Do you ever feel like there's just no more hope for the world?

Step away from it all and get out in the country or by chill out by a lake. Just sayin’.

We’ve been in the Kali Yuga for a long time now.

Nope, actually, things are better than they have ever been. Violent crimes are way off from their peak, the rate of war is much lower than just about ever, I see kids doing incredible things that nobody had ever thought of when I was in high school. Community Service? Now common. Tornado in Oklahoma? A nation reaches out its hand, wishes to lift them up.

Go for a walk and marvel at the world. We live in wonderful times, be open to the wonder. Remember what Paul Simon said:

These are the days of lasers in the jungle
Lasers in the jungle somewhere
Staccato signals of constant information
A loose affiliation of millionaires
And billionaires and baby
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call

Maybe you’re just being influenced by the media that only portrays (and exaggerates) the bad in society. I find it naïve when people say that they “lose faith in society”. There are many people who lift up society, and without bad, there is no good. Look more what does good in society and maybe then you’ll have more hope.

People have been feeling that their current time is “beyond repair” for thousands of years. I’m not saying your concerns are baseless, but it’s just so…expected. There have been natural disasters in the past; there have been worse ones. There have been other shootings and attacks, teenagers have always been insecure (and saying “every teenager is suicidal” is one of the biggest stretches I’ve ever heard), and the economy has been worse in the past. What do you think people thought during the flu epidemic of 1918 or during the Great Depression when 1 in 3 people was unemployed or during the 40s when the whole world was at war? The key is to put things in perspective.

One of the coolest dudes on the planet has a lot of hope… and answers..

Maybe for a minute, but then I quickly realize that things are actually much better overall now than at just about any time in history. There are so many good people in the world, and they remind me.

@DominicX Yeah, I know there have been worse times. But I’m just saying..Kids used to be able to bike down the street and get candy for 10 cents. Now they can’t do that because kidnapping is such a high risk. And when I said every teen I also was making a generalisation. I myself am a teen.There are good people in the world. The world is a good place. Things just seemed so messed up

Goddamn, man, lighten up.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

When I feel that way, I turn off the TV especially the 24-hour news channels. I look for people around me whose needs exceed my own and I find a way to make their lifes better. Think about global concerns but act locally. You can make a real difference right in your own area and your hope for the future with grow. Don’t give up! If you still feel hopeless contact me for more specific suggestions and help.

It’s an interesting question. There are sources, other than the big bad media that seem to indicate that life is not a bowl of cherries. In every doctor’s office, even veterinarians office, I see a sign that says something to the extent that abusive behaviour towards staff will not be tolerated. Do you really need a sign to tell people they should not be abusive? I certainly did not see anything like that when I was younger. Virtually every day I see at least one and usually more incidences of road rage, people swearing at others, jumping out of their cars and threatening other drivers. There are signs on parking meters reminding you to lock your car because thieves are about. And that is in a relatively small town. If I go into the city, the homeless seem to be everywhere and using a public toilet can be a frightening experience with the drunks or drugged in residence. And that is just what I see with my own eyes. So yeah, sometimes I wonder, people keep saying everything is getting better, but I wonder, compared to what?

No, because what you are describing is a common misconception. Every decade the situation on earth on average gets better. We have more and more resources available to concentrate on the things that needs fixing, such as corporate greed, climate change, religious extremism and so forth.

Don’t be fooled by the media’s cherry picking of bad news.

If I offer advice and answers you can rely on I get moderated as spam although I am not selling anything nor am I offering unsolicited advice or information. With that having been said, reach out to me if you care for a truthful and factual answer about the state of the world and its future.

In many ways things are getting better. The homicide rate has been steadily declining for a long time. That decline in religion you mention I take to be a good thing. There has been a gradual ongoing shift in viewpoint from worrying about one’s personal relationship to a deity to a more global concern about our planet and its inhabitants.

In the state where I live, it was reported there had been quite a large drop in violent assaults. Of course the powers that be were patting themselves on the back. It later came to light that the way the data was compiled had been changed. Prior to the decrease, domestic assaults were included in with the violent assaults. Then it was decided that they be recorded in a separate category. Voila, instant decrease in violent assaults, but in actuality there was no decrease at all, in fact there was an increase when all were added together as they had been in the past. So I am reluctant to believe statistics when my eyes seem to be seeing results that conflict.

Remember that our perception of the state of the world is rarely based on our actual experience with how quality of life is actually changing. Commercial news stations stay in business by attracting viewers who are then exposed to their sponsors commercials. Unless the programming is dramatic, scary and negative, audience’s attention is not maintained and that is financially harmful for the stations. It was the same in the days when newspapers were the main source of information. A paper that reported on how few auto crashes, bank robberies and damaging storms have been occurring tended to lose readers and lower circulation meant the paper could charge less for advertising space. Market conditions require that television stations make life seem more interesting, dramatic and scary than is realistic. That is why we must avoid living with excess fear and pessimism.