World changes, not-changes and change meme

[misscam]

WTF Thailand?

Yiaks. I've been to Bangkok - during the King's birthday, among other things, so I know how beloved he is there - and it feels a bit surreal. Coup. Huh. Admittedly, things have apparently been building up for a while, but still. Huh. Wonder what this will mean for Thailand ahead?

Unrest in Hungary as well. Sudan is being assy, Bush is being defensive, the Pope is being apologetic and Steve Irwin is being mourned. Sometimes, the world does seem a bit depressing and dodgy.

But - I don't know, the sun is shining and tomorrow is a new day and I can't help being an incurable optimist. Shit happens. Things get better or things get worse. There are always changes. You make the best of it. You live.

Meanwhile, Norway's fiddling with the UN and trying to raise money for vacinations. At least we try a bit, eh?

So, in today's meme - if you could change one thing in today's world - just one - what would it be and why? And what is the one thing you hope never changes?

Comments

[shadowednavi.livejournal.com]

I would raise the worlds' tolerance level from low to acceptable. I guess this may be self-explanatory, but 'cause I like putting "why"s, it kills me to see so many people arguing over opinions as if they're fact, hating on people/races/things/ideas.... Jeez, where's the love? And whatever happened to "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"? >> Though I do have to say, even if it looks like Americans are making no progress whatsoever on the surface, people are becoming more tolerant of other people, gays especially. Maybe not in office, but then I must remind you that Congress is the opposite of Progress... :3

As for what I hope never changes, um.... Freedom of expression? XD

I dunno. I'm not awake and have to get ready for school five minutes ago.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

In my experience, tolerance tends to just slowly creep up and isn't always observable until you look back and compare. So yeah, I can believe that there is some progress in the US and the whole world, really. I have to, or I'd weep.

Mmm, shcool.

[canadian-kazz.livejournal.com]

For me, I think that if everyone could be secure in their own future and not have to worry about tomorrow, that would be good.

And I hope the world never runs out of imagination and ideas to make things better.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Think a bit of worry can be healthy though. But yeah, the bigger concerns can worry you to death.

[aervir.livejournal.com]

If I could change one thing only? Hmmm, I can't decide between throwing out religious fundamentalists of all kinds and throwing out right-wing radicals like those parties that are now sitting in two German regional parliaments...

But I would like to keep nice telly programmes from the UK in any case.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Given that the two often go in bed together, get them both while they're shagging?

Hah! Yay BBC, huh?

[aervir.livejournal.com]

If only it were so easy. The NPD (German National Party, which managed to make huge electoral gains last weekend) isn't of the religious-fundamentalist persuasion, though. They are a bunch of Neo-Nazis, some of whom even call Christianity an "Oriental invention". We should probably go back to worshopping Wotan while making babies to keep the Aryan race alive. Or something. Urgh.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

OH THEM.

They shouldn't be allowed within five foot of anything old Norse. They FAIL. My forefathers were strictly equal opportuinity maim and plunder.

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Can't you come over to maim and plunder them?

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Is that an invitation? Or a plea for help?

I do look smashing in a Viking helmet.

[aervir.livejournal.com]

Both, actually.

I bet you do.

[colorstoobright.livejournal.com]

Change one thing? Well, it's a toss-up between a removal of all corruption in the world or for the word to back up their complaints by actually taking action and backing their idealisms and patrioims (sp?) without being too violent in their actions (I don't know about you, but some people here take "fight for freedom!" wayyyyy too seriously to the point where it's bloody. Not cooooool.)

One thing I would keep? I dunno. Hope and faith in society that they're not all wackos?

[misscam.livejournal.com]

People take fight for freedom to the point where they're crushing everyone else's freedom. Yo, perspective, humanity?

We're not all batshit. So there.

[nagebenfro.livejournal.com]

I hate to say it, but the coup will probably help Thailand if the military is being truthful about only staying in charge for a fortnight before new elections. The PM was not, as I understand it, doing his job properly, and it was perhaps time for someone to step in and fix that.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Hum. Well, I guess we'll see. They could also use it to take power for themselves, which would be bad. But it seems to have been peaceful so far, so I give them credit for that.

[shandydann]

I don't know if I'd change one thing. I mean on the one hand theres alot wrong with the world. But on the other there's alot that's brillant about the world.

I mean I would like to see the Blair/Bush partnership never happen. Thats for obvious reasons.
I tend to accept change as something that happens, it's part of the universe's thing to change. It's what keeps everything new and interesting. Although change isn't always for the better admittedly. But that's because I thrive on change.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Sure, but at times the wrong seem to overshadow the brilliant, which is depressing. Possibly because we tend to focus on the negative, but also because humans have ways to go yet.

