Hi..its a big concern for us too...won't you stay a little longer? Trump is egging May on..yet won't offer here concrete support..America first...
I think May is in real trouble..and the U.K may be in for a shock..if this Brexit bad boy.. goes off the cliff..we are all in for a major winter of discontent..☹?

Yes Marine..its all a bit grim isn't it?
Still we have to look beyond our present political quagmire and turmoil..and hope with some optimism that the next generation turn the tide on this brutally devisive and sick world.

Hi there,

Pessimism seems to have taken it's toll on you. There is a profound sadress in your words..though you say you are fine..
I am a little saddened that your daughter has decided of her own accord to avoid having children...I hope she may sometime in the future..perhaps reconsider..or at least revisit this decision.
I only say this because I was of a similar mind when I was thinking about it for the first time..but I was won over and in some ways reluctantly went along with it.. despite my previous mindset and my current concerns of the direction our world is being steered..I can assure you I made the right decision..having two beautiful and clever girls to spoil...these little munchkins tell me they are gonna change the world..and who knows..who am I to tell them otherwise..? Thank you for your heartfelt response Alanalorie.?

Ok you are not in the business of sugar-coating things. Fair enough.. I suppose you would not be in the optimist group..more ultra realist pessimist way of thinking.☺

@Hitchens
In my opinion, it's not an optimistic or pessimistic thought experiment. We are simply parasites. No special standing or privilege because we can talk.
The amount of natural resources required to keep us alive to do what we are doing right now isn't worth the damages to the planet we are causing.

@Anonbene

If we looked after the planet..and controlled our population and baser instincts..we might be worthy of such a beautiful planet.

@Hitchens
Control the population sends up red flags but what if we offered vasectomies and sperm freezing to teen boys? To end all those accidental pregnancies and had to go through some process while sober to get pregnant? It ruins lives to produce unwanted kids because beer and a Saturday night coincided.

@Anonbene

Unwanted pregnancies cause misery to all parties..but as for freezing sperm and handing out free mass vasectomies..is just not gonna cut it..no pun intended.

Old fashioned common sense should limit the damage..but yes it's not as common as it should be..so many abortions..its a shame.

I stand corrected..we are indeed a species.
Furthermore you are correct to point out that we will at some stage become an extinct species..as will all life on earth.
It's really the bit in between I was looking at. I may take it then that you would be ever so slightly leaning towards pessimism then. Cheers. ?

I choose to believe it will be better with the likes of people like us around to shake things up..or at least throw a sceptical freethinking eye over the proceedings. ??

@Hitchens there is no doubt, it will be better...I just don't worry about things out of my hands. Have a good weekend !!

@IamNobody

Thanks Pal..I will..off work all next week..?

@Hitchens nice !!!!!

@IamNobody

Actually its 2 weeks..Im halfway through my annual leave..Yay! ?

@Hitchens oky doky, enjoy....some of us have to work !!! ????? (jelous in a good way) ????

@IamNobody

?? Well don't work to hard! ??

I know there were different concerns and hurdles to climb in every generation..maybe some of their solutions were kicking a can down the same road we are kicking the can down..

But I think I know what you mean..somethings are getting better compared to before..somethings are getting decidedly worse..we are waiting to exhale again.

Well don't go too soon, stick around to see 45 become something like a bad sad memory..it will be wort it! Thank you.

Me too.
It's the direction we have taken ..say since 9/11..
It's just roughly since that era that we have all lost our way with rampant capitalism..war..religious strife...
Trump is fanning the flames too..almost like he is taking advantage of some people's fears and others unbridled hate..
But there are other things in this era of alternative truth, that my girls are asking me about too, that I really can't explain without blushing..
I suppose we must do our best with the kids..they represent our only hope for getting things going in the right direction..
We must endeavour to persevere..as they say.

@Hitchens Exactly... Although I'd like to be optimistic, the people who are running things now are the same peace/love generation that spawned the summer of love... So, despite the fact that many young people have great ideas and dreams, I fear that they'll be crushed in the grinder that is reality... I hold out hope, but I'm not confident. :/

@Veldoran

I hope you are wrong..but deep down I am worried..not for myself of course...I would have liked to leave this life at least with the knowledge that I leaving it in a much better condition than I found it upon arriving..but sadly many of the basics have deteriorated ..even many animals have disappeared.. with more about to..difficult issues to explain to an 8 and 11 year old. ?☹

@Hitchens sad but true.

That's an optimistic fire in the belly outlook..maybe we will survive everything nature throws at us..but there is always the nuclear threat...we must be vigilant...

Pessimistic but ok. Thank you Drsmash. ?

I know I will be...

But we are a warlike and greedy bunch arn't we?...
Who knows..what it will be war..global warming..virus..asteroid...