The so-called "Modern" life

[Morgana]

What the hell is it about the world at large? I think people were happier when they believed dragons would come and devour their virgin daughters.

[Terminal Est]

I do not know about that. Fear is an omnipresent aspect of our lives, no matter how we decide to face it.

I refuse to believe that people were ever happier at one time or another, for this would negate what we most commonly recognize as human nature.

People waged war as much back in the centuries as we do today. Pedophiles and murderers were at large as much as today. Should I go on?

Instead of fearing dragons, so to speak, we fear the repo man. Instead of slaving our lives away as peasants to appease the wrath of the cardinals or the dukes, we slave away at work and routine in hotels and offices in order to make sure we do not owe anything to the government, or become wretches begging in the street.
We all still believe in God and hope that our existences are not futile, and that the pains and sorrows which we must bear will pay off in the end. Where, and what, is the difference?

Humanity has perhaps evolved, but in my opinion, I simply call it refinement.

[VITG]

Also, if you were living in the times of dragons and whatnot you'd fall victim to a number of diseases which are harmless today that would be deabilitating or fatal then, your life expectancy would go wahahey down. Let's not also forget the loss of easy to access music, art or any other culture. Food stocks that depended solely on the seasons, bad harvest and you'll struggle to live through winter...why would you give up what you have now to live in such squalor?

[Morgana]

because at least then I had no fear of government men bursting through my door at any second, or a plane crashing into my house, or being shot up at a terminal, or fearing the people that are supposed to be protecting us.


that's why.

[VITG]

Originally Posted by Morgana

because at least then I had no fear of government men bursting through my door at any second, or a plane crashing into my house, or being shot up at a terminal, or fearing the people that are supposed to be protecting us.


that's why.

You think people in medieval times had PRIVACY and freedom? Buy a vowel susan. You don't think there were corrupt leaders? Fact is you're as safe now as you would have ever been at any time in HISTORY. How often have the government burst through your door? How often have planes crashed into your house, or have you been shot up at an airport? Dear God..

[Morgana]

forget it..you're missing my point...tell me, are YOU happy with today's world? Because..I'm for damn sure not.

[Terminal Est]

One word; Inquisition.

Look it up on Wiki, and I think you shall revise your definition of ancient safety, and ''government man'' bursting through the door.

And that is only but ONE example.

Let me just rattle off some famous invaders...Julius Caesar, Vlad the Impaler, Genghis Khan.

None of them were any better or worse then Hitler, for example.

This to accentuate your point about ''safety'.

[VITG]

I think there's room for improvement but the fact is given our nature it is never going to happen that all parties will agree. Democracy isn't right but it's the best thing we have. Serving the majority is well and good but what if the majority has a distorted outlook? For example, a group of men say 6, start to rape a woman. The woman does not want it, but the 6 men do, in a democracy you'd allow the men to rape the woman because the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If we're going to be imposing laws on what are basically animals then we need a powerful leading force, a government, an army, a police/militia. That's the price you pay. You think we should revert to communism? Where everyone is equal? Wouldn't work, you'd need to either get EVERY person in the world to agree on it, or you'd need a special force to enforce the laws which would then null the point entirely. We're making do with the best we've got. Rapists, terrorists and murderers will always exist because man has the freedom of his own actions and we all have that darker side in our nature. The best we can do is try to protect our children from this and make the world better for them, surely our technological advancements in medicine, hygiene, entertainment, engineering and electronics provide them a better quality of life? Several tangents explored but it's one of those nights.

[Terminal Est]

It is in your example, VITG, that I once again see that human life and cycle is always the same.

For example, you have stated that in order for one to have their laws respected, then fear and brute force may be necessary. This is what Vlad the Impaler had achieved, if my historical fascination for vampires is correct.

However, he had been murdered because some people did not like his ideology.

This behavior is still prone today, even if it is manifested in different methods. We are products of our times however, so even if it be simple fantasy, I can understand the fascination with living in another time period.

But thinking about it realistically, I would not really like to do so.

We condition ourselves to fear, even if they are different aspects. We preoccupy ourselves with different matter.

A stupid example, but there were no EMO's in fifteenth century Spain, was there? But people still committed suicide either way.