Golden Age VS Modern Age

[Sollomyn]

I'd really like to see this Golden Age vs. Technology discussion made into a separate thread...

I have a dream; a dream of a simpler world from long ago, back when people weren't segregated from the Earth by layers of concrete, and dependent upon fragile systems that would mean the end of their world as they know it if those systems ever malfunctioned; tis a foolish man who builds his house on sand, and that's what humanity has done to a large extent. How many of them would actually be able to find their own food, water and shelter, should the need ever arise? The department store is the new proverbial hunting grounds for most modern humans, and their weapons are cash and coins as opposed to bows and arrows. The new watering hole is in the modern home's kitchen; where the life-giving substance just seems to magically pour from the steel faucet, with many owners of said faucets not even knowing where their water is actually coming from, or what is actually in it, nor do they seem to care about that peculiar chemical taste within the city water...or they just don't know what clean water tastes like, because its been so long since they've had any that doesn't either come out of a faucet, or a plastic bottle made out of synthetic chemical substances.

When was the last time you had fresh, cold, mountain spring water from your own Earthen clay jug as the forest sings and dances around you? Ever? Would that not be a more pleasant, wholesome, natural, and healthy way of drinking water?

Water's not the only thing that has changed in the Modern Age; even food contains additional chemicals and toxins in it from the special fertilizers used, and genetic engineering of cattle, which aren't taken care of in a tender, loving environment, but instead a giant factory where cows are herded in like nothing more than sacks of meat, with no consideration for their own individuality or personality, with no thanks for the sacrifice it made, and absolutely no thought to how the negative energy affects their meat. Can you taste the fear in a McDonald's Big Mac, for example? I can. That's because I grew up in a small self-sufficient village in the middle of Alaska where all the cattle was raised locally on large green fields; where they were catered to like royalty, loved and spoken to in gentle, caring tones. The difference in the taste compared to factory slaughter houses is truly incredible. In my mind, that's just karma from Mother Nature; if you abuse your plants and livestock, they won't yield as desirable fruit or meat; simply talking to them makes a world of difference. People in the old days knew this; it was common practice; back when humans had a partnership with nature, and they didn't just blindly take or do whatever they wanted to, whenever they wanted to, however they wanted to, with no respect or thought to the consequences; like soulless machines.

Our food and water aren't the only things that have been diminished by the Modern Age; our very homes contain far more hazards than homes of the past did. Carbon monoxide poisoning, black mold, asbestos, rot, backed up plumbing filling the place with the stench of human waste; these were all issues that were essentially non-existent when we were living in Earthen huts and homes, covered with soil to permit the all-important rain to reach the ground and bring forth new life; covering our home-mound in beautiful green grass, berries and wild flowers, blending it right into the Earth, unobstrusively and harmoniously with nature. Once again, I think it's karma; when you consider the Earth, the Earth will consider you; when you neglect the Earth, the Earth will neglect you.

Food, water, and shelter; the basic fundamental cornerstones of survival, have all been mutilated by the Modern Age. That's not even going into all of the other damaging aspects of modern civilization! Perhaps that's what the rest of this thread is for.

PS: Sorry if this thread is in the wrong place...


--Sollomyn

[Tylluan Penry]

The oldest house I ever lived in was about 400 years old. I've never lived anywhere less than 100+ years. Shelter aspects weren't too bad - the walls were thick, the roof (provided it was kept in good repair) wasn't a problem. The problem was that the wooden joists went rotten quickly.
Food was not as good as we like to think even a century ago. Additives included dried poo, sawdust, metal, and earth. Nobody monitored it, especially in cities. The reason people flocked to urban areas during the Industrial Revolution was that life was so damned hard in the country. Not everyone could hunt or grow their own food. As for the stench of human waste - what do you think life was like in the days before proper drains and sewers. Backed up plumbing might be a bitch, but no plumbing at all probably belongs in the seventh circle of hell.

I do agree with you though that the earth should be respected and we shouldn't blindly grab more more more without a thought for where it comes from or what the real price might be.

