The paradox of our time (1 Viewer)

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The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less.
We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big people and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes.
For a New Years resolution spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Say a kind word to someone to brighten their day. Give a warm hug to the one next to you because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent. Say, “I love you” to your loved ones, and mean it. Learn to cherish the moment. Be accountable for your words and deeds. Learn to forgive those who have wronged you. Learn to look for the love, beauty and kindness around you.
 
i appreciate the passion, but can you back any of this up?
without resorting myth making, can you show which eras were better off in the categories you described?

i'm serious
 
I think I watch less tv than people did even a few centuries ago. They called it sitting on the front porch. I call it mindless activity.

I also don't think we've conquered outer space. Outer space is up at LEAST 4 touchdowns on us. We landed on our own moon. The folks in outer space must think we're "special". Special the way your mom refers to the kid 3 doors down that just learned how to cross the street alone.
 
For some reason this piece of writing is commonly attributed to George Carlin. When he was asked about he called it stupid and said it was a "sappy load of s***.

:hihi:

The actual author is some pastor from Portland or Seattle, can't remember which. It's been floating around the internet forever and has been attached to at least a half dozen celebrity types including Carlin and the Dalai Lama. Big hitter, the Lama.
 
For some reason this piece of writing is commonly attributed to George Carlin. When he was asked about he called it stupid and said it was a "sappy load of s***.

:hihi:

The actual author is some pastor from Portland or Seattle, can't remember which. It's been floating around the internet forever and has been attached to at least a half dozen celebrity types including Carlin and the Dalai Lama. Big hitter, the Lama.

Here's the Dalal Lama's own take on the paradox of humanity:

"Man surprises me most about humanity. He sacrifices his health in order to make money, then spends his money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present. The result being that he does not live in either the present or the future, he lives as if he is never going to die and then he dies never really having lived at all."
 
Here's the Dalal Lama's own take on the paradox of humanity:

"Man surprises me most about humanity. He sacrifices his health in order to make money, then spends his money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present. The result being that he does not live in either the present or the future, he lives as if he is never going to die and then he dies never really having lived at all."

Yes, there is a paradox to humanity- it's not dependent on "our time" - the who's is our times stuff (and its related "kids these days") is so ubiquitous but never holds up to even the easiest of analysis

But back to he paradox - it seems to spring from the battle of long term goal setting vs short term (instant) reward
Both have been important for humans to evolve like we have (if we were too impulsive we probably would have died out long ago, if we were too cautious we would have atrophied and would still be in caves)

Enjoy live but don't mortgage the future to do it
And vice versa
 
Yes, there is a paradox to humanity- it's not dependent on "our time" - the who's is our times stuff (and its related "kids these days") is so ubiquitous but never holds up to even the easiest of analysis

But back to he paradox - it seems to spring from the battle of long term goal setting vs short term (instant) reward
Both have been important for humans to evolve like we have (if we were too impulsive we probably would have died out long ago, if we were too cautious we would have atrophied and would still be in caves)

Enjoy live but don't mortgage the future to do it
And vice versa
There is beauty, honor, and grace in every moment. It's just up to us to find it, but we cannot find that for which we aren't searching. We wind up losing the forest for all the trees.

Take a moment and stop. Just enjoy the simple action of breathing for 60 seconds. The world will look and feel different :)
 
How do we have narrower viewpoints? Than when? The 60's?! 1800's? 1400's?
 
i appreciate the passion, but can you back any of this up?
without resorting myth making, can you show which eras were better off in the categories you described?

i'm serious

10 green thumbs for OP, 4 red thumbs for this
And yet no one clarifying which, if any, era is demonstrably better in the categories listed
Doesn't even have gone one era fits all - go point by point
The 70s were better in this way...
1340s-50s were better for this...

Just back up your beliefs
 
Platitudinalism doesn't ever wallow in reality.

If you're going to go the route of the platitude, at least go positive with Baz Luhrmann rather than this passive aggressive pile of negativity. Hope rather than snickering disgust and an assumed superiority to the hordes of stupidity surrounding you. The thoughts in the OP pretend to be beautiful, but they are ugly and full of disdain and hate. The message is people should be like me, they are instead disgusting little beasts living life badly, shut up and be like me. If I'm platitude surfing I'd rather ones that elevate us all rather than ones so transparently snotty and hateful of his fellow men and women.

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Platitudinalism doesn't ever wallow in reality.

If you're going to go the route of the platitude, at least go positive with Baz Luhrmann rather than this passive aggressive pile of negativity. Hope rather than snickering disgust and an assumed superiority to the hordes of stupidity surrounding you. The thoughts in the OP pretend to be beautiful, but they are ugly and full of disdain and hate. The message is people should be like me, they are instead disgusting little beasts living life badly, shut up and be like me. If I'm platitude surfing I'd rather ones that elevate us all rather than ones so transparently snotty and hateful of his fellow men and women.

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I think the point of the OP is more that we are a society of extremes that struggles to find balance in any area. We are like a car being driven down a snowy road. We go into a turn and begin to skid, so we overcorrect and slide the other way. After several such overcorrections the whole mess slides into a ditch.

None of us is blameless. If we can find some semblance of balance in our own lives, we can slowly form a balanced society.
 
I think the point of the OP is more that we are a society of extremes that struggles to find balance in any area. We are like a car being driven down a snowy road. We go into a turn and begin to skid, so we overcorrect and slide the other way. After several such overcorrections the whole mess slides into a ditch.

None of us is blameless. If we can find some semblance of balance in our own lives, we can slowly form a balanced society.

No OP is saying "we had it good, but we ****** it up"
Essentially it's the "all in the family" opening song
But it's a position completely absent of any historical perspective, and it's what allows for idiotic phrases like #MAGA
false memories and not really any better than fake news
 
Essentially it's saying, the unwashed masses are greedy, stupid and with all the wrong values, unable to appreciate the right things in the way I want them to. The way they live life is wrong. It also completely misunderstands the word paradox far worse than Alanis ever misunderstood irony. Faux contrasting adjectives is not contraction, much less paradox. It's the worst form of bad faith evangelical megachurch doublespeak, designed to seem folksy but to be manipulative and judgmental.
 
Happy people just don't know how bad they got it.
 

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