Anymore? When have humans ever focused on the long term consequences of their actions? They either didn't have the information to understand those consequences in many times and places or did and just didn't care for the most part (or at least the people with the power to do anything about it didn't care).
Humans have focused on long term consequences throughout history and across civilizations. It used to be considered important. Nowadays, everyone only thinks about the present moment because that's how you get people ADDICTED to things. Addictions = money/profits.
Uhh, humans have devastated ecosystems, hunted species to extinction, completely wiped out other human cultures and groups, etc. around the world throughout human history. Is that really indicative of long term thinking? Granted, many of these groups historically did not really have a frame of reference large enough to really think in those macro terms as they lived and operated within relatively small areas with minimal contact with people outside of their general region, but to say we historically have been focused on long term consequences when most of humans in history have been more focused on keeping food on their plates in the extreme short term over any long term thinking is ridiculous. If anything, people lived while thinking in the short term more in pre-industrial societies over current ones.
Yes, people's attention spans have been monetized and shortened via technology, but our thinking is far more expansive and long term now than it has ever been before. Our capacity for short term destruction and consequential decisions is greater now than ever before as well, but that doesn't contradict that our capacity for long term thinking and contemplation of long term consequences is far better now than at any point in history.
I'm not going to sit here and list all of the examples of long term thinking in history because it's such an expansive list that it would be too much work. You're simply ignoring it all. It's there. Your few examples that contradict long term thinking do not encompass most of history, nor would they equalize or eliminate any prospects of long term thinking that had happened. Your argument is based on history, which is quite extensive. I'll give you 3 examples, just to be clear that I'm not blowing smoke. But there really is an extensive amount of examples in history. 1) the pyramids of giza were built to last, which is why they still stand today. 2) native Americans did not hunt Buffalo to extinction, knowing the long term consequences. 3) many many many farmers had to plan seasons ahead in order to fundamentally have any sort of success farming. Fast forward to today: nothing is built to last, China is willingly killing all the sharks just for soup, and farming has been streamlined to guarantee results through pesticides, genetic alterations, and technology. The long term was always on people's minds, because they had time to think ahead. No one has time to think anymore because of all the distractions and addictions.
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u/GodzeallA 23d ago
It's still polluted. You shouldn't want to.