My hand is raised, that's for sure.
You see, I just don't understand.
You can call me naive, but I honestly don't understand why half of humanity is embroiled in conflict, and the other half is hiding under the covers of their comfort zones.
Exhibit #1: I've been informed that the economy is the #1 issue in the presidential campaign now. Well, that makes sense, I suppose; we truly can't function without money, and a sturdy economy is a great pick-me-up for the masses.
But come on!
What about the war? That's a crazy, scary, world-altering issue that needs to be discussed again and again and again, from every angle possible--not just from the mouths of politicians behind debate podiums, but from the hearts of the Iraqi people (it CAN be argued that we've royally screwed them, so we should listen to their POV too).
And what about the shaky situation in Darfur? Uganda? Etc.?
Whether we like it or not, being branded as a high-and-mighty-force-to-be-reckoned- with comes the responsibilty to provide back up for those who can't defend themselves. Tons of Sudanese, for example, as well as tons of Americans, expect the U.S to DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE in Darfur.
But no, we haven't talked about that, because we have our economy to worry about.
So, the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks, the whole Olympics/Tibet awkwardness, immigration, education...it's to the back burner with you!
And I don't.get.it.
Being young and not having to worry about taxes and social security and whatnot, I could just have a skewed view of life...but I don't see my view as foolish.
There's a HUGE world out there, bigger than our economy, our possessions, our presidential candidates, our college educations. I think humanity has the potential to do something bloody brilliant, but it also seems like we have the most narrow outlook on the future.
"We can create jobs and save the housing market!" trumpet our candidates.
Great!!
But what about creating hope? Saving lives? Not economic lives, but real, transitory souls being blown to bits by violence that we fail to focus on? Are we not able to widen our worldview!?
It's frustrating.
But what do you think?
Does humanity have the capability to fix things? Or am I really just being impractical when I dream of peace, better schools, a global community, and all the rest? Can we truly, sincerely progress?
I really want to know what you think.
I'm listening.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
What pragmatic thoughts. Well said. I'm convinced that most things of importance are done at the local level. Ground up and whatnot. But you may have a point-- there are many things we can solve internationally... like what Vestergaard Frandsen invested in.
You might enjoy this speech i listened to on TEDtalks. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/243
"What is missing is a sense of urgency. If you agree with the factual analysis, but you don't feel the sense of urgency, where does that leave you?"
Every organism's heartbeat holds a universe of beauty at http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/green-underbelly
It would be really nice to have more unity in this world among people. Maybe a utopian society someday. . . But the sad truth is, progress is an illusion. All there seems to be is change. I believe humanity does have the capability to fix things, but the natural selfishness of humanity can also hinder that as well. I mean, selfishness is a basic mechanism for us to survive, but in excess, it could also be a detriment to society and even yourself. And sadly, there'll always be wars. Even when the Kellogg-Briand pact was created to ban wars, it still could stop wars from happening.
Apart from the cynicism, there is hope. Right now, we can't truly assess what's happening presently in the world, but in the future, there may be hope for such things like a more even distribution of wealth, finding fuel alternatives, and fighting for civil rights. Like for freeing children from poor labor conditions, there's been a lot of initiatives and organizations that are actively working towards the cause. These include the UN's Development Programme, which deals with alleviating poverty, and ODW-USA, who established schools and orphanages in certain developing countries.
If you'd like, I have a blog you could read that kinda relates to your topic; it's about organizations and initiatives working to eliminate child labor and provide necessities, better conditions and such to these children and their families: http://www.progressiveu.org/233327-chance-freedom-priceless
There are so many organizations out there working to address certain issues of today, including the the Sierra Club, League of Women Voters, UNICEF, ACLU, and PETA. Don't count out the power of the people. ;)
And well done for addressing these topics, i.am.not.the.walrus :)
-----
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/orochigenocide
". . . it is error upon error, clout upon clout, and our best virtue has for its occasion a superfluous and evitable wretchedness. Our life is frittered away by detail."
- Henry Thoreau