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Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

04/09/2011 11:23:31 AM · #1

(This is not a long post, however, because lack of my English, there might be some spelling and/or grammar errors, caution when read, might hurt your brain a little)

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There are too much in my mind right now, too much anger what's going on with this world. I am asking the same question over and over again, are we that stupid?

One of the subjects that are bothering me most is the space exploration. Some of you might know what I feel about the "new NASA", without guts and without any will.

I am watching documentaries from old Apollo era, they have interviews with those astronauts and ground crew who took us all the way to the moon, and they all look like WWII veterans. All look old and aged, their faces with same message "we're done. whatever we did, won't be repeated... whatever we say and expected, won't happen"... It's just sad.. very sad!

Here goes the other things,

We are killing each other for the name of something we can't even be sure exists, selfishness of governments higher than gas prices, young people pulled into TV and game world more than any other generations... there is no sense of organized living rather everything pulling itself apart. and things seem like going backwards.

Once we had libraries only, We've learned more then without google. I ask simplest questions to teenagers but can't get any answers. I ask what's their plans for the future, what are their interests, they are not sure! Could those people run our countries, explore space, find cure for cancer? take care of the world?

...by the way, separating bottles and paper garbage is NOT taking caring of this world, it's a joke, joke to ourselves. It's very easy to put two garbage cans side by side and label them "Bottle" and "Paper" but it won't get us anywhere... Here is what will, "study"... study and learn more to take care of all those problem with better results.

In the past, we had homework, lots of homework, now, no homework. I used to walk in the rain and snow to my school, and they never closed down for snow or rain, and now with one flake or one drop schools are closing. We used to study 3 hours a day at least... now there is no study at home. If I push my kid to study even there is no homework, I get a letter or phone call from school saying I am pushing my kids too hard!

we went to the moon with the education we had in the past, that should tell us something. Studying and learning these days are just not there anymore. I am afraid, and I think I'm right, our future is pretty much doomed, and left to a bunch of people to run with their own comfort.

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

04/09/2011 11:50:26 AM · #2

You make some very good points, Leo, but we really do need to recycle, too. :-) (Seriously, we are garbage-mongers - we make TONS of garbage... we really need to work on that a bit.)

But I do agree that it appears we've gone all namby pamby in schools, doesn't it? I agree it's sad. What to do? We still have very bright kids - I know a couple of 'em - but how do we challenge them? Teach them? Get them motivated? The smart few I know focus almost entirely on video games involving heavy weaponry and lots of killing....

MikeO

Fujifilm x100

04/09/2011 12:20:42 PM · #3

Too much P.C.(Potlitcally correct) in today's world methinks.
I sometimes wonder about recycling as well considering the amount of energy I use to clean out the bottles and plastic milk containers.

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

04/09/2011 12:57:18 PM · #4

Energy - takes it to make plastic, takes it to recycle plastic. In modernized societies, we don't see the trash. Nice trucks come and take it away and put it somewhere we don't see. By the tons. By the megatons. Just think how much you put out each week, times the number of people on your street, times the number of streets in your neighborhood... and so on. We never think about it, because we don't see it. But it goes somewhere! In big piles, on barges, into the sea, under the ground.

And I, who have cats, do think about the fact that in thousands of years, people will dig up artifacts of our lifestyle and wonder why, of all things, we so valued dog and cat shit that we put it in plastic bags, sealed it, and buried it to keep it for all time. :-)

karmat

Apple iPhone 7

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

04/09/2011 01:04:30 PM · #5

and babies' diapers wrapped in plastic to be disposed of. . .

Melethia

Canon EOS-80D

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

04/09/2011 01:05:23 PM · #6

Heh, yeah, I forgot about those, Karma. Apparently this is the age of, well, crap. :-)

posthumous

Canon EOS-40D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

04/09/2011 01:16:47 PM · #7

I'm only 2 yrs younger than u, f. and when I was a kid we were as ignorant and apathetic as any kids today.

04/09/2011 01:23:53 PM · #8

Originally posted by posthumous:

I'm only 2 yrs younger than u, f. and when I was a kid we were as ignorant and apathetic as any kids today.

Exactly. We focused on different things, of course, but it certainly wasn't "study and learning". lol. I mean, sure there's always the exceptions, but we used to beat those people up. If I wasn't reading too many comic books (full of violence) or hanging out in arcades, I was doing everything I could to avoid homework in whatever other way I could think of.

There are only two culprits right now:

Over-population, and media.

The first means there are simply more people not doing things and getting into trouble, and the second means that we get to hear about it EVERY SINGLE TIME and within hours (if not minutes) of it happening. So it SEEMS like we're in more trouble than we have ever been, but we're not really. Because what we don't see are the millions upon millions of GOOD things that are happening every second. Because that shit doesn't sell. The good stuff doesn't draw viewers :D

I'm not inclined to think we're in any more trouble than we ever were, really. Eventually the over-population thing will figure itself out. Either by disease, or mass-starvation, or SOMETHING, but it'll solve itself. Then we'll start over.

