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I would love it if there was a religion focused on conquering space, but there is none afaik. Actually i wouldnt mind setting one up - could do with the tax bre

I would love it if there was a religion focused on conquering space, but there is none afaik. Actually i wouldnt mind setting one up - could do with the tax breaks.

hotpotamus 3y ago
I'd say it exists and is called more or less "Techno Utopianism" to which you might call me an apostate. As a kid, I lost the belief in god pretty soon after the belief in Santa (he actually is a god if you think about it), but I held onto the belief in progress/technology, even believing in the possibility of immortality via cryopreservation. But a lifetime of slowly escalating global problems and declining political environments with few solutions in sight has made it hard to maintain any kind of optimism. Even AI, one of the keystone technologies of the Techno Utopian has turned out to be just an even better bullshit generator, all the while the carbon accumulates in our atmosphere at an ever increasing rate. Essentially, there is almost no part of this world I would wish to tell a child about, and seeing them today causes me much sadness. It used to be that I was envious of their youth because they would live to see science and tech advances that I would not, however these days I feel quite the opposite. Maybe I'm wrong; I hope I am, but it's hard to see a happy path for humanity these days.
- gumballindie 3y ago
  > Even AI, one of the keystone technologies of the Techno Utopian has turned out to be just an even better bullshit generator, all the while the carbon accumulates in our atmosphere at an ever increasing rate. I fully agree with this. Unfortunately ai is a bullshit generator and is controlled by bullshit people. I personally speculate that some are suffering from a mild form of schizofrenia but thats an entirely different topic. However i do recommend a change in personal environment because things while grim are not as grim as to wish an end to procreation. Life os pretty cool in some places - the further away from corporate dictatorships the better.
  - hotpotamus 3y ago
    > However i do recommend a change in personal environment This seems exceptionally vague. If you're telling me to get therapy as many have, I can tell you I've been in therapy for much of my life at this point and on one medication or another as well, but they never seem to be able to create any meaning to any of this. I do have appointments with new ones scheduled actually, but I suspect I'll still be bothered by the same issues that have plagued me for much of my life at this point; the "Death of God" as Nietzshce would call it and the continuing environmental degradation I have to live through (my hometown set a new high temperature record this year and it was oppressively hot all summer). I don't think a new medication will solve this, but I obviously am still willing to try. I can't help but wonder, what if I'm not depressed, but simply see things clearly?
    - gumballindie 3y ago
      > I can't help but wonder, what if I'm not depressed, but simply see things clearly? I am not of the opinion that you are depressed nor am i recommending therapy. What i am recommending is a change of setting. You’d be surprised how your outlook changes once in the right environment. Also i am not saying you are wrong all i am saying is that it depends on how you look at things and what things dominate your life and the setting influences both. Issues may be more acute in certain parts of the world than others. For instance in country people living in London can only dream of owning a property, whereas outside london thats not an issue. That doesnt negate the problem of london housing. Similarly weather patterns are shifting to worse in some areas but to better somewhere else. Theres loads of nuance around us.
      - hotpotamus 3y ago
        It's a fair point and I appreciate the sentiment (and the extended HN conversation which is sometimes a rarity). I live in South Texas where I am a native and think about moving north as it only gets hotter here. I did mention the pre-existing condition earlier which makes things harder since my job, family, friends and support system are all local and built over a lifetime. Perhaps for me the change is to get a hip replacement and potentially alleviate much of my disability (which is mild compared to what some face, but gives me trouble nonetheless). It's a hell of a thing to imagine a doctor taking a saw to your femur and replacing it with titanium and plastic, but also an amazing feat of modern medicine no doubt. Maybe I'll just change apartments in the meantime lol.

I would love it if there was a religion focused on conquering space, but there is none afaik. Actually i wouldnt mind setting one up - could do with the tax breaks.

hotpotamus 3y ago

I'd say it exists and is called more or less "Techno Utopianism" to which you might call me an apostate. As a kid, I lost the belief in god pretty soon after the belief in Santa (he actually is a god if you think about it), but I held onto the belief in progress/technology, even believing in the possibility of immortality via cryopreservation. But a lifetime of slowly escalating global problems and declining political environments with few solutions in sight has made it hard to maintain any kind of optimism. Even AI, one of the keystone technologies of the Techno Utopian has turned out to be just an even better bullshit generator, all the while the carbon accumulates in our atmosphere at an ever increasing rate. Essentially, there is almost no part of this world I would wish to tell a child about, and seeing them today causes me much sadness. It used to be that I was envious of their youth because they would live to see science and tech advances that I would not, however these days I feel quite the opposite. Maybe I'm wrong; I hope I am, but it's hard to see a happy path for humanity these days.

gumballindie 3y ago
> Even AI, one of the keystone technologies of the Techno Utopian has turned out to be just an even better bullshit generator, all the while the carbon accumulates in our atmosphere at an ever increasing rate. I fully agree with this. Unfortunately ai is a bullshit generator and is controlled by bullshit people. I personally speculate that some are suffering from a mild form of schizofrenia but thats an entirely different topic. However i do recommend a change in personal environment because things while grim are not as grim as to wish an end to procreation. Life os pretty cool in some places - the further away from corporate dictatorships the better.
- hotpotamus 3y ago
  > However i do recommend a change in personal environment This seems exceptionally vague. If you're telling me to get therapy as many have, I can tell you I've been in therapy for much of my life at this point and on one medication or another as well, but they never seem to be able to create any meaning to any of this. I do have appointments with new ones scheduled actually, but I suspect I'll still be bothered by the same issues that have plagued me for much of my life at this point; the "Death of God" as Nietzshce would call it and the continuing environmental degradation I have to live through (my hometown set a new high temperature record this year and it was oppressively hot all summer). I don't think a new medication will solve this, but I obviously am still willing to try. I can't help but wonder, what if I'm not depressed, but simply see things clearly?
  - gumballindie 3y ago
    > I can't help but wonder, what if I'm not depressed, but simply see things clearly? I am not of the opinion that you are depressed nor am i recommending therapy. What i am recommending is a change of setting. You’d be surprised how your outlook changes once in the right environment. Also i am not saying you are wrong all i am saying is that it depends on how you look at things and what things dominate your life and the setting influences both. Issues may be more acute in certain parts of the world than others. For instance in country people living in London can only dream of owning a property, whereas outside london thats not an issue. That doesnt negate the problem of london housing. Similarly weather patterns are shifting to worse in some areas but to better somewhere else. Theres loads of nuance around us.
    - hotpotamus 3y ago
      It's a fair point and I appreciate the sentiment (and the extended HN conversation which is sometimes a rarity). I live in South Texas where I am a native and think about moving north as it only gets hotter here. I did mention the pre-existing condition earlier which makes things harder since my job, family, friends and support system are all local and built over a lifetime. Perhaps for me the change is to get a hip replacement and potentially alleviate much of my disability (which is mild compared to what some face, but gives me trouble nonetheless). It's a hell of a thing to imagine a doctor taking a saw to your femur and replacing it with titanium and plastic, but also an amazing feat of modern medicine no doubt. Maybe I'll just change apartments in the meantime lol.