Ask Lemmy

We're glad that we haven't or will we discover any secret that leads to immortality. Sure, we may find ways to extend our lives, but we are all destined to die. That means, taking the horrible people as well.

If Twitch plays pokémon managed to beat the game then we can do this too, man

Thanks for the fresh wind OP and commenters, we need that from time to time.

I think AI will either destroy us all or, here is the optimism, save us all.

If you ask an LLM for a 10 steps plan to save the world, it will give you the more leftist program you cam think of, with practical solutions to a lot of our problem. If use in a good way, AI as the potential to cure diseases, fix environmental problems, optimize production, etc.

The problem is not AI itself, the problem is AI when combined with capitalism. That's why wr need to appropriate AI and can't be passive avout it, to fight back.

History.

No really looking at all the crazy stuff that happened in the past, you realize these aren't unprecedented times, at least as far as tragedy goes, but the truly unprecedented part is how much less shitty things are in comparison. Not even with technology but with social progress.

It doesn't feel like it but when you think that within the lifetime of people alive we had segregated bathrooms and pools and that seems insane now, that's at least some hope.

Perspective. We live in one of the best times in human history. The comforts and advantages we enjoy, 99.9 percent of humans could only dream about. Electricity, running water, modern transportation, indoor plumbing, three meals a day, and modern medicine are unimaginable luxuries for them.

All of this push for global fascism and tightening of chains across the world is actually an extinction burst that's happening precisely because the world is waking up. The oligarchs see one last chance to hold onto power before the common people flip the board.

The 2026 Midterms elections.

One day trump will be dead.

There are so many good things that are happening.

I realise that humanity seems to be on the brink of some truly terrible changes. But you have to cast a wider view than what is broadcast.

Most of the good things are happening all the time in so many places, but simple good works don't generate clicks and engagement.

A huge part of the good in the world is coming through kids; we are teaching them to care for each other and the planet. It is working, there is pushback in some sections of society, there is serious backsliding in some countries. But overall we are moving forward toward a fairer and cleaner world.

I'm a techno-optimist, I think humanity has the capability to solve any challenge before us. It would be nice if we didn't need a crisis to spur the change we need; but we solve problems....that is what we do.

The old ways die slowly; the victories are hard won sometimes, but they are won. Even Trump, as much as I hate all the terrible things he is doing; seems to be the last gasp of a failed philosophy. They won't let go without a fight, but there are far more of us than there are of them.

My kids absolutely love life and are majorly excited about everything.

For me, it's the simple fact that almost every person you interact with is good. Yeah, in groups we can be horrible, but individuals will almost always help other people regardless of who they are. It's only when you make someone an anonymous "other" that they are cruel.

This maybe isn't super optimistic, because of how easy it is to create that "other", but it's something.

I have a beautiful girlfriend which I plan to marry. Whatever happens I know atleast she will be with me.

I think Gen X and younger are, overall, better at dealing with emotional issues than their parents and grandparents. Granted, there's definitely still room for improvement.

But it's no longer considered socially acceptable (much less preferable) to use your kids as a piñata to vent your anger on instead of seeking therapy. It's also far more common for parents to show physical and verbal affection toward their kids. Something my (boomer) parents virtually never did. Probably because that's the dynamic they were taught.

I dont have any firm evidence to back this claim up, but conversations with parents that are relatively close to me in age has shown that I'm not the only one who has observed this trend.

All of this will pass. You won't necessarily be able to control any of the variables outside of your own life, but living a virtuous life isn't about becoming the leader of a country or amassing gigantic wealth. It's about doing the right thing, for yourself and others, when it's time to make decisions. I take solace in that. I may not always make the perfectly right decision, but as long as I'm generally guided by what's right, especially when it's a difficult path to take, I will have lived a good life.

Three Thoughts:

1. In the long run, things have steadily improved for the majority of the world’s population. That doesn’t mean there can’t be setbacks along the way in the form of dictatorship and mass murder… but viewed over the long term, we’ve all become wealthier, healthier, and lived longer. Of course, this isn’t a sure thing, but it gives us hope that things will eventually be even better than they are now.
2. Billionaires aren’t superhumans, even if they think they are. The fact is, capital doesn’t create anything. WE create value through the work of our hands and minds. Without us, these people are nothing, and even with the stochastic parrot currently being hailed as “AI,” they’re just fooling themselves. It follows that even the biggest narcissists don’t stand a chance when we work together… and if there’s one thing humans are good at, it’s that.
3. People are much better than their reputation. If someone falls in a pedestrian zone, someone helps them up. If a traffic jam forms on the road, a rescue lane opens up. If you ask a stranger for help, you’re usually not let down. Far too many people believe that humans are “just animals with a thin veneer of civilization,” yet the vast majority are clearly more social and altruistic than is generally assumed. The narrative that “all people are bad” is, in my opinion, merely a self-serving narrative propagated by the ruling egoists to justify their own authority, and it’s passed on based on the assumption that we’re all just as selfish as our leaders.

Are these points open to criticism? Sure. Still, there’s at least a spark of truth in them, and that gives me hope.

Costco hot dog is still $1.50

Generally speaking, the world just keeps getting better in ways that matter.

Despite all the wars going on, this is probably the most peaceful time in human history; we just see every single conflict thanks to modern telecommunication.

