NationStates Jolt Archive

So, as usual at work, when I wasn't working I was thinking and this question popped into my head. I just see a lot of potential for our species in general but we have so many conflicts, divides and our own selfishness. I was just thinking that if we actually started working together and thinking then we could break so many barriers.

There have been many, many instances where just small groups of people have achieved great things that have revolutionised the world. Do you think that humanity will ever break down these barriers and work together to reach its full potential and achieve great things or will the divides be there forever and will we rely on a few to take humanity forward?

I think it will happen but not for a few thousand years yet. We just have to many issues to cope with.

1. If we would all work together, in peace and harmony, we would destroy so much of what is human. Do you realize how many inventions have came out of competition and war?

2. My Pug masters disagree, Humanity has no potential.:D

I don't deny that a lot of inventions have come out of war and nor am I saying that there would be total peace and harmony. I'd say one of the things that would have to stay is competition and so need the corporations to keep this competition healthy to try and outdo each other. However I'm saying if we worked together more, would we have even greater inventions?

We reached our potential last week. It was fun.

We reached our potential last week. It was fun.

Ahh man, I was working all week :(

what potential requires 6 billion people working together?

guiness book of world's records for orgy?

what potential requires 6 billion people working together?

guiness book of world's records for orgy?

....if you're suggesting it I say you advertise it.

Yes, humanity will reach its potential, if only by definition. We'll eventually be the best we can be. Whether that's "good" or "bad", low or high morally, that's unimportant to the meaning of "potential"...

Competition is what drives humanity to invent new devices. Necessity is the mother of invention. And while working together is all great and stuff, the motivation of someone going to invade and kill your family really drives the human mind. Working together is not the way to make a lot of huge advances fast. While we would like to think there are other ways to make inventions there really aren't.

Human history is based on inventing, finding, using new things to kill each other or make us stronger to kill each other. Humanity would have never used iron if the other tribe didn't use iron weapons to kill the people with the bronze weapons.

Computers were used in war first. The military then said,"this is great and all but how can we make this smaller and faster"

War and competition drive us to invent. Humans won't reach their potential if we all work together.

Is it possible we already reached our peak and are now on a downward spiral so Earth can make room for a better species?

It certainly is a long downward spiral...

Is it possible we already reached our peak and are now on a downward spiral so Earth can make room for a better species?

Could be. I mean look what happened to the Neanderthals...

And to add something else to this mix, what do you think humanity's full potential is? Colonisation of distant galaxies? Finally undertanding the planet and working so we sustain it?

No lunatic. Humanity isn't on a downward spiral. Its because news loves to report on whats bad in the world rather than whats good. Plus their are 6 billion and something of us with a new child being born every 4 or 5 seconds

I would define humanities potential as endless if we don't kill ourselves first.

Could be. I mean look what happened to the Neanderthals...

And to add something else to this mix, what do you think humanity's full potential is? Colonisation of distant galaxies? Finally undertanding the planet and working so we sustain it?

Popcorn that doesn't leave little bits stuck between your teeth?

No lunatic. Humanity isn't on a downward spiral. Its because news loves to report on whats bad in the world rather than whats good. Plus their are 6 billion and something of us with a new child being born every 4 or 5 seconds

I would define humanities potential as endless if we don't kill ourselves first.

I'm not saying I believe that Humanity has peaked, I'm just throwing the possibility out there. Afterall, on geological terms, we haven't exactly withstood the test of time yet.

Could be. I mean look what happened to the Neanderthals...
But wouldn't we just kill them off? It takes a long time for sophisticated life to evolve, so we'd probably end up killing off any serious competition early on.

Every human reaches their true potential once in their life.

Mine is to grow the worlds largest Pineapple.

Popcorn that doesn't leave little bits stuck between your teeth?

People playing Rugby naked because life is short?

....if you're suggesting it I say you advertise it.
its that daisy chain across the pacific that has me stumped. ill have to work that out before i put up the webpage.

Is it possible we already reached our peak and are now on a downward spiral so Earth can make room for a better species?

Earth doesn't make room for the advancement of a 'better' species, and if she does then we're just going to have to drill into that bitch some more until she learns that we're in charge now.

But wouldn't we just kill them off? It takes a long time for sophisticated life to evolve, so we'd probably end up killing off any serious competition early on.

I wouldn't be surprised. For all we know we may have already done that without realising, such is the way of the world.

People playing Rugby naked because life is short?

Definitely a sign of sophistication. *nod*

I would say that it is impossible for humanity to reach it's full potential. Considering the enormous number of people, its simply unlikely (near impossible) that we will ever reach a point where everyone of them is achieving 100% of their potential at that time. It's far more likely that we die off before it happens.

Mankind has already reached it's potential (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKg4g9zMeHI).

Mankind has already reached it's potential (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKg4g9zMeHI).

