A new theory about why world peace won't happen

A new theory about why world peace won't happen [+ favourites]

It seems every month or so there's always some new member complaining about the state of the world and how world peace will never happen and how people are greedy and selfish and that other people need to change in order for this utopia they have in their heads to exist. Well I've got an idea; why don't you take your own theories and ideas and apply them to YOURSELF first. This way you can see if they're any good or not before you start asking other people to follow them. Sort of a... test... ya know?

Everyone wants the rest of the world to change but definitely not themselves! They've already reached the state of perfection, right? Why change yourself when you've got the end-all theory, right? Yah yah, we know your story already. There was something wrong with you in high school and you weren't part of the "in" crowd and so you started philosophizing to find the solutions to life and hey, you found em'. So that's it. Now all you have to do is go to every forum on the internet and copy and paste some half-hearted complaint you made at 1:38 in the morning to get that world peace that means so much to you. Brilliant.

"You gotta walk that lonesome valley. You gotta walk it for yourself."

I know. World peace is so easy from your house. In quiet suburbia where you dont even know the map of the world. I guess it feels sort of cool to pretend caring about the world. But not know about the state of Africa, or the current trend in population.

An apocalypse is coming. But the comfortable and happy are too busy exchanging gossip and comparing eyeliner to notice.

"When I was a child I flew! Then as an adult- I watched others soar."

That's certainly a point Chris. In fact, it is the point. Every person you will encounter that is flawed does not fix those flaws because they are distracting themselves with other activities.

But I do not believe this is because they are knowingly doing that. I certainly did not, nor did you or ChainedWings. The things we find as errors or dillusions in us slowly reveal themselves and what we considered an integral part of our identity ends up being a manifestation of repression.

I don't think I began rebelling and complaining about the world to distract myself from my own personality - I did this to distract myself from my home situation. I think most people do that as well, including yourself.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

I admit I've BEEN that person. I was probably the poster boy for that person when I first came here. I probably still have some of that person left in me. I've had the realization though that mostly everything (if not everything, I'm not entirely sure yet) that's wrong in my life is because of something I did or didn't do (in this life and possibly past lives.)

I come off as scolding in my post which is too harsh for the people I'm addressing. Looking back, as corny as it sounds, the only person I was talking about in that post was my former self. I assumed the people talking about world peace were like who I was. The tone I used was definitely not a tone I should be talking to myself in. It's probably rooted from some hang-up within myself.

I know I shouldn't but I sometimes get angered and frustrated by ignorance. I see a similar situation playing itself out and I know there's not really anything I can do to help. These people have to experience the truth, they can't just hear it.

I've noticed I express more anger and frustration on the internet than in real life. Maybe it's because it's easier to be mean on the internet; less repercussions. I'm going to think about why I adopt that tone and work on being nicer in general.

I really do worry about my intentions a lot... I'm not inherently nice like I was when I was a kid. Jozen Bo's comment about karma keeps ringing in my mind. "We are entering a critical juncture and that stuff people call KARMA is now attracting its results quicker then in the past...we are approaching an era of instant Karma...where your own thoughts can kill yourself." It's a little off topic but has anyone else noticed anything like this?

Good insights Decius.

"You gotta walk that lonesome valley. You gotta walk it for yourself."

I think the central point you are trying to make is that peace does not happen by trying to change others but rather by changing yourself. Most people think they are sufficiently changed so it is others that are the problem. Most people are wrong about this because they still exhibit anger, jealousy, rage and disconnection from everyone around them.

"Hating everyone protects me from elitism."

I was thinking that if we never tried to change people around us then new morals or thoughst or ideas wouldnt come about, i think perhaps people do wish to change and better theirselves at first but then they see how their ideas could help others and then start preaching it, or complaining, then just neglect their own personalities. Perhaps eveyone wishes to change theirselves but cant because its so hard so they just point fingers, because that is much easier.

"I have nothing to be proud of today but hopefully tomorrow I will."

The very idea of world peace is one of the most clichéd concepts, and not just on captaincynic. It is an "ultimate goal" many strive for, externally as well as internally. As Decius pointed out, there is a disconnection from others that we often feel which is a primary cause for disharmony. If we all loved one another, with strength, intellect and resolve then we would reach a higher state of harmonious living. Yet, this would only create a new level to strive toward. Few people have the intelligence required to love others healthily and fewer are capable of maintaining such a strong will to love others in addition to themselves above and beyond a survival level.

"UNIX is an operating system, OS/2 is half an operating system, Windows is a shell, and DOS is a boot partition virus. ~Peter H. Coffin"

"i think perhaps people do wish to change and better theirselves at first but then they see how their ideas could help others and then start preaching it, or complaining, then just neglect their own personalities."

But what I'm saying is that no one should preach to another unless they're perfect. Instead of telling people how they should live or what they should do, why not just start by telling people the truth.

"You gotta walk that lonesome valley. You gotta walk it for yourself."

But what is the truth?

"I have nothing to be proud of today but hopefully tomorrow I will."

Your own truth. How you really feel about something. What you really think about something. The truth is just not lying. It's that easy and it's that hard.

"You gotta walk that lonesome valley. You gotta walk it for yourself."

My opinion, which I'm sure EVERYONE is just drying for...

The human species is aprt of the animal kingdom. Chimps, our closest relatives, war among themselves. It is certainly "civilized" fr we to attempt to smother our more base animal insticts, but I feel no amount of change will end wards and bring peace to the world.

Chris, so if people sincerly preach what they consider to be true, because we know that nobody agrees on that, then its okay to preach as long as they arent lying. World peace will never be attained because we have difference of opinion and we are not either not intellectually superior enough to not allow that to cause such blown out of proportion issues, or we have to just accept that we are the way we are.
The reason i started to feely a bit edgy about religion was that they were so sure they knew the ultimate truth and everyone else was seeing a distorted image of the world, if it can be done on the basis of what we think is true then we will never know who is telling the truth in that situation, because unless we have some concrete proof we dont know who is lying, who is telling the truth, who knows the reality of something but lies to the masses, meh maybe theres proof, not for everyone.

"I have nothing to be proud of today but hopefully tomorrow I will."

You tied what I said into belief. That's not the same thing. Everything I suggested you do is within everyone's power. It's something that will make small positive changes and give the right people more power and control.

"You gotta walk that lonesome valley. You gotta walk it for yourself."

To change the world, we must change the smallest details, details which are insided of each and everyone of us, I agree that we cannot force change upon people, but our individual actions can influence the understanding of those who surround us. If we make positive actions, and people see that we have attained personal happiness, perhaps they too will see the understanding of how it has manifested..We can only teach through interest. That's why I have a great distaste for material and people who seek material, you can't take that shit with you when you die, there are pleasures in this world far greater that the manifestation of material things. Gabe

"I never let the negativity of life, dull the beauty in my life."