There has always been terrible stuff going on in the world. Very little of the terrible things in the modern day are really new, it's just a new form. And usually the new form is a bit friendlier than the last one.

Frankly, how bad the past was makes it hard to be anything but optimistic about the future. Overall, the best time to be alive in all of history is right now. There's no reason to think that trend won't continue.

We'll defeat diseases, and get more efficient at producing the things we need, and develop technologies to solve problems. Sure, a lot of that will be expensive for a while if capitalism persists, but going into debt for cancer treatment beats dying of cancer.

And it's never been easier to coordinate with such a huge number of people. We have the tools at our disposal to actively make the future better. We have to use them, but we do have them. And it really seems like people are starting to get interested in using those tools, and they're only getting easier to use, which means with a little elbow grease we could progress from "better, year over year" to "actually good".

The boomers are dying, the techbro bubble is almost ready to pop, the kids are organizing. I feel privileged to get to witness the next 50 years.

Sometimes it's just enough to be kind myself and get a genuine smile in reaction.

Being kind to cashiers, giving up my seat to the elderly, holding the door for someone or having a trans person seem relieved and sit next to me on the train because the see the flag on my jacket.

It's the little things that keep our society together.

About 100 years ago, the situation was similar to how it is today. The rich were rich and only getting richer and the workers were being exploited mercilessly. The people were fed up and so there was an unprecedented general strike. This caused Parliament to introduce a max 48h work week, social security for old people among many other things. This was followed by a period of general prosperity for working people.

Now the pendulum is swinging the other way again, the way of the rich and powerful, but it will swing back in our favour in due time, further than it ever has. As long as we are living in a democracy, the government is ultimately beholden to the people and at some point the people will get fed up and the times will change again. Be a part of that!

Renewables keep taking off like a massive rocketship, with batteries following the same trajectory. There's no stopping them at this point.

Every day, more normal people are beginning to understand that conservatism is the single greatest threat to all life on earth. I am hopeful the normal people will be able to dramatically reduce the number of conservatives on earth before the conservatives kill us all.

Solving the problem of conservatism existing also solves nearly every other problem on earth. Without conservatives, the normal people would be able to address climate change, wealth inequality, affordable healthcare, housing shortages, artificially low wages, food scarcity, overt bigotry and numerous other issues that are caused exclusively by conservatives existing.

Without conservatives, billionaires become powerless. It becomes possible to charge the wealth class with crimes, force them to pay fair taxes and pay proper wages. Labor unions become possible without conservatives around to break them or outlaw them.

Every genocide in human history has been led by conservatives. Stopping conservatives is the only thing that stops genocides.

The world would be dramatically healthier, happier and safer without conservatives in it. I think the normal people are beginning to see conservatives as the existential threat they are. As conservatives escalate their violence around the world, hopefully the normal people will become willing to completely eliminate the threat. The world will be a much better place for it.

There's one thing that's happened this year that inspired actual hope in me. (I am generally a cynic, having read too many history books.)

I made a video about Flock buying out their employees and, in researching it, learned that Flock (as of a month ago) had lost nearly 400 contracts in 36 states. An independent outfit is tracking it because, obviously, major media outlets don't want to talk about the unpopularity of fascism.

Thing is, this accelerated last summer, which means a lot of people who are otherwise apolitical are learning about Flock, going to city council meetings and doing boring, pedestrian and effective political organizing for a good cause.

That is objectively a good thing.

The knowledge that I will outlive at least some of these old miserable fucks

Scientists are steadily progressing on biologically deaging human cells, so if I manage to keep myself alive for the next fifty years (and win the lottery), chances are I will reach the 100's: sciencedaily.com/releases/2026…

Developments in green technology.

The most obvious is, of course, solar power (it ABSOLUTELY ROCKS) and new, eco-friendly batteries, but there's so much more:

• Organisms that eat plastic
• Novel recyclable materials
• Reusing industrial waste to produce tons of useful products (personally working on that!)
• Novel eco-friendly fertilizers
• Actually nutritious plant meat and milk substitutes

And so, so much more!

Also, there are a lot of organizational changes that help:

• Recycling is getting more widespread
• FOSS and hacky folks allow electronic devices to live way longer than they otherwise would
• Bans on petroleum-based plastics in many applications propel cleaner alternatives (including clean, renewable plastics like PLA)
• And more again!

We have all it takes to build a sustainable, almost solarpunk world. With enough political will, we can make it happen. It's not "futurism" anymore - it's a reality we can forge here and now.

The future was never easy. But as long as there’s a cup of coffee, a piece of nature and a bit of love left, it’s ok.

Trump is old and sick. Putin is old and sick. Xi is at least old. Most troublemakers are way beyond. It's just a question of waiting them out.

I'm more interested in what the people on the street have to say. They are closer to keeping or abandoning hope than keyboardists could ever be. Whether federated or not. That being said, the elections in eastern Europe and South America turning leftwards gives me hope that the North American elections, soon to come, will turn the same way. The whole world needs a bit of a breather and way less noise.

I, for one, don't fully understand my optimism, but I like to attribute some of it to a sort of autistic stubbornness that things must get better at any cost. Combine that with a little bit of delusion, and you get how I am able to remain optimistic.

I misread that as optometrist... Needless to say I was confused