# What gives you hope these days? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 3, 2021, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513 "2021-06-03T01:44:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2021, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513/61 "2021-06-07T11:57:56Z")
> [@Jay\_Z](#): > > Jeez, there is a bit of hyperbole on this thread. > > Everything in the last 1,600 years was a “temporary setback”, but the Republicans have cracked the code, we’re on the road to dystopia. > > I had things to deal with that my parents never had to deal with. My kids have things to deal with that I don’t. I’m sure someone on the front lines in 1917, or someone in a Nazi concentration camp, would be glad to know they don’t live in awful 2021, and should be happy in their temporary setback state. Ok. What gives me some hope is that the battle isn’t over yet. We still have a chance. As far as the good old days, of course they weren’t back in 1917 or during the times of Nazi concentration camps. They weren’t even when I was a kid back in the 1980s. The good old days, IMHO, were still getting better as recently as 2016. Our current problems may very well be a temporary blip. To really get in the spirit of the OP, another thing that gives me hope is that I think that should we succeed in the current conflict, against both the forces of populist nationalism and against global warming, that we are probably in for a long period of peace and prosperity. We could even reach the Star Trek TNG style utopia, which IMHO is what we should strive for as a species. Of course there won’t be a warp drive or transporter, but I believe that type of society is achievable. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513/62 "2021-06-07T12:52:46Z")
I think saying that Bush won is generous. He ended up president because of a conservative court, Gore graciously accepted the ruling and the civilized part of America didn’t attempt a coup. Fast forward to January 6, 2021 and red state America launched a terrorist attack because they legitimately lost an election. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513/63 "2021-06-08T03:00:00Z")
The most basic foundations of human society are intact, and have been for most of the time throughout recorded history. For the present: Children at play are still just as engaging to watch, as are dogs in the dog park. Women are still fascinating, intelligent beings who are beautiful. Momma bobcat growled at me when I came anywhere near her hiding place under one of my plant benches. I grow lots of plants; currently I have several young Kalahari Camel Thorn trees and several other African tree seedlings approaching a foot in height. While I will never live long enough to see them as specimens, others will and that feels good. People are resilient and are emerging from COVID restrictions. The community effort to get this disease under control really says something about us…even though there are those who didn’t join with the rest of us. History tell us that evil regimes occur, but ultimately fail. So I try to look at the long view instead of what is constantly presented to me. Being alive, feeling the wind on my ears, and the sun on my face tells me that I am alive. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513/64 "2021-06-08T05:05:20Z")
short/medium term? Advances in neuroscience. I think they’ll open up tons of medical options we don’t have now against the worst diseases we face. They’ll also help speed up problem solving. Long term (millions, billions, trillions of years)? Intelligent life leaves behind biology and spend a virtual eternity in intelligently designed equivalents of bodies and brains. For me I don’t know if I prefer the idea of a blissful afterlife or nothingness after death. Both have pros and cons. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513/65 "2021-06-08T05:10:45Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > I don’t understand all the “sweet release of death” responses. That’s not hope; that’s a certainty. Hope involves a degree of uncertainty. > > One thing gives me hope is the incredibly rapid development of COVID vaccines-- a testament to what can happen when thousands of scientists focus on an issue with enough funding and focus. For me its a mixed bag. On one hand, yes its wonderful that we created a new class of vaccines that work against this new disease. On the other hand, how much did it cost to get those vaccines out the door? Like 10-20 billion dollars? Globally, thats not a lot of money. World GDP is something like 100 trillion a year and there is close to 400 trillion in wealth on earth. Seeing how much we could accomplish when we put some of our money in something intelligent kind of makes me sad because it shows how messed up our priorities can be. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513/66 "2021-06-08T11:06:49Z")
> [@Gozu](#): > > Some folks are encouraged by the progress of science. > > As a scientist, I feel science is going at an increasingly slower pace because of the ever-increasing complexity of remaining problems and the ever-increasing amount of skill needed to contribute, while human lifespans and brains remain the same. Human lifespans and brains staying the same is just temporary though. There’s no reason to think strong ai is impossible and lots of reason to think our cognitive capacity is not the last word. And there’s no law of science that says a human body must fall apart by ~120 years. We just need to survive long enough for the small proportion of the population working on this stuff to crack it. I’m convinced we’ll get nowhere close to this in my lifetime. But in this thread we’re supposed to be focusing on the positives… ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513/67 "2021-06-08T15:17:33Z")
What give me hope now? That the logjam which has dammed up my life may be breaking up and allowing me to move forward. (Warning: The following is first world and from a personal viewpoint – I acknowledge worse suffering others endured and do not minimize it.) But in just the past 24 months, I’ve gone through the following: - 5 separate surgeries/procedures serious enough to require anesthesia. - Over a dozen labs, MRIs, X-Rays, Ultrasounds, Dopplers, etc. - Probable heart attack and ER visit. - Severe problems and pain (foot/leg), spending many weeks with a cane. - 15 weeks of severe mobility/lift limitations, mostly chairbound. - There was this pandemic thing, with lockdowns, shortages – y’all might have read about it. - A pandemic-related extra household in our house (welcome, but is getting old). - The loss of 3 family members, 2 from the virus and 1 from suicide. - Parents’ continuing decline and problems getting long distance help and health aides. - Security problems at parents’ home (Theft of meds by aides; Crazy man trying to force his way in) - Massive Texas deepfreeze, with subfreezing temps for over a week, no water, etc. - Huge hailstorms resulting in the total loss of one car and damage to another, total loss of house roof, severe damage to gates, fences, gutters, patio, deck, A/C units, and the collapse/washout of property retaining walls. Earlier this year, I was almost to the point where my normal optimism was defeated. Things had reached the “fucking enough already” point and I needed a break. But, now things are starting to look up. We’ve settled with the insurance company, and the contractor has been around to work up a schedule. The problems at my parents seem to have resolved, at least for now. I haven’t gotten an invite to an online funeral in months. We’re all vaccinated. My own medical issues have stabilized and are getting better. The “extra” household is packing to move to another city and restart (no ill feelings, just glad things are looking up). The mechanics claim they might have the boat fixed in a week or two so we can at least simulate a normal summer. And I’m finally getting out and traveling a little, even if only to neighboring states. So I’ve got a _lot_ of hope right now, and more excited each day to see another piece of my figurative logjam break loose and float away. Apologies for the lengthy post, but I haven’t felt this positive in a long time. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2021, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513/68 "2021-06-08T21:43:51Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > What give me hope now? That the logjam which has dammed up my life may be breaking up and allowing me to move forward. > > (Warning: The following is first world and from a personal viewpoint – I acknowledge worse suffering others endured and do not minimize it.) I think for most people, their personal viewpoint is probably more relevant than more abstract macro trends. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-gives-you-hope-these-days/943513.md?page=3)