Submitted by Born-Worth-5611 t3_yxm73l in Futurology
There are people like Elon Musk who want to bring humanity to Mars, but that seems very far off from reality. We seem insignificant to contribute to such a mission. I wonder, as a normal person, what can we do to make the future world a little better. What is your opinion?
Vote, tell others to vote.
Doesn't matter if we become an interplanetary or interstellar species but lose democracy in the process. The slide into authoritarianism often begins with cynicism and apathy.
Wherever you should find yourself, leave it better than how it was on your arrival.
Stop sucking money away from the working/middle class in all countries and giving it to the rich.....there is a reason why the US is the richest country in the world and its because FDR knew a strong middle class would make everyone richer........they are going in the opposite direction now and it's not going to end well.
Global demographic collapse is already happening.
There are many critical actions, due to the urgency of our situation. This is my short list:
Question everything in politics. The amount of people who gladly accepts everything their government says because of nationalism is frightening. There isn’t anything wrong with being proud of where you are from but accepting everything that happens in your country for pride or because “xyz country is worse than ours” is a one way ticket to a hellish existence.
If your goal is lower fertility rates, the action should be free education for women.
Instead of saying, "quit having kids", say educate women. It's way more palatable. The result is women having fewer children and having them later in life.
People who seriously think Elon Musk is bringing a potential solution with interplanetary transport should do a bit more research about what it takes to make something very very hard (teraforming or at least having an habitable buble) and very very far away VS limiting pollution on our current planet.
The guy is a dreamer which is great but our peoblems should be answered with solutions, not dreams.
Like the wars going on all over the world are polluting like crazy and basically nobody has ever to take responsibility for it.
It's way easier and quicker (ie ozone hole) to fix pollution than trying to build something new.
Vote is the only first step in democracy..
My original comment was deleted for being too short so; Tax billionaires out of existence. Tax billionaires out of existence. Tax billionaires out of existence.Tax billionaires out of existence.Tax billionaires out of existence. Tax billionaires out of existence. Tax billionaires out of existence. Tax billionaires out of existence.Tax billionaires out of existence.Tax billionaires out of existence.
Plus I feel like people forget just how inhospitable the rest of the solar system is. It doesn’t really matter how polluted earth is, it’s always gonna be easier to fix or adapt to whatever’s going on back home than in any other planet.
Simple answer - buy $GME and get it back.
I said cut down, not stop ...
But like... how? Most billionaires are billionaires in the form of equity, not actual cash.
You can tax their dividends more or increase capital gains tax, for example, but that's just a small piece of the pie.
You can't really tax their equity appreciation because that fundamentally doesn't make much sense. It would be like the government taxing you if the housing prices go up in your region (assuming your home appreciated too). You don't have that money, the market simply decided the homes are worth more now. You'd potentially have to sell your home just to pay the taxes to the government, which would create a bunch of issues.
I suppose you can force them to sell equity, but that could cause severe artificial disruptions in the market due to all billionaires selling their holdings (plunging prices and causing a recession) and also being a breach of private property.
Educate yourself and educate others. Learn to think critically. Education, not indoctrination. Obviously you must educate yourself before you can educate others.
Not to pick on anyone, but read through the comments on this thread. Some you will think are a good idea, some you will think are idiotic. This is simply caused by lack of information, sometimes on the posters part, sometimes on mine.
But try to educate yourself on a topic before you have an opinion on it. Do NOT consider yourself informed because you heard or read some expert say it. What someone on Reddit said is even worse. And if you ask someone on reddit to back up what they said they will cite an expert. Well that doesn't mean you know it, it simply means that someone said it.
If you ask 100 people what is the most important thing, you will get 101 answers. And most of these are just parroting what they heard someone else say.
I've always loved the tag line from the Straight Dope.
> Fighting ignorance since 1973. (It's taking longer than we thought.)
We need more children, not less.
Most people don’t think about how their “solution” could be realistically applied in the first place. Whatever one might think, attempting to tax the rich will always end up hurting the poor more than the rich themselves.
I like this, it applies to people too. Kindness costs nothing and almost always leaves the recipient a little better.
> Tax the shit out of the mega rich and indict them of tax evasion, and throw them in jail to let them rot if we have to.
