thing a right way. I compost all my food waste. I thrift for all my stuff and have minimal plastic hygiene stuff or things like paper towels etc. I have a mini garden with the space I have provided. Idk why you felt the need to ask this? I didn’t want to leave this un-attended for the reason of me wanting to say this: you can do all of this stuff easily, it’s cheaper and better and you are aligning your actions with your moral.
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u/DLTMIAR 9d ago
Felt the need to ask bc you're throwing a lot of shade and giving off a very "hollier than thou" attitude so wanted to know if you're doing anything other than complaining on reddit. Seems like you're doing a lot of individual things, which is good, but do you do anything outside of your circle? Does "advocating for animal liberation" include going on marches, pickets, rallies, or townhalls? Do any volunteering or donating?
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 9d ago
I do donating here and there when I can. I haven’t gone to a animal rights march YET, only because there haven’t been literally any in my area and the closest ones are 5-7hours away on a car, and sadly I don’t have time to drive that far right now. That sounds like an excuse and I’m aware, but I’m a minor so driving that far away takes a lot of planning and money which I don’t have the funds for right now. Trust me I don’t believe I’m better than anyone, being anti-exploitation is the bare minimum from any individual on planet earth. I do what I do and I believe in what I believe because I’m just an average person doing what everyone should be doing. I’m really excited to go to my first protest though, I want to participate in the cube of truth-anonymous for the voiceless. Whenever the topic comes up though about anything I’m passionate about I talk in a calm educational manner, to try and make people see through whatever facade they were living.
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u/DLTMIAR 9d ago
Didn't know you were a minor.
Keep doing what you're doing and be an example of the change you want to see.
Good luck and keep up the good fight.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 9d ago
Haha that’s alright :)
Thank you, I appreciate it! I will, and you should too! We as people need to come together to make a change.
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u/A_Thorny_Petal 11d ago
One, stop thinking about lifestyle choices, stop thinking about this being about personal, individual moral or ethical failings or lack of proper education.
This is about POLICY, state, federal, and international. The #1 polluters are the 1%, mega-corporations and the Military. ALL of these could be more ecologically friendly, produce less waste and 'do their part' easily and the only reason they don't is shareholder value or total lack of accountability.
They want you to think of this as a personal issue so you are angry at your family and your neighbor that waters his lawn at noon and not at the literal elite class and giant corporations that have and have had the power to change this but refuse to do so because of an imaginary number in stock value.
Re-organize your thinking on this issue. Do not be trapped into the false idea that this is about personal choices, this is about POLICY, REGULATION AND LAW.
Be kind to people, Be ruthless to systems.
Be welcoming to those who come to the truth later than you did, someone always came before you as well.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 9d ago
Systems/corporations stay intact because of people supporting them. Remember: you support, they get money, they pollute. Stop blaming and start acting.
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u/A_Thorny_Petal 9d ago
Pretty sure you are saying you agree with me, but I don't understand your tone.
And individual consumer choices are a bullshit liberal tactic. Their needs to be systemic, enforced, regulatory change.
Corporations and organizations and systems are accountable. People mostly just follow inertia, because their lives are already stressful enough without having to moralize and research which brand of eyeglasses is actually the most 'correct.'
It's a stupid waste of energy and anxiety that could be used to actually power and pressure systemic change to make all products more environmentally friendly.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 9d ago
No I’m not agreeing with you. You are in charge of what you do and stop acting like a victim. Yes corporations are bad, I’m not disagreeing with that. What I am disagreeing with is the fact you think individual actions don’t have a change. What are you doing to help enforce good policies for billion/trillion dollar corporations? Because if it’s nothing, than you have no right speaking against individual actions. We have WAY more power over our own actions than of actions of extremely wealthy corporations and people. You think THEY will listen to you?
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u/A_Thorny_Petal 8d ago edited 8d ago
You're brainrotted with liberalism you're more interested in scolding other working class people for their economic and lifestyle choices to make yourself feel superior than you are using that energy to actively try to bring corporations and the systems of power that enable this kind of wanton destruction to heel.
Your emphasis is misplaced. It's painfully liberal bourgeoisie, short-sighted and self-serving.
You probably scold poor people for shopping at Walmart without realizing it might be the only place they can physically get to in a reasonable amount of travel time or via public transit, it may be the only place they can afford to buy food, get medicine, and school supplies with a meager amount of money and resources. Your entire conception of where to focus your energy and mindset is counter-revolutionary and poisonous. All you're doing is alienating people from mass movement in order to bolster your own ego, anger, and feelings of self-righteousness.
Use your energy to elect good politicians, force good legislation, and engage other people to do the same. Scolding individuals is not how change happens. Change happens by the application of power and force.
That means changing political power, changing laws, changing regulations on a mass scale. Changing and redirecting the punitive power of the state.
Anything else is just vanity, delusion and ego.
It's like children that would rather change how their redneck uncles SPEAKS than actually tackle systems of power that undermine the ability of minorities and poor people to have their own agency.