[Eleanor]

...When was the last time you had fresh, cold, mountain spring water from your own Earthen clay jug as the forest sings and dances around you? Ever? Would that not be a more pleasant, wholesome, natural, and healthy way of drinking water?

Except that most water sources near areas where humans live are contaminated with bacteria our bodies are no longer used to. So thanks, but I'll just stick with the life-giving substance that magically pours from my steel faucet and is clean Nothing wrong with that.

...and genetic engineering of cattle, which aren't taken care of in a tender, loving environment, but instead a giant factory where cows are herded in like nothing more than sacks of meat, with no consideration for their own individuality or personality...

That's the reason I went vegan, because I won't stand for the way that animals are treated in factory farming and the massive negative impact it has on the planet just because people want a burger... but I also don't see how we could provide meat for 7,5 billion people every year and still give the billions of animals needed for that the space and life that we think they deserve to have. We simply don't have enough land for it, even if we would cut down every single tree on the planet. Even if we would all become flexitarians.
Modern age is providing us with great solutions though. I'm all for lab meat for example. No animals harmed, we wouldn't need the pastures and people can have their 'real' meat burger. There, everyone's happy Lab meat will be in our modern age supermarkets in a few years and it's going to make a huge, positive impact on the reduction of carbon dioxide.

Our food and water aren't the only things that have been diminished by the Modern Age; our very homes contain far more hazards than homes of the past did. Carbon monoxide poisoning, black mold, asbestos, rot, backed up plumbing filling the place with the stench of human waste; these were all issues that were essentially non-existent when we were living in Earthen huts and homes, covered with soil to permit the all-important rain to reach the ground and bring forth new life; ...

Not all things about modern age are bad. On the contrary, I think modern age and technology could save us and our planet if we keep working hard on improving it and solving the issues we face.

I agree with you that there's nothing nostalgic about modern technology though. I'd like nothing more than to live in a small community in a simple home (still build with bricks though) that lives off the food it grows locally and people looking after each other and nature. Sadly, I don't see that day coming very soon as human populations will only grow. But, then again, never say never.

All things considered, I'm not hopeless at all for the outcome of our planet. Humans have a great ability to adapt. No matter what the future will bring, we WILL adapt to it. We HAVE to. If not, it's simple: nature will wipe us all out The Earth will be fine one way or the other. It's us humans who are screwed...

Great topic! I'm curious what others think.

[Sollomyn]

The oldest house I ever lived in was about 400 years old. I've never lived anywhere less than 100+ years. Shelter aspects weren't too bad - the walls were thick, the roof (provided it was kept in good repair) wasn't a problem. The problem was that the wooden joists went rotten quickly.

Nice; personally I'm a fan of underground homes for those reasons among others; no rotting wood to worry about, the roof is Earth so it's definitely strong enough and never needs repairing, and the walls of Earth are bulletproof, not to mention an excellent natural insulator. Best part is it's completely green and doesn't require cutting down any trees; just clay bricks or stones sealed together with mortar; then once the structure is built it's covered with soil and voila; underground home.

Food was not as good as we like to think even a century ago. Additives included dried poo, sawdust, metal, and earth. Nobody monitored it, especially in cities.

Haha; grody! I would never suggest those additives for food. I should probably note that I'm not saying people should replicate exactly what the ancients did; I'm talking more blending modern-day knowledge with the ways of the ancients. For example, NOT sprinkling hard metals onto our food, and instead growing peppers and spices, and evaporating salt water to attain the salt. You can make absolutely delicious delicacies in the wilderness using primitive skills.

The reason people flocked to urban areas during the Industrial Revolution was that life was so damned hard in the country. Not everyone could hunt or grow their own food.

