this post was submitted on 25 Oct 2026
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247
Optimists of Lemmy, what gives you hope about the future? (lemmy.ca)
submitted 3 days ago by scripty@lemmy.ca to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
205 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I obviously have none, so I'd like to see if I can mooch off of you lol.

Please don't leave any pessimistic top level comments. Or do, I'm not your mom πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ.

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[–] yesman@lemmy.world 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Nothing humans have ever done is unprecedented or even the worst example in nature. Chaining the atmosphere and causing climate change and mass extinction? Cyanobacteria laugh at humans.

Think plastic is bad? Early trees evolved millions of years before any bacteria or fungi could digest them. Early trees didn't rot, and they covered the land; clogged the rivers and oceans; and led to continent-wide wildfires. (they also sequestered so much carbon it caused an ice age).

Even what we do to each other isn't close to the worst examples in nature. Male bedbugs have a reproductive strategy called "traumatic insemination" wherein their stinger-like penis can just stab the female any where on her body. The females have a 25% higher mortality due to being stab-raped.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago

The plastic thing has interested me for a long time. I bet my grandkids will be horrified at our casual use. Plastic wrapped single potatoes?! AHH! But nature can't ignore that monster energy source for long.

The Deepwater Horizon power dumped oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists predicted decades of devastation. It was a big deal at the time, but nature healed almost supernaturally fast. (Not discounting the monstrous human effort!) We didn't think Gulf seafood would be edible for 10+ years, but even filter-feeding oysters where quick to be deemed safe.

Oil-eating microbes showed out and chowed down. After all, oil leaks were a natural thing long before humans, the bacteria were always there. This event was a feast. Nature can't let a compact energy source go to waste. :)

[–] TheMinions@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Gurren Lagann.

But also how we collectively fixed the ozone layer. Makes me hopeful we can find a solution to climate change.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago

Fixing the ozone layer was fucking awesome! But bear in mind, it's not "fixed" after these couple of decades. We only stopped making it worse. Global warming will take centuries to reverse before we turn the tide on CO2 and CH4 emissions. I know that sounds cynical and, "You can't predict future tech!", but I can predict there is no magical way to pull 100s of billions of pounds of carbon out the air.

[–] Broken_Orange_Juice@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street There are plenty of street cats where I live

Even the broken clock that is Jordan Peterson can be right every once in a blue moon

[–] Trampampoline@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago

I hope it's quick and painless.

[–] Norin@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Can’t lose every time, right?

[–] ramenshaman@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

https://youtu.be/NB5uSHCIgS0

[–] snoons@lemmy.ca 4 points 3 days ago

https://yt.chocolatemoo53.com/watch?v=Mt34DbYKRbQ

watch?v=Mt34DbYKRbQ

Talks like this one. It's difficult to see 'the helpers', is it were, with many of the problems that we face today, but sometimes we get interviews like this which puts a spotlight on them.

[–] graphito@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 days ago

Antidepressants

Seriously, when you're depressed to the point of self unaliving ideation it's inconceivable to be optimistic. But when you're not depressed it's hard even to imagine the level of misery depressed person is going through. All of this to say, hopelessness and despair isn't normal -- even in modern times.

A lot of people I know is on antidepressants or used to be at some point. Talk to random acquaintances about potential psychiatrist visit and some of them could actually get you some leftover drugs for free. Sometimes taking just one week course is enough to feel that it's working.

[–] SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today 3 points 3 days ago

How religion declines around the world

[–] Evil_Incarnate@sopuli.xyz 3 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I'm believing that super intelligent AI will be here in about 25 years (maybe sooner, maybe later). When that comes , I won't have to work anymore. Maybe we get terminators, maybe we get fully automated gay space communism. Either way, no more work. πŸ‘

[–] RumRunningDevil@lemmy.zip 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's funny, I agree with you and that is specifically what does not give me hope.

My biggest fear is that we won't get terminators, or that we'll get UBI and no one will have to work anymore.

In either case, Sisyphus will no longer have a boulder to push and that is a nightmare.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I've been out of work for 2-years. It's no fucking picnic. No boulder, no motivation for me. Only thing that got me going lately was my wife's request for a fish tank. Digging out and cleaning the old gear, plus a pretty large living space reorg kept me going to a couple of days. More to come! I need to get that smart power switch working... brb.