You do realize that this is exactly the same as saying "Take the money away from rich people by force"? So confiscation and redistribution?
Build more fission reactors, invest into fusion & recycling. Build sustainable transport (bullet trains).
How much taxes do the rich pay?
We have all the right to take it away from them with force
Indeed. Complimentary, this. Thank you.
But we have to do without.
Well, with a 44 billion dollar social media acquisition, they guy is basically shooting his progress in the foot. I think his ulterior motive may be to control social perceptions. Kind of a waste of time, and money when one can just speak. As for the main question, why one choice over the other when they both go both hand in hand. We’re always transitioning form one form of existence to another. Saving the world and reshaping the world are two sides of the same coin.
Especially if they vote for democrats
More Democrats n congress is step one .
Eat less meat. Fly less. Support local sustainable businesses. Vote for Democrats.
Agreed with these, however it’s sad to see the rest of the comments about taxing the wealthy etc, rather than actually answering the OPs question of what we can do in our day to day.
If we could solve greed that would probably solve a lot of corruption. there just might be less reason to spend trillions on military spending worldwide. Leaving every country time and money to solve other issues like hunger and climate change
Are you taxed by force?
Live a simpler life with as little dependence on technology as possible. If you badly need a car, get an old one. Stop listening to people who try to tell you buying new stuff is environment friendly.
OK comrade.
Little things like Capital gains tax, monopoly busting, and regulations on the stock market. I'm no economist but I know it's possible and won't hurt the poor.
Yes, but all those things (like we have in the EU) don’t invalidate the existence of billionaires because, once more, their wealth tends to be in assets, not cash.
They still exist, it’s just harder to get there. So you’re definitely not “taxing them out of existence “
A standard deduction of $25,000 in the United States.
It would:
Stimulate the economy Lessen the impacts of poverty Encourage more people to go on to higher education
To offset the money lost in taxes:
Add 1/2% to all the tax brackets. Stop overspending on our military
Logistically we don't need to intervene in anything outside of the United States.
We don't need to send billions to distant wars, we don't need to pretend to care about other countries just to secure our oil and gas supplies
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Specifically the United (?) States
Raise standard deduction to $20,000.
Reduce dependency on non renewables.
Research and invest in renewables to decrease dependency on non renewables.
Stay out of other countries and focus on defending our own.
Taking care of our veterans, our homeless, our poor people and those underrepresented in colleges, government and positions of power.
Raising the standard of living.
Raising the legal age to buy tobacco/ vape/ marijuana/ alcohol products to 25.
More education on the harmful effects of tobacco, vape, marijuana, alcohol if they are not used in moderation and responsibly.
Remove those politicians / those in government that just care about money and power Retain those who actually care about cooperation, and enhancing the lives of the citizens of their country.
Spread out. Tiny areas can't support dense populations without producing mountains of waste and sewage most of which could have been composted for next years harvest locally or even right there in your own garden. A garden you'd have if you spread out.
Less or no animal products. A mixture of small local renewable energy grids and off grid home electricity generation.
A popular belief, but untrue:
​
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient
Year World Gini coefficients
1988 0.80
1993 0.76
1998 0.74
2003 0.72
2008 0.70
2013 0.65
Lower is less unequal. Each period has gone down.
> ..... a continuous decline since 1988. This is attributed to globalization increasing incomes for billions of poor people, mostly in countries like China and India. Developing countries like Brazil have also improved basic services like health care, education, and sanitation; others like Chile and Mexico have enacted more progressive tax policies
It baffles me that no one have written: not taking part in the annual carnism of 80 billion land animals and trillions of marine life.
How do you quantify this?
I guess you could tax their loans against their equity. If the was a tax whenever they borrowed money they might end up just selling and paying tax.
It's also a hypothetical scenario. So in my fantasy all that shit has been worked out.
Embrace energy abundance.
Nuclear powerplants everywhere, more fertilizer for developing nations.
There are too many humans on earth.
Grand strategy solution:
Somehow a lot of humans have to be taken out of poverty and also be educated as that leads to them to having fewer children and healthier, more productive lives. This would slowly decrease the population ( as seen in more developed countries ) on earth.
Technology has to be researched that can care for and keep the majority of older age population productive and healthier for longer as the younger population become a minority. A healthy longevity for all.
