Humanity’s Wasted Potential

[u/WontTakeShit]

Humanity is a masterclass in wasted potential. A species gifted with remarkable self-awareness, reason, and creative power, yet perpetually driven by its pettiest, most primitive impulses. It acts sophisticated, yet bases entire cultures around vanity, fragile egos, and instant gratification.

People tear others down out of insecurity, destroy their own environment out of greed, and treat basic integrity like a rare virtue instead of baseline behaviour. At its core, it's a species that spends most of its energy fighting problems it creates for itself... and then wonders why everything feels so broken.

Note: When I talk about integrity I mean true integrity like the kind required when something significant is at stake for that person. I'm just so jaded by humanity. What can you even say when the dark side of human nature so drastically outweighs the good? I didn't even touch on the abuse, human tra**icking, and other horrific shit that people do to one another.

[u/SheikhMahdeek]

Think about all the wasted lives. Out of 3 billion people working, if we even devote 10% to furthering science, there's 300 million scientists. Think about the progress we'll make. But nope, 3 billion people wake up to do mostly pointless tasks that don't further humanity.

If we limit earth to 500m people, we can give everyone top tier food, healthcare and education. Everyone's life is enriched. But nope. The most ill equipped country breed the most.

If only we don't shoot rockets at each other, all that money for defense can go into something way better. But nope, let's just burn everything.

[u/Apprehensive_Pin4196 → u/SheikhMahdeek]

Only a minority have the inherent talent to be able to learn the skills required to further humanity. There's enormous variance in IQ and innate propensities, and sadly most people are pretty useless. The best they can do is try to enjoy their life, which isn't actually such a bad thing.

[u/illusinative → u/Apprehensive_Pin4196]

You don't have to be a genius to do science. An average IQ is quite enough for it. Yes maybe you can't contribute as much as a high IQ person, but it is still quite decent to do its own bit. Better than wasting it on meaningless tasks.

[u/Apprehensive_Pin4196 → u/illusinative]

I don't know the exact stats, but I think most researchers are above average IQ. Not that IQ is the only requirement, they also need the right temperament, cognitive profile and opportunities. Also a civilisation can't run on researchers, we need the bulk of people to do the menial, tedious work which keeps keeps us all fed, sheltered, watered and entertained. I just don't think it's realistic for the bulk of humanity to contribute to novel discoveries.

[u/illusinative → u/Apprehensive_Pin4196]

I agree. Of course everyone can't be researchers. Someone has to grow crops, build structures, etc. But still there is a huge chunk of people occupied with essentially meaningless tasks like advertisement, marketing, so called growth specialists, HR, real estate agents, etc. We can name dozens more, you get the idea. These would all be pointless outside our greedy capitalistic system. Don't get me wrong, I'm one of those people myself, having a decent career in digital marketing. I don't respect what I do, and I think it is just absolute nonsense.

[u/SheikhMahdeek → u/Apprehensive_Pin4196]

True. Geniuses are rare. But consider those people being born into poverty in India and Bangladesh. There were short changed from the get go. What chances do they have?

I don't mean to pick out particular countries. It's just where I am, we get low skill migrants from these countries. I sympathise with them because they are going to struggle their whole life.

[u/Apprehensive_Pin4196 → u/SheikhMahdeek]

No doubt there's been many geniuses born into poverty who could've contributed something and it's a terrible waste. I'd change things if I could, but sadly nature has been driven by will to power and survival of the fittest since the dawn of life, and there's nobody overseeing things to make sure they're 'fair', whatever fairness would even look like considering the necessity of genetic variation. I can't see any reason to think humanity would even be satisfied with fairness in the long run, given our apparent need to constantly surpass our present state and those around us, always needing to expand and increase our influence or power.

[u/MindlessDifference42 → u/SheikhMahdeek]

Unfortunately that's wishful thinking that sounds like a dictatorship. If "we" devote, who's we? Who's fit to be the government or the monarchy to order someone else to do something? Can't force people to do something without creating yet another dystopia.

[u/HorrorPercentage5404]

Humanity could've been something "better", all those wars, genocides, murders, manipulation and etc caused by the egos of humans set us back.

[u/awidden → u/HorrorPercentage5404]

I don't think there was a real chance of that. We're genetically fucked up at this point IMO; we're well geared towards all those (now negative) traits by natural selection for tens of thousands of years.

[u/reddUser25693]

It is not just humanity. It is the nature of animal life itself, that is all about accumulating power for yourself, at the expense of others. Humans are just more intelligent and they have devised new ways of creating and exploiting this power. However far ahead life may go, and whatever changes happen in society, this core behavior of selfishness, greed, and short-sightedness will remain intact, because it is the most primitive instinct which can not be erased. I have zero hope that humans can overcome this. It is not possible.

[u/fallindominoes → u/reddUser25693]

Well said. I expect the vast majority of species in the universe with comparable or greater intellect and creative capacity to humans do/will be similar in this way; evolutionary pressures demand ruthlessness and power-seeking and ingrain it in life as an imperative. My flicker of hope is that we as a species at least have some members who can recognize this, and may be able to engineer a way forward for intelligent life (even if it does not take our precise form) with a better instinct for cooperation, now that the bloody, desperate battles of evolution have led us to a point where we don’t HAVE to be that way to survive.