[shandydann]

Perhaps we focus on the wrong because it's easier. Look at any belief system, it seems that from history that humanity finds it easier to persecute than to tolerate each other for our differences or even embrace and appreciate each other.

I mean it's hard for me to feel friendly to my creepy neighbour who plays Duran Duran music loudly at two in the morning. I suspect that it's hard wired, humans are teritorial at heart, look at football.

[sarie-gamgee.livejournal.com]

Good question. As a teacher, I believe universal education could help reduce poverty and social difference, and therefore countries would develop, both economically and politically. I'm an optimistic, too.

As for what I hope never changes, I hope some of us never give up thinking we can make this world better.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, actually. I think education offers possibilities to get out of poverty at least. It doesn't help everyone, but it's a damn good start.

[20thcenturyvole.livejournal.com]

If I could change just one thing in the world... I would make a little God of Asshattery, who would appear in a poof of purple smoke and whack people over the head with his wand until they saw the other person's point of view, and actually contemplated it as a position. What they do from that point on is entirely up to them, adhering to the whole free-will thing, but I think the God of Asshattery would still make a significant difference to world affairs.

However, whatever happens I hope that people continue to do awesome things, big and small, just because they feel like it, for the rest of time.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

You're cracking me up so bad. I'd want a little God of Asshattery. I'd be happy spending the rest of my life watching him - or her! - work.

[fantasyprone.livejournal.com]

Change one thing about the world? I'd like to make people realise that everything they do affects someone and that someone is a real person.

One thing that should never change? FANDOM. Because fandom is love, every bit of it, even the wank and all the crack and the slashy pairings and... the love. And it's a lot less OMG DEADLY SERIOUS than religion.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Heh. Lot more entertaining than religion too, if you ask me.

[silvery-lass.livejournal.com]

If I could change one thing in the world I would find out if there is any truth to this greenhouse effect and fix it.

With a healthy and stable environment we have time to deal with everything else and not worrying about the earth is trying to kill us all.

I have no idea what I would like to stay the same.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

I'm fairly convinced there is truth to it - at least partly - but that's just me.

[silvery-lass.livejournal.com]

I believe there is some truth to it as well but it never hurts to be a 100% certain, saves you from making a fool out of yourself.

[juliejordan.livejournal.com]

If I could change one thing about the world it would be that no places that are only accessible would be allowed to exist. They would have to have a good bus service, at the very least. My town is TERRIBLE for this. There's an awesome cinema but it's situated in the middle of a motorway with no bus or train service close enough, so you can really only go if you have car access. It completely disgusts me and only helps in causing more pollution to the planet.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

Public transport is something a lot of countries could work on, me thinks. Definitely much to be done.

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

Change one thing? I'd have religion turn back into something that's about faith and love, instead of being about dogma and a means of judging and condemning other people for not believing exactly the same thing. That would change a lot in the world today, I think.

Something that should never change? Human kindness. The love of one person reaching out to another to help. The times when people don't just walk by on the other side. There's not enough of that, but there is some, and I hope it never fades away.

[misscam.livejournal.com]

And it would kick out Fred Phelps. Glory halleluja STFU Phelpsie boy.

[mthespinner.livejournal.com]

I would like to see term limits on all elected officials. What I never want to change is the term limit on the U S presidency. (And if I can't have that, can I have Fred Phelps turned into a lizard?)

[aurelei.livejournal.com]

Change... change would be niiiiiiice.
I want people to have less sex and make fewer babies. Hmmn, that sounds really sketchy and mean, don't it? What I mean, though, is that I want an end to the population and less transmission of STDs. I think that would go a long way towards fixing the earth's environment as well, actually, because there would be fewer people to mess it up.
As for NOT changing... I'm forgetting the big-scale good things (are there any?), so I just want my friends not to fall apart. And to stay all lovely the way we were before things started changing. Actually, I just want to revert a few years and THEN not change anything about our relationships.
Gods, I'm not having a good day.

[despertarse.livejournal.com]

Especially as a Thai person, Thailand's current state worries me. My father is one the people that doesn't support the coup--he was behind Thaksin. I'm hoping the King can influence some sort of settling down--he has so much influence as an icon, he's the only one people will listen to.

[furius.livejournal.com]

For some reason, some of the East Asian news websites I've seen are reporting how much money the PM's taken from the treasury among other corruptions. I haven't seen as much in places like NYT and CNN...