Lamentation of Positivsm

     Although the premises that are to be proposed in the remaining post have no direct statistical proof save personal induction, it is still beneficial to express a minority view as long as it can be conceived to be well-reasoned. Thus, the point is that many people nowadays believe that everything will get better with time. A plethora of human beings, many intellectual, ascribe to the notion that society tends to improve as time goes on. Although the case is generally true as a trend of observable history, it is also true that modernity has created a fundamentally different environment than the one a millennium ago or even the one a century ago. Better weaponry and transportation ensures a quick and efficient response to any riots or dissent, and even democratic nations generally utilize sophisticated instruments of which to regulate their citizenry and educate themselves to foreign thoughts and innovations. As largely anecdotal evidence of a slowing push for equality, wage disparity has skyrocketed in America since 1980. People have gained less wage hikes in comparison to what was a historically proportional increase to productivity. Many of the same people who advocate an ameliorist way of looking at life also believe that things are not as bad as they seem. But by definition they also believe that things will get better and eventually work themselves out; so a problem arises. The very same group that wishes for society to better itself is largely complacent and relatively conservative in response to modernity. Perhaps the most prominent image that comes to mind is that of sheep, which blissfully believe in the future. Although such an analogy is overused and often placed out of context, in this case the optimists take a Pollyanna position in life and do nothing of note one way or the other. Such an ideology seems fatalistic and too reliant on chance. Indeed, it encourages withdrawal from reality and the future problems that may arise into a more indifferent and laid-back world view. While many proponents of said mindset would argue that their is very little to be done, many are also (probably in an unrelated fashion) religious. Though there is no attack on religion being conducted, it is strange that the very people who have faith in the religion do not practice its basic tenants of doing instead of watching. Surely continuing to have such a mindset of giving in and hoping for the best will take its toll on humanity, if it already has not. In order for people to have a future in which they are connected to reality, a future that is therefore meaningful and satisfactory in retrospect, humans must learn from history and take an active stance in areas like politics and government, tools that can help to express one's individual perspective and doing their part to further a better society instead of mindlessly thinking that humanity will continue to become a utopia despite any force as it sounds reassuring and easy. Just because the past has been favorable does not mean that the future will be so king. It is necessary more than ever to have back-up plans for the practical betterment of civilization.