Re: The lack of civility and humanity
GreatSquid;1700646 said:
This just reeks of hypocrisy to me.
"What exactly are you doing derreisender to improve the plight of humanity as you seem to see it? Complaining in an internet forum of a 10+ year old game? If you are so morally superior than why aren't you out there leading by example and showing people how to improve things."
I don't claim to be superior to the rest of anyone here. All I'm doing is trying to convey what I've personally experienced, that there is a better way to live. I'm human, and I like to have a little fun every now and then -- that's why I play UO, that and for the international community we find on the server, quite refreshing. Ask anyone who knows me in game what they think of me.
"Instead you are doing what the rest of us are doing and wasting time playing video games and talking to people we will never meet in internet forums. The difference as I see it is that most of us are satisfied with our lot in life."
One of my biggest problems isn't being unhappy with what's in my life; most of my anger comes from watching the lives of people around me, watching humans kill thousands of other humans by hand, just because they look a little different and talk funny.
"Did you just find Marxism? Is that what's going on with your philosophical ideology? Capitalism is without a doubt a flawed system, but it is a system that works for a lot of people. It is possible to move up and down the social ladder, through ideas, determination, and hard work."
I've been reasonably versed in Marxism for many years now, but I'm not talking about just an economic system here. I'm trying to plant some seeds for a different world. Nothing can, probably, ever be perfect, but we can do a much better job than the state of things today.
"There are wonderful things that happen every day in this world too. Yet you refrain from pointing out any of that, focusing instead only on what is wrong with the world. "
I agree. One of my most favorite things is being with someone, often a stranger, and mutually realizing that we have a lot in common, deeply, personally, that we're not doomed to be lonely and depressed. I like food so spicy that it makes you cry, cheese so fermented that your eyes water as you eat it. I like helping people help themselves, or just when they need a hand, like when I pushed an old lady's car, from the middle of a busy intersection, into a gas station in between dodging cars after I stopped traffic.
"I live in Iowa where we were recently devastated by flooding. It seemed that everyone in Iowa City was pitching in and helping out, sandbagging, evacuating belongings, whatever needed done. There were hundreds of people coming together for the common good with no rewards, no personal gain, nothing in it for the volunteers except easing the burden of people directly affected by the flood. "
The personal gain is a mutual gain, a feeling of respect and compassion; the outcome of these actions benefits everyone involved. It's nice to see small rays of light every now and then.
"Stuff like this happens every day. People come together sometimes on large scale and sometimes even small gestures like letting someone in line in front of you at the grocery store or even a smile to a stranger."
Indeed.
"There is good and bad in this world. Always has been, always will be. No need to be bitter and rant about it in a
UO forum."
Well, maybe I'm just nuts (indeed, I know I'm nuts), but it seems like there's a lot more bad stuff building up than good stuff. If I don't try and change that, I don't sleep at night. Worse, if I took part in the perpetuation of the "bad stuff," I'd likely hang myself. Please do not mistake my bitterness as cruelty, as rage; it's just years of built up frustration. I was here anyway, so that's why I started writing in this thread.
If no one wants me to continue, then I'll leave. If no one goes here to think, then tell me where you go to think -- I'll meet you there. We all have to start somewhere.