Faith In Humanity, Restored

Catsharp said:
I'm actually super-easy to please, and will love people for sharing their mini fridge or checking if I'm not dead when I come back from sick leave and giving me a fistbump.

I think I became so cynical I actually swung back around into being pretty relaxed about the mixed nature of people. We're not divine, just messy human fleshbags of bones and sadness.
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Yayyyyy another fellow person who loves raiding people's fridge!!

I found another friend. :lovey::grumpytacklehug:
 
Believing humans are not inherently good is not a matter of them pleasing me, or not, it's a life philosophy. I believe good (as in "being a good person") is a verb, not noun. Good is in actions. People with power, whether that power is wealth-based, social, societal, emotional, work, or other hierarchy, often behave selfishly.
 
Pepe Mujica, President of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015, restored my faith in humanity.

"He has been described as 'the world's humblest head of state' due to his austere lifestyle and his donation of around 90 percent of his $12,000 monthly salary to charities that benefit poor people and small entrepreneurs."

"In 2005, Mujica married Lucía Topolansky, a fellow former Tupamaros member and senator, after many years living together. They have no children and live on a farm owned by Lucía in the outskirts of Montevideo, where they cultivate chrysanthemums for sale, having declined to live in the presidential palace or to use its staff. Also living at his farm is his three-legged dog, Manuela. He has drawn worldwide attention for his unique lifestyle."

"He has used a 1987 Volkswagen Beetle as a means of transportation.In 2010, the value of the car was $1,800 and represented the entirety of the mandatory annual personal wealth declaration filed by Mujica for that year. In November 2014, the Uruguayan newspaper Búsqueda reported that he had been offered 1 million dollars for the car; he said that if he did get 1 million dollars for the car it would be donated to house the homeless through a programme that he supports."
 
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I'm most inspired by people without power and with barely any means who do greater good. I have a friend who is one of these people. Care packages for the homeless in the neighborhood, human and animal shelters, fundraisers, support groups, the kindest and most generous person I have ever come across and all without the humble brag, without the "I just saved someone's life, give me internet points!". These are the people that restore my faith in humanity and who will also save the world once the rest of us destroy it.
 
Asa said:
Have you ever met someone, or witnessed something that restored your "faith in humanity"?
Serious or silly, what's the story?

I'm a pretty jaded person. I struggle between caring about the world and saying, "Screw it, there is no point." I don't believe humans are inherently good. It's been a long time since I've met a human being that had the power to be awful, but was instead good.

The person who surprised me by being "good" is a very wealthy person, who owns a big family-owned company (you'd recognize it if I said the name) that is based in the US. He pays his workers well, they have a solid retirement plan, and he does not exploit sweatshop or child labor. – Basically, the exact kind of company Americans say they want more of, and that our country needs.

He let my friends (whom he honestly barely knows) camp on his acres of land next to a gorgeous lake for free, and brought in some impressive camping equipment, and even a porta potty for them, and refused to accept payment. So, he is essentially paying for their camping trip on his land. He's letting a friend host a private event on a different piece of his land. Later I found out he is involved in several charities, and during the winter he donates firewood to families that cannot afford heat, and delivers the wood himself. He doesn't do this for PR. He's genuinely nice, unpretentious, and a chill guy. You'd never guess he has money. His attire and behavior are unpretentious and low-key. He also has farm animals, and when asked if those animals are typically raised for meat, he replied, "Umm, yes, but these are pets." :hearteyecat:

He has the wealth and power to be a selfish, evil jerk, but he is kind.
You know how people list off big plans to live a generous life and help others "if they win the lottery". He lives that life.

It made my heart feel lighter to meet someone like him, and see that there are good people in the world who don't abuse their power.
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I don't mean to be an asshole, but humanity is not getting worse. A brief walk through history will reveal that we are getting better, and not by small measure. We have made so much moral progress it's hard to believe we are even the same species. Further, everyone everyday is trying to be the best person they can be. To say "you've lost faith in humanity" is just insulting. You sound narcissistic and self centred at best. Not that you are! Youre probably awesome! But still.
 
wolly.green said:
I don't mean to be an asshole, but humanity is not getting worse. A brief walk through history will reveal that we are getting better, and not by small measure.
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I never said we aren't getting better. We are not inherently good, though. That's just self-flattery. I also believe that accepting we are not inherently good enables us to work toward doing good, instead of resting on our laurels, expecting we've already achieved that elevated title. Being good is a verb. To be labeled such, you must act to deserve it.
 