[u/defectivedisabled]

The idea of having sort of potential to begin with is another human exceptionalist thinking. There was never any potential for anything and we are doing whatever we always have been doing as products of nature. We are not exceptional in anyway and can never break free from the natural process that created us. 

Harmonious living with nature would would require us to abandon the exceptionalist thinking and it does not sit well our inner narcissist from within. Just look at the current AI craze. Our "potential" to bring about a techno utopia is the very thing destroying the very nature that we live in. When one is exceptional, all sorts of delusional fantasy must apparently be actualized at any cost.

[u/katakuri-239 → u/defectivedisabled]

This is a good take, we can't scape our nature. We are rebellious by nature and thats how we archive great things. Yin and yang. We always gonna oppose to the status quo, we thrive in chaos, life is suffering and it's beautiful at the same time.

[u/justarandomgiy3626]

Humanity has always had great potential, but unfortunately it has always wasted it, and I don't think there's really anything more to be done.

[u/flagitiousevilhorse]

Wth, this is literally my philosophy. We’re like the same person

[u/InternetCharacter139]

It's just that trash overwhelm the good. Just like pain having a longer lasting effect than good feeling 

[u/reincarnateme]

One of The most disappointing parts is that we know better, we’ve made advances, we know how to prevent and prepare and prevail, and we choose not to do it for fight against it. It’s baffling

[u/Pfacejones]

Life itself is precious but each individual living person is a garbage fire myself included

[u/summercookiess → u/Pfacejones]

If each individual person is garbage fire, then why say life is precious?

[u/badsadgal → u/summercookiess]

Life itself is breathtaking if you take time to appreciate its complexity, but we're prone to imperfection. It’s both a blessing and a curse.

[u/quiet_and_tired]

I was just thinking this the other day. It’s getting to where I’m becoming worried about being a narcissist lol……. I’m happy others feel this way as It helps me think I’m not the problem lmao.

[u/Busy-Newspaper-4684]

I agree with you. They don’t even care about the environment or what they do to themselves as a species.

[u/Completely4otten]

"Since I no longer expect anything from mankind except madness, meanness, and mendacity; egotism, cowardice, and self-delusion, I have stopped being a misanthrope." -Irving Layton. I had to accept that no matter what I do, I probably have some flaws I am still unaware of. The flaws of others are glaring to most of us, this is why introspection is crucial. Have a nice day.

[u/TheBuffestFroggo]

It is always the government and anyone with big ego who makes the most problems imo.

[u/justarandomgiy3626 → u/TheBuffestFroggo]

That's why I consider myself completely apolitical.

[u/Soultrapped]

Very well said. It’s very disheartening. For me there are two points of hope: 1) we simply need to evolve more. It will take a few more million years for our base instincts to be weeded out and we realize the insane potential for living as a collective to achieve the greatest things 2) there are many planes of existence and this one just happens to be one of the lower ones, kindergarten for souls or a type of hell. Learn what you need to in this hell hole (which you are obviously doing) and stick to your standards and your soul never needs to come back

I suppose the possibilities are endless but as far as right here, right now you are 100% correct.

Humanity sucks

[u/reddUser25693 → u/Soultrapped]

I think evolving more will make the situation even worse for the average human, as it will only further empower the rich and the powerful, who will find new ways of enslaving everyone else.

Alternative planes and hell idea is just wishful thinking at best, because we are mostly trying to find hope anyhow.

[u/UFogginWotM80]

not so much a counterpoint as it is a remark that 'potential' itself is wasted energy. Someone, anyone, could have "potential," but without actually making the effort into being something that potential is never realized and therefore not worth discussing.

Putting that aside, I think the bigger issue is that the incentive structures present act to disincentivize "progression". By large, people are barely making money to survive and make it on, all so that the wealth is concentrated in the few who hoard it.

[u/Flamingoa432]

Well yeah, but I will state. If people didn't involve others in their nonsense by trying to control the whole world and destroy the environment in the process, I think we'd be fine with others being however they are on their own. You say wasted potential, but since the goal on the whole was never really positive for everyone involved, every act of gathering together was doomed to cause more problems than solutions in the first place. This is fundamentally why I expect just more nonsense from humanity as a whole. Looking at a bunch of thieves and liars like they could have been better, denies they are and will continue to be thieves and liars wavering between which more so. I get looking at what humans can do when directed towards being positive at something and being inspired. But that's all coming from the back end of world domination. Where people have almost no problems coming from anywhere but ourselves.

[u/filmguy36]

Let’s hope the next species to replace us gets all the smarts but without thumbs

[u/Thedinomage]

I think one of the points is that people have a lot of agency and are therefore responsible for their own life.

[u/Purple_Nesquik]

I think this all the time about my religious family.

[u/EdgeProfessional4752]

That's because human nature in itself is deeply flawed and evil. All of these problems stem from the root of the shitshow that is human nature. Humans are evil.

[u/EdgeProfessional4752]

Self awareness and reason means nothing when we are still tied to our biological impulses and we are still wired to respect power and evil.