The dumps

After re-reading the last sentence of my last post, I realized I'm pretty much down in the dumps again. It's too easy to get depressed. Maybe I just shouldn't sweat the little things.

Depending on who you talk to (and I'm not counting Creationists here, they don't know, they can only believe, and I don't have time for that particular kind of nonsense, though ceteris paribus what I'm thinking right now would include their "arguments" anyhow) there have been humans on earth now for a few hundred thousand years. Yes, if you consider our hominoid forebears we can maybe stretch that back to a million or more years, but that only makes matters worse, not better.

What am I talking about? It's simple really: how dumb are we, actually, as a species?

Really. Yes, I know how lots of folks like to go about all our "progress" and technological advances and that we were on the moon and we've decoded the human genome, and ... well, I'm sure you get the picture, but none of that really answers the question. Yes, we've developed what appear to be some very sophisticated tools, and we can accomplish some clever tricks, but what have we really learned? Are we any "better", whatever that may mean, as a species. Is the world a "better" (same qualifications apply) because of us?

And that's where I'm not getting those good positive vibes. I'm not sure we've accomplished much at all.

We're close to having irreversibly destroyed the climate. We've polluted and have as good as irreparably damaged every environment we've settled in. We can't solve the simplest interpersonal problems without raping, killing, maiming, pillaging, and plundering (or at least thinking of them). We're emotionally unstable. We're pretty handy and making weapons, but are hopeless when it comes making a home or ends meet. We are hands down the most selfish creatures that have ever existed, and when it comes to others -- and I mean that in it's simplest sense: someone not us ... people from other towns, regions, countries, cultures, religions, etc. -- we most often display and arrogance and cruelty that would make baboons blush, if they were capable of doing so.

Most importantly, we are the only creature on earth that knows of evil. And committing it, is apparently what we do best of all.

I'm sorry. I'm missing the "better" part ... still.