@georgeob1,
Quote:On what basis would you think that we are "more evolved in the 21st century" so soon after the very recent and rather ghastly history of the last century? That appears to me to be quite irrational and contrary to all the lessons of history, and all our knowledge of human nature.
I'm sure it does, George.
But if you read my comment (which you quoted) I hadn't
claimed that we
are more evolved at all.
You've put words into my mouth.
This is what I actually
said:
Quote:Thanks for your response, Frank.
Though it's damned depressing. I like to think we humans are a bit more evolved in this 21st century.
Sigh. .....
But ... after giving the matter more thought since .... & I've perked up a bit!
I've come to the conclusion that we ordinary
people are definitely more
enlightened about the
inevitability of war, or the
need for it even, than say, those who lived in the periods of history which Frank referred to - the Roman Empire, the British Empire, etc, etc ... those of us who have access to far more
information than was ever available before, anyway. Those who care to question in response to what we have learned.
Take the example of the Iraq invasion ...
Many ordinary people simply did not buy the WMD excuse for war mongering & demonstrated in their millions all over the world.
But it still happened, despite the wishes of so many people.
It seems to me that the "leaders" of those countries were hell-bent on war, for whatever reason, (including my own at the time, where polls indicated that 70% + of Australians were opposed our involvement) were determined on that course of action
despite the wishes of the citizens of their countries.
Take the example of Afghanistan ...
The more information we've received about the consequences & the conduct of that war for, the more opposition to it has grown amongst ordinary people. In fact, whatever the (ever-changing)
goals of that war was (?) , I think most people see it to have failed. How can inevitable Taliban rule after our departure be considered a victory?
So can I put it this way?
I believe that the thinking about the
inevitability of war , & the
acceptance of it, has definitely changed ... or
evolved, if you like. Amongst ordinary people, that is, all over the world. I believe there's a deep feeling of revulsion toward the endless wars we've been recently involved in, which have achieved so little.
The problem, of course, is that our "western leaders", or our [i governments[/i], are marching to an entirely different drum to the people they're meant to represent! No matter which side of politics they come from - "left" or "right".
To me, that's the question: why do they persist when so many of their citizens have had more than enough of war mongering?
Anyway, back to whether we've evolved or not.
I think we ordinary people
have. Which is very heartening.
The problem is that our governments haven't.
They still have quite a way to go!