[Unknown Target]

A whole summation of the various questions that have been dogging me lately could probably be boiled down to; "What do I do?". With the world in the state it is, and for Americans, with America in the state it is, what do we do? What do you do individually? What ability to affect real, noticeable change, do you see within your grasp? Within the grasp of others like you?

I have many answers of my own, but I would first like to hear what you folks have to say as well. Please try to keep it brief; a few sentences at most. I really want to try and move people towards specific actions; less from paragraphs explaining positions (unless absolutely warranted), and more to direct answers to the very simple idea of "What's wrong and what should I do to change it?".

[IronBeer]

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

[Unknown Target]

I guess I was more referring to things that you could do that would turn "hope" into "act".

[Pred the Penguin]

Leave the country I'm in right now... and go someplace that I learn how to do things that help, or something like that.

[redsniper]

1. Don't be a dick.

2. Keep your head down and try to avoid the bull****.

Really, all most of us can do is focus on keeping ourselves and our immediate loved ones safe and comfortable. If you really want to be able to effect change on a global scale, then you'll probably have to fight your way into the political or corporate elite. And you almost certainly won't be able to do that without violating rule 1 up there. Other than that, it looks like voting and democracy are a crock according to the research Battuta's been doing.

So yeah, just do the best you can at whatever you do and love everyone.

[Dilmah G]

In my view, there's a bit wrong with the world and unless you find yourself in a position of immense power, either through luck or hard work, you won't be able to fix it all. So pick something, and work at it. Personally, keeping people safe whilst they sleep and helping those in need is something I want to do; and so it's part of the reason I'm applying for a commission in the forces (cue 'dirty recruitmentvideobelievingidealist speeches'). Seeing those helicopters winch people in the floods to safety and C-130 crews ferrying supplies to guys who really need it overseas really does it for me.

But even donating a few dollars to the tin rattlers at the local shopping centre makes me feel slightly better about myself. So what if only a dollar goes to the people who need it and the rest is swallowed up by bureaucracy? That's one dollar more than they had before, and it's one dollar more than the guy who walks past and doesn't donate a cent.

[Polpolion]

personally I'm a small lab mouse engaged in a nefarious scheme to conquer the planet

[General Battuta]

Guys, the world is fine. The world is actually better than it's ever been. The 'problems' we have are tiny and all the trends are positive, except a few environmental ones we definitely need to worry about. We're just whiners.

Keep doing what you've been doing. Have a happy life.

[Nuclear1]

Guys, the world is fine. The world is actually better than it's ever been. The 'problems' we have are tiny and all the trends are positive, except a few environmental ones we definitely need to worry about. We're just whiners.

Spoken like someone who has never been near homeless or unemployed and in massive debt thanks to the US government.

[General Battuta]

Guys, the world is fine. The world is actually better than it's ever been. The 'problems' we have are tiny and all the trends are positive, except a few environmental ones we definitely need to worry about. We're just whiners.

Spoken like someone who has never been near homeless or unemployed and in massive debt thanks to the US government.

Spoken like someone who has some experience with the topic - I've worked slums in more than one city - but if you look at the data that **** is actually way better than it was 200 years ago.

[Nuke]

i kinda follow a zero delta policy about this kinda thing. change is evil.

but if i did want to change the world, you could probibly guess by meathods:

[Nuclear1]

Spoken like someone who has some experience with the topic - I've worked slums in more than one city - but if you look at the data that **** is actually way better than it was 200 years ago.

I'm just speaking from the experience of actually having lived for the past three months in those conditions.  It may be better than it was at the turn of the century, but it's still awful.

[blackhole]

Just because it's better doesn't mean it isn't bad. It would be more accurate to say that the world is less terrible then it was 200 years ago, but still terrible.

[Snail]

I'm perfectly happy with my life as it is. I don't think I can change the world for the less fortunate in any appreciable way, so I try to go on minding my own business.

[NGTM-1R]

Just because it's better doesn't mean it isn't bad. It would be more accurate to say that the world is less terrible then it was 200 years ago, but still terrible.

The point remains; the system works. It introduces improvements on its own. Gradually, perhaps, but also noticeably, and with greater longer-term effect then any form of activism.

[Spicious]

I had an interesting link about this, but there seems to be a paywall there now. The gist was that the people in power now are eating the future so they can cut costs without cutting services today.

But even donating a few dollars to the tin rattlers at the local shopping centre makes me feel slightly better about myself. So what if only a dollar goes to the people who need it and the rest is swallowed up by bureaucracy? That's one dollar more than they had before, and it's one dollar more than the guy who walks past and doesn't donate a cent.

You donate so you can feel better than people who don't donate?

[Thaeris]

One makes a donation with hopes that said donation will improve the livelihoods of those who recieve the donation. You may feel better about yourself for an act of generosity, but that is never the aim of a donation made in genuine interest for another person - your concern is for the one with need.

[Pred the Penguin]

The world really is better than 200 years ago. But should only just better be enough?

[Dilmah G]

You donate so you can feel better than people who don't donate?

Sorry, that was probably a poor choice of words. I was more getting at 'every little bit helps' rather than 'I throw some loose change into a tin, therefore I'm better than my mate who didn't'.

[Unknown Target]

Spicious, I believe what Dilmah G says is how he meant it originally.

However, I'd be interested to hear more in this "eating the future" idea. Please could you elaborate?