People should be able to live free, the way they want, in their preferred culture and political system of choice. There should be a way to end all wars with less people having to compete for land or resources.
Most of earth would be left for nature to populate, with us there researching and learning more about our world of course. Most humans living in huge high tech cities ( mega cities ) that produces no non-recyclable waste and food grown indoors ( vertical farming, aqua farming and others). There should be smaller societies outside of these huge cities, these smaller societies more or less blending into nature, preserving older techniques of farming including hunting and fishing, living for those who prefer that kind of life. Including those primitive tribes that have little or no contact with our civilization.
Energy should come from fusion and other environmentally friendly sources.
With a highly educated population on earth we can find ways to spread our species and life itself to the neighboring stars. Earth's existence is finite.
Honestly hard to think of anything more misleading than this comment. Income disparity on a global scale, it turns out, is pretty complex. Some places have increased inequality, some haven't.
Interestingly, China and India's development have brought down global Gini, while the in-country inequality has increased. Brazil is about as wildly disparate in it's wealth as it ever has been, though it's gini coefficient has risen slightly.
Mexico is one of the few places that has actually managed to reduce their inequality in the past decades, yet it remains among the worst offenders.
random selection, a lot of countries don't have much data.
The graph you linked doesn't exactly slope up for many countries, overall it's as many countries going down as up
Cities should be super densely populated and self sufficient, then we can transform the entire countryside in forests again.
Human intuition. Be of service. It is better to give than to receive. Don't leave your trash (in any sense you may consider) for others to deal with, while simultaneously going the extra mile to take care of that which you see. Fill needs best suited to your talents, gifts, and resources. Find someone in need and help. Plant trees, gardens, vegetation. Care for animals responsibly. Conserve water and energy. Be at peace with yourself, and offer freely to others that understanding.
It's not a question of quantification. The question is, "Will I add some problems, take some away, or stand by the wayside?" Sometimes the wayside is the best option, sometimes it serves to add, and sometimes it serves to take away. That's where intuition comes in.
But, if one still needs to analyze this rationally, then I would say, "If more people did this consistently than did before, then the world would have no choice but to be a better place."
What if someone doesn't want to receive? What do you mean by care for animals responsibly?
Yes, intuition, but that have to come from somewhere.
Support artists like www.fullmetaldale.com who are trying to figure this one out.
Prob can scare 2 birds with 1 stone
Elon musk and what he's doing is just not what we need. For starters do you have any idea how far off we are technologically to terraform anothr planet that is a barren red wasteland with some ice?
Instead of indulging in pushing humans to new horizons, why doesn't he use the wide range of resources in tesla and space X to improve the wellbeing of the planet we live on that's currently being eaten alive by the endless cycle of Capitalism which destroys what we rely on in consequence for constant growth.
I'll tell you why space X is so fixated on Mars. Bc terraforming the earth is just too familiar and not cool enough.
God damn we would get more use colonising the moon rn than Mars.
We don't need another planet, we need to prevent our current planet from imploding. Humans don't deserve to colonise the new frontier of space if our home planet is a mess.
Look Elon musk's besr quality to his business model is exploring out of the box possibilities eith our current tech. He's probably thinking even if what he pushes to create with his companies fajls, it could contribute to future development. But then why doesn't he focus that on more immediately dangerous and NECESSARY things. I just don't get it.
Not really. Take a closer look.
There is one fact that makes other world appeal us better than our: there are no humans to deal with. Get your buddies, set there, and enjoy peace knowing full well it gonna take millennia or something for annoying dumbfucks to come and ruin your place.
I suppose just leave those who wish not to receive to themselves. Each animal has an effect on the natural order, but some are out of place, some overpopulate as others diminish. We have the superior intellect, along with opposable thumbs, and have far outpaced the the other living beings of this world, and know that many animals even have feelings. We should not make them go extinct, nor should we let them overrule, but find a way to do so without cruelty. If we have pets, neither neglect them nor allow them to be a danger or nuisance, otherwise harm may come to them or others, by others or them, respectively.
Be the best you, and I'll be the best me.
What does better world even mean? We exploit and fit the world and others to our needs - it will stop only if we all die.