And we'll cycle until the earth is swallowed by the sun.

04/09/2011 01:29:44 PM · #9

Originally posted by posthumous:

I'm only 2 yrs younger than u, f. and when I was a kid we were as ignorant and apathetic as any kids today.

do you think many of those young people now "understands" the photos you like the most? or they usually go something more colorful and why?

understanding something, observing and learning about it was the key in the past who made us successful. We still are running with those engines built in the past (not literally). We have an "invention-Freeze" last 40 years. nothing new but only enhancing the old ones.

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

04/09/2011 01:33:18 PM · #10

Originally posted by K10DGuy:

...Over-population, and media...

There are 7 billion of us in this world... scary isn't it. We are destroying the world, and all that. And we were around 4 billion 100 years ago, now watch this...

4 billion people is dead in only 100 years... and 7 billion more will be dead in another 100 years. Total of 200 years (younger than US history) 11 billion people will be dead.

so, even there is too many of us, we're still pretty fragile here on this world. All it takes is a kind of disease stops us reproducing! as you said could happen.

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

04/09/2011 01:50:49 PM · #11

"What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?" Plato.

Thus it has always been, children fail to live up to the expectations of the previous generation. The moon falls towards the earth. Yet the orbit is maintained. We shuffle on. From the beginning of time people have prophesied the end of time.

"Work as if you were to live 100 Years, Pray as if you were to die To-morrow."
Benjamin Franklin

Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

04/09/2011 01:55:36 PM · #12

Originally posted by BrennanOB:

May I substitute "live" for "pray" in his quote? hehe.

Cory

Canon EOS-1D Mark IV

04/09/2011 02:01:53 PM · #13

Originally posted by BrennanOB:

Just as a fun fact, since we're all for learning and such, the moon actually recedes from the Earth, slowly, but it is moving away. :)

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

04/09/2011 02:03:05 PM · #14

Originally posted by K10DGuy:

"Work as if you were to live 100 Years, Pray as if you were to die To-morrow."
Benjamin Franklin

May I substitute "live" for "pray" in his quote? hehe.

"Live" misses the point to my mind. Tell people to live like they will die tomorrow and its party time, burn the bridges and act out your fantasies.

"Work" like you will go on, because what we build is not just for ourselves.
"Pray" implies living well enough to be judged tomorrow, no chances to amend todays actions. To walk the right path, to be seen as worthy in the eye of your fellow man, and anyone else who may be watching unobserved.

Message edited by author 2011-04-09 14:04:11.

04/09/2011 02:06:15 PM · #15

Originally posted by BrennanOB:

Originally posted by K10DGuy:

"Work as if you were to live 100 Years, Pray as if you were to die To-morrow."
Benjamin Franklin

May I substitute "live" for "pray" in his quote? hehe.

Originally posted by BrennanOB:

mm, yah, but there is nobody watching unobserved, so it's a pointless quote for me. For me, to live like I would die tomorrow is to not sweat the small stuff, but to strive for achieving my goals and having as much enjoyment to do so while I can. I guess if you live your life believing that the only reason to do good and not just live a life of hedonism and debauchery is BECAUSE you think some higher power will judge you for doing so, you'd be more inclined to just go party time and act out fantasies. That's not exactly how I prefer to live though.

So I'll change the quote regardless ;)

Message edited by author 2011-04-09 14:07:46.

04/09/2011 02:14:31 PM · #16

I am not favor of "meh!" mentality. If you see something dirty in the sink, you put into dishwasher. Who puts them into dishwasher is the question, not many people these days. and that's what makes things smell.

if we always say "all those things said before are cliches for every generation", we are most likely piling up the dirty dishes in the sink.

If anyone tells me "interest of learning stuff now more than 50 years ago", I would disagree. As I mentioned, there is an "Invention Freeze" for new generation, and the reason is lack of study and learning things. I don't even think teachers encourage kids to invent stuff, but just learn older information and just finish the day.

For example, this is my case which could be different for others... I have a 13 years old son who likes to play soccer. I played soccer when I was young, and I studied the popular players, how they trained what they eat, how they slept. Our coaches also encouraged us to do so. Now, no coach telling anyone to study anything or telling about nutrition they have to take... one hour training and just run and hit the ball. I have to tell coaches to make sure they encourage kids to eat and sleep well if they want to play this game. Kids do listen others more than parents sometimes.

About the Information network, it's top of it's game right now... but how the young kids using it? To learn, or just to tell how bad the breakfast was this morning and they will be online this afternoon to play some games? Text each other to complain about the nail-polishes?

and don't even start about the health problems (weight) our kids having right now. Not the same as 50 years ago... and the reason is... you all know the reason.