seedy wrote:is this what it's like to turn into a grumpy old man?
- Yup, that's probably it
The world is globalizing Seedy, there isn't much difference in the state of culture in the so-called free world.
The rich (first world) countries aren't going forward, they are barely standing in place and some of them are even going backwards.
The result - they are becoming more and more the same as the 2nd/3rd world countries - but not in the process of going forward / evolution, but in a process of going backwards in the world of politics and media that keep the mediocre people in line and in the dark. And the statistics say that 90% of the people are mediocre (read: stupid) and the rest of the 10% rarely even get a chance at "normal" life.
And don't judge USA too harshly, in spite all it's flaws it's still one of the few countries (and they are VERY few, like... 7 or 8) where it's possible to be stupid and still have enough money for "normal" life and experience the living like a normal human being.
And on the other end, amazing things happen every day... The best of humanity still goes on it's own pace as it did 50-100 years ago. Amazing leaps in science, medicine, astrology, even MUSIC and some other arts... It all comes down to a point of view eventually. But you can't expect something amazing from the masses and the mediocre people - they never did anything to move the world forward - so in a way, exploiting them kind of comes naturally. Things aren't today the way they are because some higher being set them that way, or some illuminati sect set them that way - they are the way they are because they can not be any other way, not with the level of IQ of the 90% of the world population.
- Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be a smart-ass philosopher here, I too am probably in those 90%, trying to survive. Maybe I'll do something amazing some day, at least I'm trying (many people on this board do). Understanding something and being that thing are two very different things - the latter requires tons of work, IQ, talent, and a little bit of luck

You're doin' too much, do less.