Bill Gates: Why I Decided to Edit an Issue of TIME

Two things have always been true about human beings. One, the world is always getting better. Two, the people living at that time think it`s getting worse.

Penn Jillette

Re: Bill Gates: Why I Decided to Edit an Issue of TIME

#5

Post by goalieca » Sat, Jan 06, 2018, 4:05 PM UTC

> So why does it feel like the world is in decline

Because our environment is on the decline. Our oceans are full of plastic, our forests are converted to farmland for cattle, pollution from electronics is rising, and our global climate is changing for the worse.

Even optimistic areas like health care are being confounded by obesity and malnutrition. It’s great that global health care and poverty rates are improving. But in some of our own countries things are getting worse. There’s a growing income inequality and an obesity epidemic. My generation may be the first in a while to have a lower life expectancy than my parents’. Many of my friends are feeling hopeless because their university degrees are buying them 20 hours a week at minimum wage (which has not adjusted for inflation too well) while the cost of housing sky rockets.

Re: Bill Gates: Why I Decided to Edit an Issue of TIME

#6

Post by faitswulff » Sat, Jan 06, 2018, 4:10 PM UTC

goalieca wrote: post #5

> So why does it feel like the world is in decline Because our environment is on the decline. Our oceans are full of plastic, our forests are converted to farmland for cattle, pollution from electronics is rising, and our global climate is changing for the worse. Even optimistic areas like health care are being confounded by obesity and malnutrition. It’s great that global health care and poverty rates are improving.…

Health care is also confounded by climate change and global warming as flu season strikes earlier and more viciously: https://globalbiodefense.com/2013/01/31/global-warming-and-t...

Just like starfish are being laid low by a virus normally kept at bay by lower ocean temperatures (https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/scient...), I expect there to be higher rates of unexpected disease in human populations as well.

Re: Bill Gates: Why I Decided to Edit an Issue of TIME

#7

Post by vinhboy » Sat, Jan 06, 2018, 4:12 PM UTC

goalieca wrote: post #5

> So why does it feel like the world is in decline Because our environment is on the decline. Our oceans are full of plastic, our forests are converted to farmland for cattle, pollution from electronics is rising, and our global climate is changing for the worse. Even optimistic areas like health care are being confounded by obesity and malnutrition. It’s great that global health care and poverty rates are improving.…

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Re: Bill Gates: Why I Decided to Edit an Issue of TIME

#8

Post by johnwheeler » Sat, Jan 06, 2018, 4:12 PM UTC

goalieca wrote: post #5

> So why does it feel like the world is in decline Because our environment is on the decline. Our oceans are full of plastic, our forests are converted to farmland for cattle, pollution from electronics is rising, and our global climate is changing for the worse. Even optimistic areas like health care are being confounded by obesity and malnutrition. It’s great that global health care and poverty rates are improving.…

Yet, you write this on a Computer, which wouldnt be possible without those fossil fuels that pushed us through the industrial revolution and onto the technical revolution and gave us those plastics.

I think it’s crazy to assume we won’t find answers to the problems you bring up and take a sky is falling attitude when you look at the track record of human progress. Even though your friends are struggling to find jobs, they’re likely living better than John D. Rockefeller did. Doesn’t excuse the problem, but don’t take these things for granted.

Re: Bill Gates: Why I Decided to Edit an Issue of TIME

#9

Post by krapp » Sat, Jan 06, 2018, 4:15 PM UTC

vinhboy wrote: post #7

goalieca wrote: post #5

> So why does it feel like the world is in decline Because our environment is on the decline. Our oceans are full of plastic, our forests are converted to farmland for cattle, pollution from electronics is rising, and our global climate is changing for the worse. Even optimistic areas like health care are being confounded by obesity and malnutrition. It’s great that global health care and poverty rates are improving.…

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No, less than a third of eligible voters voted for the racist con-man. The majority of Americans voted against him or not at all.

Not that that actually matters.

Re: Bill Gates: Why I Decided to Edit an Issue of TIME

#10

Post by trevyn » Sat, Jan 06, 2018, 4:18 PM UTC

goalieca wrote: post #5

> So why does it feel like the world is in decline Because our environment is on the decline. Our oceans are full of plastic, our forests are converted to farmland for cattle, pollution from electronics is rising, and our global climate is changing for the worse. Even optimistic areas like health care are being confounded by obesity and malnutrition. It’s great that global health care and poverty rates are improving.…

You sound unhappy, which is confusing to me, because you just listed a bunch of great challenges to work on.

Working on challenges tends to remove feelings of hopelessness.