[–] RumRunningDevil@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Yeah see, this is the problem.

The post scarcity "pursue your passions" model doesn't work unless you're an actual hedonistic degenerate. For the rest of us this is an actual nightmare. I am really not looking forward to the day when I don't need to work.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

People, particularly men, often drop dead after retiring. It's not what most are imagining when they're hating their day job.

[–] RumRunningDevil@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Something to do with purpose I imagine? I feel the same way. I'd like to be useful to others. Not like 'good conversationalist' useful; useful the way a shovel is useful.

I find it's not something well understood.

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[–] moonshadow@sh.itjust.works 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Ok first off "post scarcity" is never going to happen, we are the resource their system extracts from and it will never give anything back. But if it did somehow, if we built a loving god? That'd be dope as hell. If you genuinely don't have interests beyond your needs to pursue right now I hope you find some. There's nothing hedonistic or degenerate (nazi buzzword btw) about passion and engagement. What gives your life meaning beyond meeting those needs as-is?

[–] RumRunningDevil@lemmy.zip 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

I don't like having things. I prefer to not have them but want them but for there to be no actual way to ever get them. If it was possible to have the things that I want, then there would be no more fun in wanting them. It's a hedonistic treadmill.

It's like debugging code. The fun part is the debugging. The worst part is when you actually fix the bug. Pushing the boulder is what makes life enjoyable.

EDIT: Probably worth explaining why this relates to LLMs. LLM's, and a post scarcity world, promises all bug-fixing and no debugging. It's like playing a videogame with a difficulty slider; you could play with the difficulty on high but you always know that you could reduce it if you needed to. Takes the fun out of the game.

[–] moonshadow@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Interesting, thanks for sharing. Would you say most of your material needs are met now? I'm somewhat behind on mine, and freedom from the constant struggle of not quite meeting them sounds (and is) too good to be true. I'm not against offloading that burden to a machine in principle or out of an attachment to want itself, I'm against it because that machine has been well-proven not to be acting in our best interests or capable of shouldering that burden even if its operators would ever allow it

[–] RumRunningDevil@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

My material needs are certainly met. My family will likely never buy a home but I've never wanted to so that's no loss for me. We have food, water, shelter and access to education for our children (for all the good that will do them).

I have had times in my life where my material needs were very far from being met. Either as a result of lack of funds or as a result of being located somewhere hostile to those needs. Though the fear of a post scarcity economy has been one I've had since I was a child (ironically the most materially unstable portion of my life) so this has been a consistent character trait, whether or not I could articulate it.

[–] moonshadow@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I didn't mean it as a callout or gotcha, just seemed relevant to the potential appeal of having them met by a machine. I certainly wouldn't feel lost or directionless in that scenario, there's so much I want to do but can't now. Liberation from the chop wood/carry water processes that occupy more time than I've got would unlock so much potential

[–] RumRunningDevil@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I notice when the topic of a post-scarcity/post-work environment comes up the reactions tend to be roughly sortable into 2 camps. People with my perspective and people who would be excited about this. It's interesting that you mention liberation from chop wood/carry water because that actually sounds rather lovely, and that's coming from someone that did manual/industrial labor for the first half of their working life.

I wonder what the psychology of that is? Why some people would find the absence of toil freeing and others would find it dreadful.

[–] moonshadow@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

You're more than welcome to come pitch in. I feel like it has a lot to do with how someone's currently handling their burdens. If you're thriving now, fundamental change is a threat. If you're struggling, there's room to see it as salvation. I think it sounds lovely to be warm and have enough to eat, and am quite confident I could find another goal should those suddenly be achieved. Maybe it's just the grass being greener as usual :p

[–] RumRunningDevil@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago

Maybe it's just the grass being greener as usual :p

Most likely haha, probably also true for myself. Ironically I got out of doing industrial work to get into tech and, now, with AI eating a lot of my responsibilities I'm looking at getting back into the field.

Change has a way of revealing things about ourselves and others.

[–] MajorMajormajormajor@lemmy.ca 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Damn, they be turning space gay now too? When will the madness end!?

/s~incase it wasn't obvious~

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