Hardship often makes people want to run away; the key is to learn how to enjoy working for what you get; you start seeing it less like labor and more like the act of being free and independent; self-sufficient. With just some minor changes in perspective and attitude, the work it takes to live free and independently actually becomes enjoyable. In the days of the ancients, (I'm talking stone age here haha), everyone was trained by the elders of the tribe in the ways of hunting and gathering and gardening; teaching the young how to survive in the world was just a common-sense practice in those days. The only ones who didn't hunt, gather or garden were usually just the sick and the elderly; they were either taken care of by the rest of the tribe...unless it was a tribe like the Eskimos back in Alaska who practice a form of senicide; when the eldery got to be too much of a liability, they'd often be pushed out to sea on an ice floe to die. Not forcibly mind you; this was just the tradition, and the elderly involved were willing and understanding, often seeing it as a blessing; nice big ceremony and tender farewells. I'm conflicted on that personally, but without condoning, or condemning, I understand. To conclude this part though, living a self-sufficient lifestyle is definitely more easy to accomplish with a group of people; two individuals can make quick work of a task that would've taken a lot longer and been much more difficult for just one person. This also helped people grow closer and stronger bonds the likes of which just aren't seen in modern day cities where machines do most of the hard, time-consuming work, consequently causing people to appreciate and respect it much less than they would have had they had to put in that work themselves; the sense of achievement is almost like payment in and of itself haha.

As for the stench of human waste - what do you think life was like in the days before proper drains and sewers. Backed up plumbing might be a bitch, but no plumbing at all probably belongs in the seventh circle of hell.

Actually, ever since Biblical times (at least that far back anyway), people would simply go off into the woods a ways, dig a little hole, go poo in it, and then fill the hole back in with dirt, leaving the fecal matter to decompose into the rest of the soil, just like any other animal droppings haha. If you have a septic tank, a large portion of the waste inside of it seeps back into the ground; what doesn't seep back into the ground usually has to be pumped out by a truck that then brings all the waste matter to a sewage treatment plant. I'm unsure of exactly where it goes from there, but I'd hope it just ends up going back into the ground. So really, for thousands and thousands of years, humanity has done more or less the same thing with their waste matter; they give it back to nature haha. The only real differences is the plumbing and the processing and refining processes at sewage plants. No pun intended, but that just looks like a whole lot of waste to me haha. Older civilizations also eventually came up with the idea of outhouses; another way of putting human waste into the ground. When they get full, you just relocate the outhouse and fill in the pit with Earth like you do when you dig a little hole to poop in; covers up the smell and makes the area more sanitary by preventing anyone from accidentally stepping into your fecal matter; not to mention it makes it a little harder for predatory animals to track you haha.

I do agree with you though that the earth should be respected and we shouldn't blindly grab more more more without a thought for where it comes from or what the real price might be.

Indeed; those weren't problems back when people had to provide for themselves.

...but I also don't see how we could provide meat for 7,5 billion people every year...

This right here precisely the problem I have! You see...WE shouldn't be providing other people's meat at all, haha. THEY should be providing their OWN meat on their OWN little farms (or via hunting). They shouldn't just expect others to provide for them without putting in any of the work. That's the attitude of entitlement that I have such an issue with; people in modern civilizations, particularly millenials but many adults as well, just seem to think that they're entitled to be fed and watered and sheltered by their friends, family or their government, completely free of charge, without having to contribute anything themselves. It disgusts me. Back in the day, if you weren't able to provide for yourself, you went the way of the dodo bird. I miss that; there'd be so many less stupid people in the world, and thus a cleaner environment too hahaha (Humans exhale carbon dioxide. )

Modern age is providing us with great solutions though. I'm all for lab meat for example. No animals harmed, we wouldn't need the pastures and people can have their 'real' meat burger. There, everyone's happy Lab meat will be in our modern age supermarkets in a few years and it's going to make a huge, positive impact on the reduction of carbon dioxide.

