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A comment on Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction, U.N. panel says. Parent comment

Re:Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction,... by wonderwonder on Monday May 06, 2019 @04:02PM (#19843195)
I would argue that the increase in anxiety is due to the growing wealth gap. Compounding that is the fact that those in control are actively working on maintaining that gap and will allow nothing to stand in the way, including the environment. The gap is growing worse and will continue to do so and that relentless pursuit of wealth at the top and the hopelessness of those in the middle is making the environment worse. If I am barely surviving and I feed my kids with wages from a polluting industry, with no other option I will vote for those that allow my wages to continue, and damn the torpedoes, even though deep down I know I am making the world worse (further compounding my anxiety and despair). See the coal industry.

So many of us exist in quiet desperation.

People struggling to survive are focused on their next meal or rent payment and while not destroying the world tomorrow sounds good, they are more concerned with what they have to deal with today.

The environment is a side effect of civilizations profit at all costs mentality. Unfortunately this outlook will continue to do as it has always done, reward the few at the top and punish everyone else.

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Re:Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction,... by mrhappyunhappy on Monday May 06, 2019 @05:40PM (#19844194)
Except, those “rewarded” will suffer the same fate as the rest. This isn’t a Hollywood story, there is no off-planet settlement and won’t be before it’s too late for humanity. I think people underestimate just how fast the shits gonna hit the fan. My guess is my kids will not want to have kids given the environment of their lifetime.
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Re:Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction,... by wonderwonder on Monday May 06, 2019 @07:03PM (#19844806)
"I can't help it, it's my nature" said the scorpion to the frog.
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Re:Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction,... by iheartpotatoes on Monday May 06, 2019 @04:39PM (#19843604)
I have $2MM in my 401k I can't touch until I'm 59-1/2. I'm in my 40's and I'm worried of being broke when I'm 60. Insane? Probably. It's like no matter how much you have there's always fear. I keep thinking, "Yeah, it's all in funds and could just go poof if the DOW corrects back down to 7,000 because it took 20 years to get to where it is now..." Does the anxiety never end?
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Re:Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction,... by Calib3r on Tuesday May 07, 2019 @11:13AM (#19850227)
>>I can't touch

Yes you can. If you're actually going to go broke when you're 60, I'd HIGHLY recommend touching at least a bit of that cash at the cost of federal income tax.

Edit: Am not financial advisor

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Re:Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction,... by iheartpotatoes on Tuesday May 07, 2019 @04:14PM (#19853024)
OH, right, yes. I can pay the 30% penalty. I was pointing out how irrational my brain is and the anxiety I feel when 70% of the population is nowhere near where I'm at.
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Re:Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction,... by alvalentini on Monday May 06, 2019 @04:15PM (#19843338)
"So many of us live in quiet desperation".

This is so true it hurts.

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Re:Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction,... by gerbilly on Monday May 06, 2019 @07:22PM (#19844930)
It's actually a famous quote, i.e.:

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”

- Henry David Thoreau, Walden

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Re:Up to one million species are on the verge of extinction,... by xyzwave on Monday May 06, 2019 @11:02PM (#19846073)
The context is also relevant here.

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.”

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