Darkover
Archangel
- Jul 29, 2021
- 5,172
Lies and Deception – There's no built-in way to verify truth, so people can manipulate reality for their own gain. Justice systems rely on evidence, but evidence can be destroyed, altered, or fabricated. The fact that deception can be rewarded only makes things worse.
Lack of Objective Recording – Human perception is unreliable, memories fade or distort, and there's no natural mechanism to record everything we experience. This makes accountability difficult and allows for disputes over truth. A world where every action and thought were recorded would eliminate lying but could create a dystopian lack of privacy.
Nothing Truly Belongs to Anything – Ownership is just a human concept backed by force or social agreement. Everything is temporary—possessions, land, even our bodies. Given enough time, everything returns to nothing, and nature reclaims it all.
Fragility of the Human Body – We're biologically weak, prone to injury, disease, and aging. Our survival depends on external conditions (food, water, temperature), making us highly vulnerable compared to machines or more resilient species. Evolution didn't prioritize strength or durability—just survival long enough to reproduce.
Suffering is Built into Life – Every living thing experiences pain, hunger, and fear. Even the best lives have suffering, and the worst lives are pure agony. There's no escape from suffering except death, which people are often forced to delay.
Entropy and Decay – Everything breaks down over time. No matter how much effort is put into building or preserving something, it will eventually fall apart. That includes bodies, civilizations, and even the universe itself.
No Universal Justice – Good people suffer, bad people thrive, and many injustices go unpunished. There's no built-in balance to ensure fairness; it's all just random chance and human-made systems, which are often corrupt or flawed.
Limited Control Over Existence – You didn't choose to be born, you don't control the circumstances of your life, and most people can't choose when they die. Free will is debatable when biology, environment, and luck shape everything.
Biological Imperatives Override Logic – Instincts like hunger, sex drive, and survival instincts control people more than rational thought. People chase pleasure and avoid pain, even if it leads to meaningless cycles of consumption and reproduction.
Meaning is Subjective and Fragile – There's no inherent meaning in anything, and any meaning people create can be destroyed by circumstances. A person might dedicate their life to something, only for it to be wiped out or forgotten.
Reality is Hostile – The universe isn't designed for life. Most of it is empty, freezing, or full of radiation. Even on Earth, natural disasters, diseases, and predators can wipe out life at any moment. Survival is a constant fight.
Time Moves Only Forward – You can't undo mistakes, relive good moments, or go back to when things were better. Every second that passes is one step closer to aging, decline, and death.
The Limits of Human Perception and Intelligence – We can only see a tiny fraction of reality, we misunderstand things constantly, and our brains are full of biases. There could be fundamental truths we'll never be able to grasp.
Reproduction Without Consent – People are forced into existence without choice. No one asks to be born, and yet they're expected to deal with all of life's struggles as if it were a privilege.
The Illusion of Progress – Civilization advances, but suffering and inequality remain. Technology gets better, but it often just creates new problems. People still struggle with the same fundamental issues as they did thousands of years ago.
Death is Either an Escape or a Mystery – If death is nonexistence, it ends all suffering, but it also erases everything. If there's something after death, it could be worse than life. Either way, there's no real way to prepare for or understand it.
Lack of Objective Recording – Human perception is unreliable, memories fade or distort, and there's no natural mechanism to record everything we experience. This makes accountability difficult and allows for disputes over truth. A world where every action and thought were recorded would eliminate lying but could create a dystopian lack of privacy.
Nothing Truly Belongs to Anything – Ownership is just a human concept backed by force or social agreement. Everything is temporary—possessions, land, even our bodies. Given enough time, everything returns to nothing, and nature reclaims it all.
Fragility of the Human Body – We're biologically weak, prone to injury, disease, and aging. Our survival depends on external conditions (food, water, temperature), making us highly vulnerable compared to machines or more resilient species. Evolution didn't prioritize strength or durability—just survival long enough to reproduce.
Suffering is Built into Life – Every living thing experiences pain, hunger, and fear. Even the best lives have suffering, and the worst lives are pure agony. There's no escape from suffering except death, which people are often forced to delay.
Entropy and Decay – Everything breaks down over time. No matter how much effort is put into building or preserving something, it will eventually fall apart. That includes bodies, civilizations, and even the universe itself.
No Universal Justice – Good people suffer, bad people thrive, and many injustices go unpunished. There's no built-in balance to ensure fairness; it's all just random chance and human-made systems, which are often corrupt or flawed.
Limited Control Over Existence – You didn't choose to be born, you don't control the circumstances of your life, and most people can't choose when they die. Free will is debatable when biology, environment, and luck shape everything.
Biological Imperatives Override Logic – Instincts like hunger, sex drive, and survival instincts control people more than rational thought. People chase pleasure and avoid pain, even if it leads to meaningless cycles of consumption and reproduction.
Meaning is Subjective and Fragile – There's no inherent meaning in anything, and any meaning people create can be destroyed by circumstances. A person might dedicate their life to something, only for it to be wiped out or forgotten.
Reality is Hostile – The universe isn't designed for life. Most of it is empty, freezing, or full of radiation. Even on Earth, natural disasters, diseases, and predators can wipe out life at any moment. Survival is a constant fight.
Time Moves Only Forward – You can't undo mistakes, relive good moments, or go back to when things were better. Every second that passes is one step closer to aging, decline, and death.
The Limits of Human Perception and Intelligence – We can only see a tiny fraction of reality, we misunderstand things constantly, and our brains are full of biases. There could be fundamental truths we'll never be able to grasp.
Reproduction Without Consent – People are forced into existence without choice. No one asks to be born, and yet they're expected to deal with all of life's struggles as if it were a privilege.
The Illusion of Progress – Civilization advances, but suffering and inequality remain. Technology gets better, but it often just creates new problems. People still struggle with the same fundamental issues as they did thousands of years ago.
Death is Either an Escape or a Mystery – If death is nonexistence, it ends all suffering, but it also erases everything. If there's something after death, it could be worse than life. Either way, there's no real way to prepare for or understand it.
