Limitless stupidity

Let’s be honest: in general people are pretty stupid. I look at myself and see how little I actually understand and how many silly mistakes I make every day. But here’s the depressing part: apparently, according to statistics, I belong to the smarter half of this planet. That’s a terrifying thought.

If I consider myself a fool, and I am apparently one of the ‘smart ones’, how much trouble are the rest of us in? Now I finally understand why the world is slowly cycling towards damnation. We are collectively ignorant and biased, and we completely miss the point 99% of the time. At least, that is my experience with this strange species we call ‘human’.

Look at politics: citizens are furious with policy because they don’t understand it, and vice versa, leaders abuse power simply because they don’t know any better. I have an idealistic worldview that I would probably be better off throwing in the trash if a miracle doesn’t happen, but I sincerely believe that we can live together peacefully if we don’t constantly screw things up for each other.

Now take the punishments in the Netherlands. I think they are way too high. I can already see the angry faces: ‘How can you say that?’ Well, I mean it. The point is completely missed here due to a lack of empathy and human knowledge. Research shows that every person is capable of horrific things. People often come to these actions due to loneliness and a lack of social contact. Criminals do not become ‘bad’ from one day to the next, there is a lot of misery that precedes that. I always say: perpetrators are also victims. Their actions can almost always be traced back to a point where things went wrong, and it is often understandable.

I refuse to believe in punishment for revenge or as a deterrent. I believe in restorative justice. If we eliminate revenge from our justice system, we can finally tackle the source and repair the damage where it can still be done.

That is why I am so happy with the developments in AI. I hope AI gives us time to work on ourselves, to erase traumas and shortcomings and become better people. When we use that time for awareness and peace, hatred and retaliation finally give way to love and forgiveness through restoration.

But let’s be honest: as long as we are stuck with so-called ‘people’s representatives’ who only serve their own agenda, we will get nowhere. Just get rid of that whole meal. Step one to the peace we crave is a true democracy. Not a slow play in The Hague, but a digital system in which the voices of all citizens are immediately collected. A platform where we determine policy together and finally really take each other into account.

And if we are knocking down sacred cows, we need to adjust our outdated beliefs. Religions have been telling us for centuries that we should grow and learn, only to throw it all away again in the grave. What nonsense. I am convinced that we are here to conquer death. That is our only real chance for survival: to defeat death and colonize space.

I know, I’m not the only one who thinks this, but sometimes it feels like I’m talking to a wall. Everyone focuses blindly on their own right and does not look further than their big nose. So I say: I’m no saint, far from it, but really listen. Does anyone even hear me? Or would we rather continue cycling to damnation together?