And how can you even say that world is getting worse or better? In the end, your perception of "state of the world" is just a feeling. You don't have enough information to give somewhat objective score. You will never have. The world is too big with too much of moving parts for you to make an accurate forecast.
My suggestion: be simple, solve problems, enjoy what you have, don't get fanatical (or you will ruin my day someday).
P.s. what I can say is that all problems we have right now are product of other humans and our deals with them. Examples: you need to work 8 hours every work day even though humanity produces much more food than everyone really needs, we can create home (comfortablr and with basic needs) for everyone with machines and resources we have already, we can provide medicine and heal every illed person. Including prevention of horrible genetic mutations in early child development for every such child. Nature does not stop us anymore. We just can't figure out how to manage and control ourselves.
And then we have the animals we have in captivity and exploit, what should we do with them?
That’s not even close to the truth, you’re not gonna be living in some secluded property like you very easily can on earth. You’re gonna be living in a compound that’s as small as possible, likely subterranean as well since there’s barely any atmosphere to protect you from the sun. You’ll be sardine’d with at least half a dozen other people and have 0 privacy as you constantly breathe their recycled air and drink their recycled pee.
I said nothing about QoL. It was all about getting away from mad people. Period. Go debate and rant about space life with someone else. Bruh, find a thread about space colonization and get your "points" there - I am not interested.
Reduce population to around 2.5 bn, with a heaty dose of eugenics in how it is managed. OK: boo hiss, but that is the true problem, too many people.
Like humans, animals become institutionalized over time. While many may still pose a risk to humans, they would not fare well competing for their place, food, and resources outside of captivity. I am no animal expert, but I have been to the zoo to view the animals Most recently, it was a disheartening experience. To me, the more intelligent animals seemed depressed. In my own personal opinion, we shouldn't capture any more. They have certain wildlife refuges for some, and introducing them to a better place to live out their remaining days might be good. There are others which my have to remain in capitivity until they pass on to the next realm, and still others which may very well be safe to release entirely. But again, that's only my opinion.
The point is to leave it better than when you found it. I find joy in doing what I consider to be "my part" as I had once seriously asked of myself what my purpose in this life was. The answer came back to me clearly as I saw the status of the world become more and more dire. There are more than 8 billion of us now. Imagine if just 25% of us took it upon ourselves to right what we were able of the wrongs we encounter. It doesn't have to be complicated or frustrating, but simple and good. We don't live in a perfect world by any means, so chances are that our efforts won't have perfect results. But, if we never try, we'll have no results at all. And how sullen a picture would that paint?
Mass media ravages the masses. It's called programming for a reason. It wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started to understand the true nature of broadcasting. One word can sum it up. Division.
And then we have the animals we exploit for food, what about them?
avoid being ruled by elitist snobs that think they know better than everyone else.
Treat them well. Eat less of them.
Get away from mad people? In space? You do know there’s very good reasons why any astronauts are heavily screened right? Staying for longer than our limit of half a year and even those people could crack. The standards for a colony would be fairly lower since there’s just not enough candidates, recipe for disaster.
Or we can all eat plants.
I can't control anyone but myself. I presently eat more plants than meat, and will probably adopt an all-plant based diet in the next 5 years. If others followed that, I think it would be wonderful, but have no expectations. However, I think science is stating that there simply won't be enough fertile farmland to feed everyone. I may not have the choice. However, I can care for my own land and grow whatever possible. I don't have enough to feed me for a full year, and if drought or pestilence ever came my way, it wouldn't be a reliable source of food. Many people from India are known to be vegan.I could probably get some tips from them. But back to the main point.
Leave it better than you found it. Simple.
Fantastic man, actually if we all were vegan we would use 75% less land. Since we do not have to feed all the husbandry and marine life.
Look at this: https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-diets
Heard of cricket flour before?
It's actually been an interesting conversation with you. I appreciate that you didn't try to cram veganism down my throat. Rational conversations are hard to come by here.
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I appreciate all the comments, they all help me to see the future more optimistically. As a result of considering all the comments and doing some research on my own, I found some companies that provide solutions that allow or assist individuals in contributing to the world. These are the top 3 companies I found interesting. I would appreciate your thoughts on these companies as well.
sgx71 t1_iwpbrpw wrote
Cut down in offspring. We're 8 billion now, there aren't enought resources to sustain this.