Future

[Haykakan]

I think that a big problem with modern societies is their disregard for the future. You see this disregard for the future in many forms. Here in the USA you see it in the form of lack of planing for the future and in the predominant attitude of Americans which boils down to get what you can while the gettin is good and xxxx the consequences. There is no systemic mechanism for valuing the future in the government thus politicians only care about the here and now and not about the future. In other parts of the world the future is disregarded because of other things like ignorance, bad management, religious bs, foreign manipulation..Here is a good example of what such disregard can lead to http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/..._to_egypt.html
Any good parent wants a good future for his/her children yet the future for our children is looking darker with every passing year. When you look at most economic charts you will see that GDP per capita has grown over time and based on this alone many conclude that life is better now then it was before and that it will keep getting better just like it has been doing..this is all a fraud and a tool to keep people thinking that all is well so they do not demand much needed changes. Technology is repeatedly hailed as our savior but in reality it has dark sides which very few ever talk about. Technology has created drought, disease, insect resistant crops but it has also destroyed far more jobs then it has created. Our growing reliance on technology insures future unemployment for us and our children but who is seriously talking about this issue today? There are many threats to the future of our children and the human race yet hardly any of these threats is taken seriously let alone addressed. Global warming is a huge threat but perhaps the biggest threat is ignorance. The people who govern and rule countries are often puppets serving much more powerful masters and these masters only care about staying masters and are effectively misleading societies via control of media and other sources of information. The only thing about the future they care about is making sure that they stay on top. The un/miseducated-illinformed masses never even see the real problems they and their children will be facing until these problems are upon them. Societies stumble from one catastrophe to another never realizing why these things happen thus never being able to prevent them from happening again. I hope this thread will get us talking about this subject which has become almost a taboo to discuss in many parts of the world.

[Haykakan]

Re: Future

I was hoping that we would get some interesting discussions in this thread but nothing much has happened yet here. I was reading some news when I came across this book review. I was wondering if anyone has read this book and what your thoughts are on it.

2020: THE FALL OF ISLAMIC STATES & THE RISE OF A NEW POLITICAL ORDER (IRAN ISRAEL ARMENIA UNION)

May 27, 2015

Reviewed by Michelle Anne Schingler
April 1, 2015

This intriguing book posits a unique solution for peace in the
Middle East.

2020: The Fall of Islamic States & The Rise of a New Political Order
(Iran Israel Armenia Union), the newest work from Sohrab Chamanara,
finds hope for peace in the Middle East in the harmony of its past.

Brazen idealism and historical literacy characterize this intriguing
project.

Chamanara's book begins by offering a bit of political prophecy:
the chaos in the Middle East could calm down as soon as 2020, if
countries considered each other's enemies could instead embrace their
commonalities. Armenia, Iran, and Israel are presented as the best
prospects for achievement of the necessary international union.

The notion of the alignment of these countries challenges traditional
notions of Middle Eastern discord, but in subsequent chapters,
Chamanara sensitively outlines his reasoning: those three nations
have a shared history of persecution, and as a result, each hungers
for justice. "The only solution [to conflict] is education, education
and more education," the author offers, and the studiousness of his
chapters reflects this belief.

Historical sketches help in drawing such connections, and begin with a
breakdown of Arab and Muslim history. This summary contains some less
familiar information (like the Jewishness of Muhammad's first wife,
Khadijah) as well as some harsh contentions, particularly related
to the repeated use of Islam as a political tool for the purpose of
conquering nations.

After establishing this background, Chamanara returns to the work
of proposing new unity. He devotes quick chapters to primers on
the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust, while also sharing Iran's
history as one characterized by needless upheavals and tragedies for
its citizens.

This work does not go easy on Western intervention in Middle Eastern
affairs, which is presented as something that only prolongs--and
sometimes even provokes--international conflicts. Chamanara also
strongly criticizes contemporary Iran and other Muslim states,
particularly where radicals lead.

"Every event in the Middle East is related to Iran directly or
indirectly," he asserts. Later pages are dedicated to anticipating a
sea change related to that influence, led by Iran's regime-changing
citizenry, with knowledgeable "young [people] and women" leading
the way.

The persuasiveness of Chamanara's arguments falls apart a bit as his
projections unfold. The union referenced in the title depends on the
quick evolution of nations; he anticipates an Israeli Prime Minister
Tzipi Livni, a US President Hillary Clinton, and a rapid return
to a more progressive Iran, as it had been prior to mid-twentieth
century international interference. These few pages are fleshed out
by appendixes reveling in the diversity of Iran in the last century,
which may or may not fuel hope for a revival.

Chamanara tasks himself with doing considerable work in the span
of less than two hundred pages, and as a result, the prose often
seems seem clipped and its pace too swift. Compounding these reading
challenges are occasional mistakes related to tense and agreement,
as well as a tendency to interrupt the time line with quick reminders
of past events.

Chamanara commands respect as a writer who clearly knows his subjects,
and whose strong opinions are rooted in historicity, if not always
realism. 2020 stands to pique interest, intrigue, and inform.

Foreword Reviews

http://www.blueinkreview.com/book-reviews/2020-the-fall-of-islamic-states-the-rise-of-a-new-political-order-iran-israel-armenia-union/

http://www.horizonweekly.ca/news/details/67994