I've never heard of lab meat; I'll have to look into it, if only to shake my head at it in annoyance haha. Whatever it is, I can promise you that it isn't actually meat, because like it or not, animals have to be harmed in order to get meat. Other animals hunt other animals because meat is high in proteins and nutrients. Humans are just another animal in my mind; and like all the other animals, we too feed on meat; that's why our eyes are pointing forwards and not on either side of our head like a deer haha. They point forward so that we can better focus on, and catch our prey. We're predators, and to try to deny or change that just seems unnatural to me; almost as unnatural as lab meat. (When you get some lab meat though, try feeding it to your cat or dog just to see what they do; I'm thinking they'll be disappointed; take one sniff of it, conclude that it isn't food, then look up at you like you're trying to play some kind of sick joke on them by giving them fake meat. )

Not all things about modern age are bad. On the contrary, I think modern age and technology could save us and our planet if we keep working hard on improving it and solving the issues we face.

Indeed; I don't think all things about the modern age are bad either; I just think there's a lot more good things about the Golden Age as opposed to the Modern Age. Either age will have some good and bad aspects; I just think the Modern Age has more bad aspects to it than the Golden Age did.

I agree with you that there's nothing nostalgic about modern technology though. I'd like nothing more than to live in a small community in a simple home (still build with bricks though) that lives off the food it grows locally and people looking after each other and nature. Sadly, I don't see that day coming very soon as human populations will only grow. But, then again, never say never.

Indeed; overpopulation is a huge issue. I'm literally HOPING a solar flare hits the Earth and fries all electronics sending us back into the dark ages. The overpopulation problem would be solved like, practically overnight hahaha. (Fortunately we are overdue for a massive solar flare; sun should be popping a zit any moment now; let's hope we're in it's trajectory path hahaha.

All things considered, I'm not hopeless at all for the outcome of our planet. Humans have a great ability to adapt. No matter what the future will bring, we WILL adapt to it. We HAVE to. If not, it's simple: nature will wipe us all out The Earth will be fine one way or the other. It's us humans who are screwed...

Indeed; I'd just rather adapt to Nature than a postapocalyptic chemical wasteland resulting in humanity having to move to Mars, where there is like, literally no green at all on the surface of the inhospitable planet, (at least until we terraform it over the course of hundreds or thousands of years).

Great topic! I'm curious what others think.

Thanks; me too.

--Sollomyn

[B. de Corbin]

People who are anti tech saying it over the internet.

What a hoot.

[Sollomyn]

People who are anti tech saying it over the internet.

What a hoot.

Whoever said I'm anti-technology?????

I surely never said I am haha.

[faye_cat]

Honestly, a shift back to more natural living in terms of mentality and appreciating the earth is wonderful, but it's not a competition. Life sucked back then, life sucks now, only the life span is a bit longer. Capitalism is a lot more to blame than the "sheeple" you seem to want to passive aggressively judge.

[Bartmanhomer]

We're futuristically technological advanced and it's going to continue advancing when space aliens landed in our planet or maybe we evolved in space aliens ourselves for thousands or millions years later.

[Sollomyn]

We're futuristically technological advanced and it's going to continue advancing when space aliens landed in our planet or maybe we evolved in space aliens ourselves for thousands or millions years later.

Only time will tell, haha! Personally though I think it's a cycle; humanity builds up to futuristic technology, and then either a man-made or natural disaster ends up pushing the proverbial reset button. Like the story of Atlantis; perhaps a once highly advanced technological race of beings, only to be wiped out in the Great Flood. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics also depict technology far more advanced than what we had thought they had.

So yeah...it's probably a cycle....like a heartbeat.....kind of beautiful, really; when you think about it.


--Sollomyn

[Bartmanhomer]

Only time will tell, haha! Personally though I think it's a cycle; humanity builds up to futuristic technology, and then either a man-made or natural disaster ends up pushing the proverbial reset button. Like the story of Atlantis; perhaps a once highly advanced technological race of beings, only to be wiped out in the Great Flood. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics also depict technology far more advanced than what we had thought they had.

So yeah...it's probably a cycle....like a heartbeat.....kind of beautiful, really; when you think about it.


--Sollomyn

Unless if there's a zombie apocalypse heading our way!