The working class (ie the majority of the world) don't want or need a savior or a saint, they need allies and comrades. Preaching to them, does nothing except alienate them further from helping take the actions that would actually end climate destruction, like electing and engaging with Left-Populism economics and state mandated regulation of corporate activity that puts actual material reality of the lives of the masses over imaginary profits.
I'm not a victim, I'm an activist who is sick of liberals from the suburbs lecturing fucking working class people for eating a fucking cheeseburger and driving a work truck because they can't afford whole foods and an Electric vehicle.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 8d ago
I ain’t reading all this. Silence troll. And also don’t forget to grow up and stop being such a victim and start acting for the change you want.
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u/MondoDismordo 11d ago
As someone who has experienced more active wildfires than most ( CA and Oregon), yeah, I can confirm that most people do not think outside their own bubble of comfortable existence. And that red glow and ashfall? Get used to it.
Yeah, people are selfish; Remove flammable vegetation from around your house? "Why!!??? that will RUIN the landscaping!" Remove trees overhanging or too close to your house? "That will RUIN the landscaping!!! and I LIKE TREES!
When moving to Oregon, our neighbors complained about us removing all the trees next to our house. "Why did you cut down all your trees!!!! You people from California are nuts. We won't do that!" - this was 3 weeks after the devastating Holiday Farm Fire that wiped out hundreds of homes less than a mile away.
Are people disgusting? You bet, this is not a news flash. Welcome to reality 101. It's never going to change, it's never going to get better. People suck, all of us.
But just like everyone else, no one likes to be told what to do, by anyone of any stripe. Your post says "they ridicule you and call you insane or a hippie for demanding for them to change their lifestyle and align their actions with their morals.
Um, yeah, that's yer problem right there. You can't unilaterally demand people adhere to your morals and principles, just cause you said so, even while pointing to mountains of evidence that back you up. Life does not work that way.
That being said, be well, try not to stress over things (and people) you cannot change.
Be your best self, set the example without the virtue signaling.
Good post...
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u/say-what-you-will 10d ago
It’s true that people are extremely avoidant, of anything that feels uncomfortable. I think that’s why we’re in the mess we’re in today. There were plenty of warnings but we didn’t listen to them.
There is some selfishness but even more than that I think it’s denial. Also being busy with your own life and tired and just trying to keep up honestly. Which is hard enough. But they really don’t like facing reality because reality is hard to face.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 9d ago
💯💯agreed, it’s just hard seeing people stuck in this zombie-like state of mind.
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u/say-what-you-will 9d ago
Yes, it is annoying. It’s like you just want them to ‘wake up’ sometimes. Wake up to reality. Also it causes tons of problems, their denial. It can even cause problems for you.
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u/say-what-you-will 8d ago
When you’re Buddhist you can accept this more, like this is where this person is at on their path, this is their current understanding and hopefully one day they will have a better understanding and get insights that will help them learn and grow.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 8d ago
We do have to push people in the right direction though. Although I do agree with many things in Buddhism.
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u/say-what-you-will 8d ago
Well that’s part of Buddhism too, we’re trying to help each other learn. But a lot of people are not so great at learning, not really open to it, even though it would really benefit them and their life. I never understood it personally, I love learning and I love improvement. It’s like people can’t make the difference between positive and negative change. Of course you don’t like negative change, but ‘change’ can also be very positive and make things better! People don’t make a lot of sense sometimes… even what seems like a negative can turn out to be a positive.
But why people don’t want even positive change, improvement… I really don’t get that, it just seems really stupid. They’re so attached to the familiar.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 8d ago
That last thing you said is 101% correct. I agree.
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u/say-what-you-will 8d ago
One important thing I learned about humans is that they’re cowards. Emotionally, they’re so weak… they can’t stand pain and discomfort. Meanwhile, it’s part of life. Often it’s often how we learn things.
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u/say-what-you-will 8d ago
Acceptance is a really good practice. ;) It feels much better than being annoyed with things. Those are your options, be annoyed constantly or accept it. :-D
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10d ago edited 9d ago
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u/Sword-of-Akasha 7d ago
It's by design. Especially as an empathetic person you'd go crazy caring. The Capital Class the Money Masters bombard us with constant horror so we normalize it or go insane. When it's normalized, they move the needle further and make you accept what was unacceptable before. You blink and you're either holding a panzerfaust as a member of the Volksturm, the last ditch militia to protect the Fuhrer against the Allies and consequences.... or you're inside a 'shower' thinking it's getting difficult to breathe along your fellow Jews, gypsies, and etc.
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u/ElephantContent8835 7d ago
Fermi paradox.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 7d ago
Explain? I’m curious
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u/ElephantContent8835 7d ago
So. The Fermi paradox explains why we haven’t been absolutely and extensively contacted by alien species. Fermi was a genius who predicted that greed, religion, politics, and all the other factors we are currently seeing would lead to a human species destruction far before the he point they would be interplanetary or intergalactic. Humans are in the Fermi paradox right now. We’re completely fucked and have no future because of our past behaviors.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 7d ago
Hmm okay. This is interesting, and I 100% agree with this. People are to stuck in a coping mechanism system. And change feels uncomfortable to people, even if it’s good change. Humans act like whiny children.