Asa said:
I never said we aren't getting better. We are not inherently good, though. That's just self-flattery. I also believe that accepting we are not inherently good enables us to work toward doing good, instead of resting on our laurels, expecting we've already achieved that elevated title. Being good is a verb. To be labeled such, you must act to deserve it.
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Again, don't mean to be an asshole, but if you look beyond your small circle of friends, you will see living breathing humans trying their best to make something of what they have. You said you lost faith in humanity? That's just insulting and self important. Again, not saying you're any of these things.
 
Asa said:
It's a popular phrase, and "Faith In Humanity Restored" is a joke phrase and meme assigned to anything on the Internet that displays human kindness.

Here ya go:
https://faithinhumanityr.tumblr.com
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Yes, a joke phrase intended to convey a real attitude towards others. Usually meant to convey a disgust for humans. Its used all the time, and usually by people who don't know anything about the world or the people that live in it.
 
wolly.green said:
I don't mean to be an asshole, but humanity is not getting worse. A brief walk through history will reveal that we are getting better, and not by small measure. We have made so much moral progress it's hard to believe we are even the same species. Further, everyone everyday is trying to be the best person they can be. To say "you've lost faith in humanity" is just insulting. You sound narcissistic and self centred at best. Not that you are! Youre probably awesome! But still.
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Wolly, this thread isn't about whether humanity has objectively progressed but about the feeling of being disgusted with what humans can do sometimes. And further, about what humans can do that brings one back to a feeling of hope/positivity.

And it suggests sharing such experiences. It's the opposite of narcissistic.
 
Ren said:
Wolly, this thread isn't about whether humanity has objectively progressed but about the feeling of being disgusted with what humans can do sometimes. And further, about what humans can do that brings one back to a feeling of hope/positivity.

And it suggests sharing such experiences. It's the opposite of narcissistic.
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Ok.
 
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Anyhooo,

This article (found in the blog posted in this thread) made me super happy. Wish I'd seen it last week. A bird bit a butterfly in my garden, but didn't finish it off. Then my dog took a bite out of the wing before I got to it, so it was missing most of its wing. I've never seen anything with so much will to survive, but I didn't know how to help.

monarch-butterfly-wing-transplantation-9-5a57135d35fbd__700.webp
monarch-butterfly-wing-transplantation-6-5a5713532cad9__700.webp

LINK: https://www.boredpanda.com/monarch-butterfly-wing-transplantation/
 
I think in my case, it's always been easy to note there are wonderful, loving, and admirably rational minds about....the trouble is merely impatience with the many others who set back progress, and who make life living hell while the progress is being made by others.
In other words, what is disheartening is whether the mistakes are too costly, particularly given they don't really seem realistically avoidable.

If there weren't tangible suffering, and we were talking some abstract information processing, I'd say we should not be complaining too much.
 
Misadventure said:
I'm most inspired by people without power and with barely any means who do greater good. I have a friend who is one of these people. Care packages for the homeless in the neighborhood, human and animal shelters, fundraisers, support groups, the kindest and most generous person I have ever come across and all without the humble brag, without the "I just saved someone's life, give me internet points!". These are the people that restore my faith in humanity and who will also save the world once the rest of us destroy it.
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I share your faith in hobbits being the hope for us all :)
 
Misadventure said:
I'm most inspired by people without power and with barely any means who do greater good. I have a friend who is one of these people. Care packages for the homeless in the neighborhood, human and animal shelters, fundraisers, support groups, the kindest and most generous person I have ever come across and all without the humble brag, without the "I just saved someone's life, give me internet points!". These are the people that restore my faith in humanity and who will also save the world once the rest of us destroy it.
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Such a lovely person <3 I know people like this, too, and they are gems. Most of my friends brag about their good deeds, but...
Every year a friend asks people to do a good deed for her birthday and post about it on FB (and tag her). I always PM her with my good deed. She expects me to, and we laugh about it. Last year this sparked a conversation, and she explained that she posts about her good deeds to inspire others. <3
 
Asa said:
Every year a friend asks people to do a good deed for her birthday and post about it on FB (and tag her). I always PM her with my good deed. She expects me to, and we laugh about it. Last year this sparked a conversation, and she explained that she posts about her good deeds to inspire others. <3
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That is such an awesome bday gift!! See this isn't the give me free internet points kind of stuff and neither are those that post to inspire others. You can tell the difference by the post, whether it's more about the deed itself or about the person seeking validation for their deed. The ones that inspire are the best!
 
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