Wow, what an amazing quote from one of my favorite historical figures. Thanks for posting that.
The idea of a utopian society is flawed from the beginning in that it completely disregards the roots of human nature. We were borne in adversity, struggle and triumph; not just against nature for survival, but against each other for the best food/resources/women/men/etc. In an uncivilized society it made us stronger. Furthermore, this struggle is all emotionally driven, and each of our emotions are chemical survival mechanisms that have been honed over millennia to ensure our survival in a tribal, uncivilized setting. [check out
http://www.rawpaleoforum.com/spirituality/the-true-nature-of-emotion/ for a better understanding of emotion].
Utopian society envisions no struggle, no one with more or less, no fighting or quarrels. It's unrealistic because of human nature. The real question is, can our scientists, engineers, and leaders figure out how to ensure our continued survival in the face of a cataclysmic event; and can they figure out how to preserve the planet which gave us life before overpopulation destroys it.
These are not easy questions b/c they don't have easy answers. If you don't have the stomach for it, turn back now. The reality is that one day a comet is going to devastate us. The reality is that while the planet can hold and feed plenty more people (from a feeding people perspective we aren’t overpopulated), all of those people do things like build cars, TVs, houses, consume resources – which all creates waste. Toxic waste that pollutes our land, our sea our air. Waste that kills insects, bees, reduces our intelligence. Food that reduced lifespan, health, IQ.
Civilization has created the de-evolution (devolution) of mankind in that people who would not survive in the wild b/c they lack the strength or intelligence, continue to pass on their genes. They don’t get weeded out. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DEVOLVING.
And we are in the process of poisoning our planet due to overpopulation (the kind that consumes too many resources and produces too much waste). Not only that, one day a huge meteor will be on a collision course with Earth. Hopefully we have our weapons pointed at the right target instead of each other.
So do you see why there may be some people in high places that don’t see any other way than to reduce populations and keep them under control? Do you see how we are faced with a moral dilemma: Do nothing, let people have their liberty until we poison the planet and cause mass death and suffering; OR try to forcibly reduce population using GMOs, vaccines, laws, etc. They’re both “evil” outcomes. Pick your poison.
To conclude: for those of you who see utopian humanity as a simple, farming, growing culture with little emphasis on science and development, you ultimately believe that the doom of humanity finds us at a point and time of nature’s random choice. We can’t go that route. We have to form society, explore science, figure out how to ensure our survival and reverse temporary inevitable devolution with advanced technology (think genetic engineering) and try not to destroy ourselves with technology in the process.
I could rant on, but that’s all that’s in me for now.
Guittarman out!