You need to hear "Achilles last stand". (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ArWLI908i4)

You need to hear "Achilles last stand". (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ArWLI908i4)

If it's by Zep then I've heard it. ;)

If it's by Zep then I've heard it. ;)
But you said Stairway to heaven was mankind's peak... Achilles Last Stand obviously is mankind's peak!

But you said Stairway to heaven was mankind's peak... Achilles Last Stand obviously is mankind's peak!

Lies and slander.

Go stand in the corner and think about what you've done.

Lies and slander.

Go stand in the corner and think about what you've done.

You seem to forget that Robert Plant HIMSELF said that Stairway to Heaven was NOT their best song! :eek2:

You seem to forget that Robert Plant HIMSELF said that Stairway to Heaven was NOT their best song! :eek2:

He was wrong. You're wrong. The whole damn system is wrong!!!

Earth doesn't make room for the advancement of a 'better' species, and if she does then we're just going to have to drill into that bitch some more until she learns that we're in charge now.

Yeah, good luck with that. ;)

So, as usual at work, when I wasn't working I was thinking and this question popped into my head. I just see a lot of potential for our species in general but we have so many conflicts, divides and our own selfishness. I was just thinking that if we actually started working together and thinking then we could break so many barriers.

There have been many, many instances where just small groups of people have achieved great things that have revolutionised the world. Do you think that humanity will ever break down these barriers and work together to reach its full potential and achieve great things or will the divides be there forever and will we rely on a few to take humanity forward?

I think it will happen but not for a few thousand years yet. We just have to many issues to cope with.

Maybe when the age of Aquarius starts.

So, as usual at work, when I wasn't working I was thinking and this question popped into my head. I just see a lot of potential for our species in general but we have so many conflicts, divides and our own selfishness. I was just thinking that if we actually started working together and thinking then we could break so many barriers.

There have been many, many instances where just small groups of people have achieved great things that have revolutionised the world. Do you think that humanity will ever break down these barriers and work together to reach its full potential and achieve great things or will the divides be there forever and will we rely on a few to take humanity forward?

I think it will happen but not for a few thousand years yet. We just have to many issues to cope with.

I fail to see the transcending potential in majority of the human beings.

The small groups of people who achieved great thing and revolutionized the world are not within the norm of a standard deviation. Aside from extraordinary talents and intellect, the even more important part is the extraordinary amount of luck to even be recognized. We all know the fate many great thinkers when they deviate from the norm a little too far.

For new ideas to emerge sometimes it takes isolation and breaking off to happen. Even right now many academics who have new and revolutionary ideas are constantly being shot down as they differ from the more popular models. For them working together with the norm would require abandoning their beliefs, leading to regression instead. Because the whole notion of new ideas come from differences, having a society where everyone tries to fit in simply doesn't promote that very well.

I don't get this utopian "togetherness" ideal. Good bit of pillaging and death never did anyone any harm. Good exercise too; now, if all these obese kids got involved we wouldn't have such a weight problem.

the only way we'd ever come together is if some greater threat appeared that required it. you know like an alien attack or robots becoming self-aware. things like that.

I think conquering the Galaxy is possibly Humanity's peak.

FOR THE EMPEROR!

I think conquering the Galaxy is possibly Humanity's peak.

FOR THE EMPEROR!

You keep thinking that, you underachiever, while I go conquer the MULTIVERSE! :D

You keep thinking that, you underachiever, while I go conquer the MULTIVERSE! :D

I already did. :cool:

I already did. :cool:

Actually, you THINK you did. I put you under a simulated reality. ;)

I already did. :cool:

tacos should be falling from the sky in that case

Actually, you THINK you did. I put you under a simulated reality. ;)

Simulated realities are part of the Multiverse. In fact, all realities are simulated realities from elsewhere in the multiverse. And to think that without you, my conquest wouldn't have been possible. :)

tacos should be falling from the sky in that case

I forwarded the idea to marketing. You wouldn't believe the corporate red tape you have to deal with to get anything done in the multiverse. :(

Simulated realities are part of the Multiverse. In fact, all realities are simulated realities from elsewhere in the multiverse. And to think that without you, my conquest wouldn't have been possible. :)

This is getting convoluted...

This is getting convoluted...

Welcome to the Multiverse! :D

I forwarded the idea to marketing. You wouldn't believe the corporate red tape you have to deal with to get anything done in the multiverse. :(

clearly some motivation is needed for the beraucrats, perhaps if they don't get off their butts they'll be forced to watch a 48 hr marathon of Paulie Shore. That'll get things accomplished methinks.

clearly some motivation is needed for the beraucrats, perhaps if they don't get off their butts they'll be forced to watch a 48 hr marathon of Paulie Shore. That'll get things accomplished methinks.

Good idea! I'll forward it to Human Resources.

Humanity reached its potential ages ago. If you are referring to an ideal, such as Plato's, (Laws suggests atheists be sentenced to five years in prison, then death if they do not "reform"), I say that ideals vary between individuals; one woman's ideal is another woman's hell.