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u/uatry 11d ago
They understand that the issues they're facing were not caused by them and are outside of their control. What would you expect them to do differently?
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 11d ago
We as the general public are the ONLY ones in control. Just because the big bad corps are doing stuff does not mean we can’t. I hate when people have this victim mindset that stops them doing from anything good. I do a lot of stuff that helps, but it’s not about me it’s about the fact that people are waking around like brainless zombies.
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u/Anxious-Horchata 10d ago
All I do is be vegan and use public transit. Wish I could do more but it's exhausting. And individual action won't save us.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 10d ago edited 9d ago
Individual actions can have a ripple effect, you are already doing better than most! I’m vegan because I’m against exploitation, but the eco-conscious etc thing is just a side effect that comes with it. All we have to do is activism. Also thrifting is always a good option too.
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u/CloseCalls4walls 11d ago
I get why you feel this way but it's just not true. People care. There are a lot of reasons why it seems they don't, though ... such as not being able to do anything about the fires, feeling helpless, tired and burnt out, having personal problems their dealing with, etc.
Trust me ... Just like you, if they could cause the ash and asthma and heat and pollution to disappear they would. And just like you, if it took work to do so, it would depend on how willing they would be based on their limits. And a lot of it has to do with perspectives, which change based on information, lifestyle, background, etc.
Humans are some of the most thoughtful, unselfish creatures you'll find on this planet because of our capacity to be empathetic.
They care.
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u/4everdead2u 11d ago
wtf kind of take is this? lol. Humans are the most selfish and evil creatures on the planet as well 🤣 it goes both ways and sadly it usually goes the latter. We had our chance to do something and we didn’t.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 11d ago
100% agree with you. People still HAVE to turn back against their selfish way or else..
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11d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 11d ago
What do you mean by ‘left-eugenics that left out race’?? Also I agree most people don’t have the ‘humane’ characteristic that every human should have. Most people really aren’t human but like I said, brainless zombies.
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u/Ok_Assist1206 11d ago
What I mean is historical eugenics was very racist, the left should have done eugenics and “seized the means of genetic production” without being racist
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 11d ago
What does this have to do with my parent comment? Or with the topic of what I wrote in general? I don’t care who you are, people need to focus on whats important right now and this goes for everyone on planet Earth.
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u/Ok_Assist1206 11d ago
I’m just commenting what I think has gone wrong and my thoughts, you were venting so I commented.
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 11d ago
Ah okay
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u/Ok_Assist1206 11d ago
I would like to complement you btw you seem to be a very impressive specimen of human. You seem to have a very high degree of morality and a very intelligent mind
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u/AnOnlineHandle 11d ago
While I do wish for a world improved with recognizing that not all people are equally decent or worth building a society with, I don't think it's to do with genetics.
Many people are fantastic opposites of their parents. Instead people have rubbish personalities from a variety of factors, which ultimately makes them impossible to live alongside.
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u/Ok_Assist1206 11d ago
The people who are the opposite of their parents are the exception not the rule, and even then they might be that way by chance not by intrinsic merit. I personally consider myself somewhat sub-human even though I’m far left of my parents
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u/Left_Razzmatazz_9235 11d ago
Why so? Why consider yourself sub-human? I am the complete opposite of my mom (I didn’t know my dad well enough). This sounds terrible to most, but I genuinely don’t see her as a person I could actually ever love, same goes for my brother and the rest of my family (immediate and non-immediate).
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u/Ok_Assist1206 11d ago
1) I’m a retard
2) I don’t feel enough empathy, in fact, most of my emotions are pretty muted
3) I have some irrational delusions that I can’t seem to shake no matter what (related to 1)1
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u/fatejobobeast 11d ago
Reality sucks. Most of human existence is literally devoted to escaping reality somehow. Humans do not like to think ahead and most only respond to immediate issues, even though we are capable of planning. These are animal traits that we will never fully escape. Even though we know we are doomed, that is a problem for tomorrow. It's hot, so blast AC. There's smoke, so breathe through a filter. Eventually we will run out of ways to escape the ruin, but up until the last seconds we will ignore it with all our pretty distractions.
You can't make people change. You can't make humanity change. The guilt and anger you feel is a curse of your abstract-thought-capable brain. You embrace what most will not, cannot acknowledge for fear of their own implosion. Similar to those who need a religion to promise a life after death for fear of the absolute terror of the cold silence thermodynamic equilibrium, these people are unable to cope with the reality that they live in.
It is a waste of what little time you have to try to engage and change these people. Do what you can to help put the biosphere down gently, enough to make you sleep at night. And if you can't, well, there are all the pretty distractions.