[Wolfrahm]

I noticed a few similar threads on you're side of the forum (also you guys seem to be more engaged in these sort of subjects than the most of the INTPs in the INTP sub-forum), so I've decided to post this here to get the INFPs' perspectives.


Here is the question and the topic:

What type of crisis would you consider to be best for humanity to overcome in order to "change"*?


*open to interpretation


The crisis type the highest chance of us surviving would be "Ourselves" (as were unlikely to be so desperate as to be willing to destroy the whole of humanity) and the crisis type with the highest chance of us getting wiped out would be "Extra-terrestrial threat" (because I highly doubt a space age civilization capable of travelling all the way over here would have a hard time wiping the floor with us, if they so wished).

Take note that ,for example, "Extra-terrestrial threat - alien invasion" indicates the type of crisis (i.e. a crisis involving intelligent extra-terrestrial beings) and then after the dash is an example of the said type of crisis (i.e. an alien invasion).


Here is a explanation of the types:

Ourselves - we are the cause of our own crisis point. Example: WW3

Gradual - the crisis happens over a period of time. Example: resource depletion etc.

Sudden - the crisis happens suddenly without warning. Example: global pandemic, societal collapse, zombie apocalypse etc.

Imminent and unavoidable - the crisis' occurrence is imminent (i.e. it hasn't happened yet) and unavoidable (in other words the crisis point is the anticipation of the crisis). Example: imminent asteroid collision etc.

Extra-terrestrial threat - the crisis is a result of intelligent extra terrestrial beings (as apposed to unintelligent extra-terrestrial beings).

None at all - we don't need a crisis to spur us to "change" (self explanatory).

None - humanity wouldn't come out any "better" anyway (self explanatory).

Other/specific - you don't like my options/ you hate my guts/ you want to suggest a more specific type of crisis/ you wanted to click something.




All types welcome to vote and comment, as I just want an INFP majority.

 

[Sage del Viento]

It's all cycles in my opinion.

Civilization rises, reaches a peak, and then declines. With variations of course.

No crossroad will ever change that. We humans have too much variety to be able to say what would change us. We banded together for survival while primitive, yet once established as a more dominant species, we all had different goals.

Any crossroads encountered will do what they've done in the past. Some societies will collapse while others learn to prosper and they become the new super power of the world.

I've guessed I've focused vaguely on society rather than humanity in general.

I think it's somewhat the same answer though. Nothing will really change. It'll be a cycle of rise and fall as always.

 

[Raain]

Misanthropy, and the belief that we need a catastrophe to 'change'.

We do not!!

This is a self defeatist attitude, that encourages inaction and only continues the problems.

http://www.dwfed.org/path-wars-and-disasters.php

Love humanity! We are all struggling together!!

We need social change; which begins by being the change you want to see.

Optimism, empathy and philanthropy are the tools to change society.

 

[ATLeow]

Humanity will change when important people start losing so much money it is cheaper to try and fix everything. Doesn't matter a damn whether they see it coming or not, in my opinion.

I'm feeling cynical tonight, but I think any attempt to fix anything before that point will be pretty half-arsed. As it currently is.

 

[mushr00m]

I have thought about this question to death with no real conclusion in sight. What I believe is happening right now is kind of like a sinking titanic and your either on that ship or your not, this is mostly related to our present economic situation. I could say we are making a bigger fuss of it but there are still problems, big problems. Excuse my generalized phrasing but talking about this in terms of the pattern of things to come and things that have gone, it is easier for me to explain that way.

And with change, well they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. So when we sail abruptly through this storm, we will come out the other side as a humanity for better or for worse. We may have learnt lessons but have we solved the bigger picture problems and learnt lessons that way?

 

[Stable Genius]

Revelation of the truth. The truth about power, governments, and who really pulls the strings. Georgia Guide Stones stuff. And the truth about everything that has been suppressed and hidden from us; lost and forgotten knowledge, the truth about healing powers of plants, the truth behind the world religions, wars, all of it. The real truth about humanity's past.

When the truth comes to light, and people start to see what's really going on, then we can start to wake up as a species. Revolutions the world over. Political, social, spiritual. A revolution of the self, how man views itself, how the individual views themselves. How man views his place in the cosmos.

No doubt there would be wars, upheavals, the collapse and rise of nations, but after all of it maybe mankind can finally rise to it's full potential, and start to usher in a new and greater age, a sort of world renaissance. Only then can we begin to evolve and forge a greater destiny for ourselves.

 

[Coldspot]

I agree with @Wanderlust94 in that everything works in cycle. If we overcome a disaster, we will just make the same mistakes again. In the short term, overcoming any disaster will lead to change.

 

[Somniorum]

Various crises can certainly enact a great change on us, but not necessarily a change for the better - depending on many factors, any of these listed crises could ruin us, or set us back hideously. That said, yes, they could end up changing us for the better... or perhaps just cull some negative aspects in favour of some more positive ones, perhaps an overall equilibrium.

I suspect some people think we're stagnating right now... we're not. We're changing, but since we're living within this time many of us don't actively recognise it, especially if you don't know where to look. Those of us living here at this moment will, decades later, look back and find it remarkable just how much our society has changed (hopefully for the, overall, better!).

Change - for the better (in the sense of "better" according to my views, anyway) - will ultimately come from hard, and often *slow* work of many people (possibly some with strongly different ideas and interests regarding how society should evolve), and this is happening today. While global-relatively wealthy societies such as mine (Canada) can make some important changes, and will be, I think some of the most important changes will be coming from poorer places in the world... eventually, a number of these will become stronger, politically and economically, and this will force change on wealthier countries (particularly as our countries will be less able to effectively exploit these other countries). In a manner of speaking, this could potentially be a "crisis", but I'd like to hope that it wouldn't come to that, not a drastic sort anyway.