Humanity, It’s Not Hopeless

“Never Send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee” John Donne

"Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor" Robert Frost

Humanity, It’s Not Hopeless

After reading the last chapter in the book, I got to thinking about what I think aboiut the future of humanity, and other sources. This is what I really think about this world, about us all being a part of this globe together.

When I was filming a whole day of Ebertfest, the director of Man Push Cart, told Ebert that he doesn’t believe that the world will get better. He said that he doesn’t believe in poverty ever ending, world hunger ending, the super rich ever not being full of greed, wars stopping, and people not suffering. He said that he learned from looking at history how the world works, and that suffering will always exist.

The director said that he was a big fan of and that a lot of his ideas came from the French author Albert Camus. I was pleased to hear that because I also a big fan. I have read the lengthy Plague and the Stranger, although I’ve never read the The Myth of Sisyphus, which is what the director said he based the movie on. I can see where the director, Ramin Bahrani, is coming from. It’s sad and scary, looking at history, there doesn’t seem to be much hope for humanity. It seems that I am speaking about history in these papers a lot, at times like these I wish knew more about history. Why were there so many wars during the 20^th century? I hope it’s because of the many developments and the technological leaps that have occurred in these times.

But On the other hand, people have done lots of things throughout history, they have traded, grew, colonized, lost, killed, saved, but it seems to me that humanity has progressed. There have been people like me that have tried to change the world, to, improve it, and as far they could, they succeeded, so therefore, me and you can too.

I’ve chosen to direct my life by the principles of the Dalai Lama, and so I guess I don’t believe that there isn’t any hope for humanity. From a different perspective, but very close one, it doesn’t matter, because believing and acting that the world can be changed for the better is the only way a person can be happy with the life he or she lives.

There is a quote in the supplemental reading list, “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee” John Donne. I think, but I’m not sure, that the meaning is that bells usually toll for a person when that person is dead at that person’s church service. Taken with the whole poem though, I think Donne’s meaning is that we all have a responsibility a call to action to contribute to the world as much as we can.

It seems to be hard to trace the timeline of poverty. The oldest human issues would be basic needs, of the people, and therefore poverty can be considered to be the most essential issue existing for humanity out there. When a person is in extreme poverty, that person doesn’t have access to shelter, food, proper clothing, and sanitation. So poverty should be the main issue that people should focus on.

So, what to I believe in, well I believe that humanity defiently isn’t doomed. History shows us, that humanity isn’t stupid, (all in all), and that it does coninously strive for progress. So, in the future, distant and especially starkly near, humanity will either be full of injustice and misery like it is, or it will wise up and be compassionate and caring. I’m definetly completley living by the second.