are you scared of the future?

[dead0man]

I won't poison the well, just go.



(If you don't like the labels, pound sand)

[This account no longer in use.]

No (sane, normal, etc)

[JA]

Not at all. There is certainly possibility of things going very badly, whether it's due to economic, social, or international crises, global warming, or some other unforeseen global catastrophe. However, I do believe humans are overall improving; global poverty, war, malnutrition, illiteracy, cultural isolation, infant mortality, death from treatable/preventable diseases, and so on are on the decline, while cultural exchange, global trade, immigration, economic opportunity, life expectancy, access to healthcare, and education are on the rise. Not to mention access to increasingly sophisticated technology that has tremendously improved our living standards, productivity, and knowledge.

At this point, the only thing holding us back as a race is resistance to progress stemming from ignorance, like racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, homophobia, isolationism, nationalism, protectionism, greed, and institutionalized, intergenerational, and oppressive inequalities. Many people are also refusing to adapt to this new world, preferring to live in some mythical bygone era that'll never return and are, consequently, holding us back. The same applies to the lack of new and original ideas or philosophies; we've reached a sort of intellectual stasis while our economic, social, and environmental conditions are rapidly changing.

We have a lot of problems to address, but I am fairly certain that we can overcome them and make substantial progress into the future. We have so much left to discover and develop; there is AI, cures for currently incurable diseases, programs to be developed that can alleviate or eliminate poverty, and so on. So, yes, I welcome the future and all the changes and opportunities it presents to us.

[Torie]

Concerned and somewhat depressed is more like it, but not scared, so no. And yeah, I don't fit any of the political labels, so you pound sand, dead0. I think I will vote douche option. Oh wait, I already voted, and can't change it. Sad!

[Türkisblau]

If you aren't at least a bit fearful of what the future may bring, you may as well not be human. With the near future bringing probable environmental collapse and automation completely changing everything we know, how can you not have fear over the implications? I know some of our older posters are exempt from this because they will be able to retire happily and pass away before sh**t really hits fan, but what about those of us who be able to live 50, 60, maybe 70 more years? It won't be easy.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Yes, there are a thousand years worth of things I must accomplish in but perhaps 40 or 50. Add in the wealth factor so that I can afford the lavish items I so greatly desire, and the fear grows tremendously to balance my living arrangements with experience and other natural desires which seems all but impossible.

[Beet]

Terribly.

The world is full of dangers and potential disasters, ranging from potential pandemics, a SCOTUS retirement returning us to "Robert Bork's America", to nuclear war.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

You know my answer.

[RINO Tom]

You know my answer.

LOL, clicked on this topic just to see what you'd post.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

My only concern is health..........other than that, nope.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Concerned? Yes. Paranoid? No.

[BuckeyeNut]

Yes (sane, normal, etc). Though as Kal said, concerned, not paranoid.

[Reluctant Republican]

Not really. I'm an optimist, and tend to believe humanity will overcome the challenges that come our way. There are things I'm concerned about certainly, but I actually look forward to seeing what the world will look like going forward.

My most pressing concern, such as it is, is that they'll find a way to extend life indefinitely or at least for a much longer period of time, but I'll die a short time before it occurs. I am not sure I'd want to stay around forever( for I am a Christian) but I'd like to live for at least a few hundred years and see how things develop.

[Virginiá]

I'm concerned about the future I will live in, as it seems primed for conflict due to the issues of climate change, automation and other consequences of rapid technological advancement... however, I do believe the future beyond that, where we have adapted to those major issues, is bright and could very well represent humanity's long-term future stabilizing as technology begins to eliminate a massive number of potential and likely threats to our survival.

[Mr. Reactionary]

No more than usual.

[Technocracy Timmy]

If institutional distrust is still high by 2030 then I'll be very worried about the future; otherwise no.

Also how do I pick between authoritarian and libertarian?

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I'd planned on drawing out a really long effortpost for this one, but instead I'll say I think our future is contingent upon whether technology grows enough to sustain development (i.e. keeping availability of resources on par with exploding population growth) or if overconsumption and unchecked population growth (as well as further deterioration of the planet and its natural resources) ends up killing us in the end.

Seeing as people are more enthused by the idea of colonizing Mars instead of cleaning up our messes here on Earth, I am not confident that all the science in the world will be enough to save us from ourselves.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I see bad things ahead, but I don't necessarily fear them. If my Grandma could survive the depression, than I'll survive the next one somehow someway. It'll be alright. I sure don't plan on going to Russia, North Korea, Syria or Mexico anytime in the future, of course.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

After some careful thought, I actually do genuinely fear the severe decline in critical thinking abilities that started perhaps nearly a decade before I was born and continues to worsen by the year to a degree that leaves me quite distressed. A lot of children's technology continues to prove itself to be a major negative - perhaps even a long-term net negative though I don't want to say that is the cause with any certainty on account of some of the other factors at play. Fewer people take the leaps necessary to become a well-rounded person. I am not even trying to make inter-generational comparisons, so I will solely state that I feel like I have seen first-hand how standards keep getting lower in a couple of different environments for a range of births of 1990 to 2004. I'm not sure what to make of it or what direction it with take us politically, but it leaves me quite concerned about the direction of the future. Everything may go perfectly fine, but the fact that little is said about people developing far short of their potential (including myself, though again to a much lesser degree than the rest of the range) leaves me fairly sick. Just because no completely impairing side effects occur doesn't make this state any more desirable or the regression easy to ignore.

Maybe this is all freak observation, but one that I have seen shared on AAD at least once and one that I regularly find people expressing in the course of daily life. Two years back, I visited my second grade teacher who was completely disheartened by the whole thing. My younger siblings totally see how much less able their classes are compared to my own. I look at the thinking processes of similarly ranked people two years above me and wonder in awe - this cannot be attributable to regular aging / experiences. Definitely scared about where we go from here.

[Leinad]

Very. Trump's election didn't make me any more pessimistic, I basically maxed out on that when the major candidates in that election were decided.

[RFayette]

More haunted by my past if I am honest.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

I'll echo Virginia on this--I'm willing to believe that in the long run things will be more or less fine (although I think it's always a mistake to assume that the future will be qualitatively better than the past), but I'm pretty terrified of the part of the future I myself will live through. Voted yes.

[Donerail]

my house is <6' above sea level so yes

[Antonio the Sixth]

Of course. At this point its not a matter of philosophy or personal outlook, but of sheer observation.

[jamestroll]

Terribly.

The world is full of dangers and potential disasters, ranging from potential pandemics, a SCOTUS retirement returning us to "Robert Bork's America", to nuclear war.

Lol, it is nearly impossible to know how newly appointed justices will rule on issues 10, 15, 20 years down the line. I am not going to worry too much.

It would be funny if in 2021 that McConnell's nuclear option of 2017 severely backfires if Democrats have the Presidency and US Senate again.