Has anybody ever heard of the term Vanishing Point? It's a term used to describe the point in time when humanity will create sufficient impact upon the biosphere as to make it no longer sustainable for the bulk majority of organic life as we know it. It means basically the point at which we fuck up the planet's surface and the delicate balance it has to the point where it cannot undo the damage and the ecosystems for the most part just collapse. Every day information is factored into this equation and this point in time is roughly calculated. The rate at which we approach that point is increasing exponentially. The idea of trying to instill sufficient selflessness in humans to persuade them to defy both their most core of instincts, AND what religious/govermental/social edicts tell them is in time to avert this catastrophe is preposterous. In other words, that was a great idea a hundred years ago, maybe even fifty years ago, but the population is just TOO fuckin big, and too many people will want to be exceptions, because they cannot overcome these drives. Simple. It's too fuckin late for people to choose. They had the choice when the sexual revolution happened, and they fucked it up.
Luci, I understand that it's a both a male and female thing, but in all reality something has to be done fast, and to my knowledge, there is no effective male pill. If there was, I'd be on it. The female's reproductive system for the moment is easier to regulate without causing complete permanent sterility. I personally find that to be less of a curse and more of a blessing. For guys, it's pretty much a one way trip.
Influx, you cannot teach MILLIONS of years of evolution out of people. That's why it HAS to be a biological factor. This has NOTHING to do with government. I cannot figure out how the fuck you equate the two together. The only thing that this is about controlling is the population growth rate of THE ENTIRE SPECIES, no discrimination, none, no exception, not no way, not no fucking how!!!! EVERYBODY. Governement implies that there are exceptions and target areas for this to be implemented, and I say no fucking way to that sort of thing. Don't paint me out to be some kind of nazi, cuz I ain't. The time to ask people to agree passed long ago cuz they can't and won't. Too many humans listen to their emotions and put them before logic. In almost every human I've ever encounterred, myself included, we ALL do to some degree. Emotion cannot be bargained with or overcome, so it has to be factored out of the equation by something that has nothing to do with emotion, logic, or choice, but could be simply a fact of life. Sure, it's sounds like control, because it is: DAMAGE CONTROL. Ethics, and education cannot be implemented fast enough planet-wide. And who the fuck are you or I to say what 'raised properly, with ethics" is to somebody who was raised in a different environment, under different conditions, with different teachers, and different experiences to teach them?
Quick group question, and please think about it honestly, even if you don't answer honestly. How many people do you know personally that planned and tried to have every single child they have ever had? How many of those children were unplanned?
Now as far as who decides who goes into study and who does not....I have no idea how to answer that question yet. I'm not enough of any sort of authority on what sanity is supposed to be to judge others in that respect, beyond knowing that there isn't a single human I have EVER encountered that isn't fucked up in at least some way. Population first then readjust the social interactions.
I'm not ignoring technology at all, in fact I'm counting on it. Later on, one would hope that a condition of the immortality pill/shot is sterility. If you're not dying, you don't need to make more of yourself. Why would it be limited to those who control? Why would it have to be? If one was immortal, why would they need to control anything? Now I could see that as an immortal, one might have to serve as an advisor periodically to help mortals who might choose to ignore past lessons and possibly create irreperable destruction within themselves and others, but beyond that... what need has one to control? I would hope that if such a thing is ever arrived at, one of the requirements to recieve this is a strict policy of non-interference, short of armageddon, and even then, simply advice. I dunno. I'm not immortal, and still struggle with the concept myself. It's not unforseeable, but just the responsibilities that would accompany such privelage are something that certainly requires consideration beyond the scope of normal life, as in achieving such status, one transcends nature.
"'Cause channeling the Loa takes a certain amount of dedication, and energy. Our Society does not support such behavior or talent in and of itself... so the artist, the medium, must sell his creations in order to earn a living. Must the Shaman starve in order to be useful? " -I believe I said this word for word, right down to the punctuation quite some time ago, here, not long after having reread Count Zero.
The solution I propose is one that does not involve pain, or killing, or war, or dicrimination, or economy, or any of that. It will simply work to reduce out population VERY quickly and let us still lead healthy, comfortable, 'prosperous', and less excessively fruitful lives. People CAN be wrong and are wrong. By being alive under the current conditions, if you are not growing all of your own food, if you are using money, creating ANY trash, using anything but what exists on your land and in your hunting/growing/gathering territory (enough for you and your family), then yes you are part of the problem, and so are your children. It's a fact of life. It's nothing personal, just a fact. I live in this society at this time, so I'm just as guilty.
In fact, none of this is personal. It's supposed to be as impersonal, impartial, non-violent, as well as solving the problems, one at a time.
So how does this relate to the destruction of the mass media, it's mind control effects, and the destruction of the music industry as it is? Complete restructure and prioritizing with less focus on material gain for selfish purposes, leaving those who create just for the sake of passionate creation with more access to resources due to current abilities of providence and efficiency of manufacture, current knowledge levels, combined with less material consumption, so more to go around for all concerned. Combine this with less need or capacity for greed, due to reduced consumption, and reconsideration of resources, and values, and I think you'll start to see the possiblities here.
Ape