Dec 14 2012: just another thought. i believe that learning from others and taking into account others opinions and their knowledge and interpretations of things is very good but at the same time, i would argue, to truly think and consider what is real to them ,one must look around and experience and feel and test and come up with their own unique understanding of the way things are and then conceive of how they might be. an idea derived from personal experience, observation and reflection, and the process of working it out in ones own mind and testing it is the truest manifestation of learning and thought. in addition, seeing a problem and doing something about it, either by trying to influence how others think or act or just by changing how you think and act is one way of evoking changes in things you see as perhaps out of whack or wrong but the process of discovering for yourself what you believe and think and feel about things, is, i believe, what really matters most--its a process which this world and the people in it are very much lacking these days. i read through some of the comments your question elicited and it seems as though there are quite a number of problems on people's minds that they would like to change or at the least complain about--dont forget to consider both sides of an argument and to step back from the trees to see the forest when considering what you or someone else may see as a problem, and then of course, make up your own mind and think or act upon it as you, after careful thought, think best and in the way you, with originality, come up with to do so. merry christmas to ypsilanti. j
Dec 12 2012: perhaps before asking the question--what are big social issues we should think about, we should consider how our society is organized in general and whether or not we agree with the basic tenants of this society and then if not, work our way backwards to how we can change the basic beliefs and suppositions our societiy is based on. for example, i find many flaws in the generally universally now accepted idea that every person should be considered equal to every other person-ie we're all human. pretty much our whole way of life now is based on this idea. i think it is a good one, and it suits me just fine as i am not a great contributor to socieity and thus maybe would be one of the unequal ones in another society that didnt believe it, but is it a scientific law of nature and thus can never be questioned. i guess what i am saying is, so often call words of the people who created the system in whatever generation are used to block true thought and exploration into alternative ideas about what life and living are about and how societies should or could be set up and run. until we consider whether our basic society is "right" , how can we really efficiently deal with the problems present in them? not trying to over complicate an answer to the question but just trying to shed light on the idea that any system , when analyzed by the parts of it for ways to improve it, may fall short of perfecting it purely because we are a part of it and cant think outside of it enough to consider what it might be without our desires or our preconceived beliefs. that being said, i would argue the biggest social problem our current system faces is its own parts inability to consider "messing" with the basic principles it is founded on. after all, what is society but likeminded people, at least to a degree? glad to see a young person such as yourself delving into thinking about big things and asking about things that are un-talked about. very inspiring!
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A comment on Conversation: What are some big social issues that need to be discussed, but aren't?
A comment on Conversation: What are some big social issues that need to be discussed, but aren't?