I feel it too. So do many of us. Sensitive people of all races, religions and creeds feel it growing.

Some of us feel we must prepare to battle, but this is NOT a physical battle but rather a spiritual battle.

Remember that no man knows the appointed hour, but our Lord will return like a thief in the night. Therefore, be prepared! Be ready! Keep watch!

I feel it. Every day there seems to be more atrocity, apathy and just plain general rudeness. I'm far too sensitive for this planet. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a switch somewhere on my person that completely shuts off my emotions. It would be much easier to deal with people if this was the case.

I don't feel stuff like that anymore; it doesn't scare me or make me any less happy about living in this world. Since i prevailed over my depression, and got the only thing i need by my side, my brain has shut down the part of itself where all the stuff i don't need gathers to protect itself. Might seem strange... i know, but it's the only explanation i have for it, because something big really did happen after i grabbed my sorry ass out of those horrible years. I wonder how often something like this occurs, it feels as i'm the only one with this blessing.

Well, I think that being spiritually sensitive is a gift from God.

And smart and intelligent and sensitive and artistic people are all blessed by God.

I agree. Yes the world is getting worse, but that is just a cycle that has been perpetuating since the dawn of time. Think of all past great civilizations... Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans. These at one time were dominant powers in the world that reached a point where they shined above all the other civilizations in their time. They rose from more humble beginnings, became stronger, became 'enlightened' artistically, religiously, philosophically, etc., spread the reach of their power, became corrupt, and then collapsed. This has happened over and over again. Now the only problem is that while those great civilizations collapsed (usually from the inside out - a rotten core), the collapse took longer to affect other nations and other nations didn't have the ability in most cases to consume the fallen civilizations. Now the world reaches a point where we have become a more complete global civilization. What happens when a great world power falls today?
Look at the collapse of the USSR after the cold war. The country was in chaos and distribution of weapons and military vehicles throughout the world to this day cannot be determined. What if from corruption America was to fall? While they stretch out to other countries to disarm nuclear capabilities, just how many nuclear missile silos, nuclear warheads on submarines, nuclear weapon production materials are spread throughout the world with 'Made in the USA' stamped on the side of them? What happens if America collapses? So you think it will never happen do you? Do you think the Romans would have believed that nutty Nero would snap and decide to set flames to his own city and try to force his soldiers to keep the people from escaping a burning death? Do you think when the Romans set foot on foreign lands to expand their control in the world they wondered if everything was alright back in the capitol?
In those days it would have taken much more time for the empire to fall than today. Say someone with a smaller yield nuke walks into a major American city and, for the sake of his delusions of what Allah wants, decides to kill millions and irradiate many more... how do you think a man like Bush would respond? How do you think America as a whole would respond? Eye for an eye perhaps? Nuke for a nuke.

Who cares. When it happens either thousands of years from now, or the day after tomorrow, it will happen so swiftly due to technology that no amount of discussion or preparation will prevent it.

However, I believe as Robin does... do not dwell on things you can't control.
Live and enjoy life as it is today.

Oh, back on the world getting worse though, just one other point:
I think that society becoming more 'evil' is really a part of nature.
Just like everything else living... it grows, it flowers, it dies.
Right now it's beginning to wilt and grow ugly. Soon it will die.
Then it starts again... God willing.
The only concern is that each regrowth becomes psychologically and sociologically weaker or more flawed, and deterioration occurs more rapidly with each new growth. This was prophesied in the bible. The ruler of Babylon saw in his dream a statue made of several different materials... strongest at top and weakest at its feet, and the dream was interpreted to mean that each generation following would become weaker... not by military might, industry, population, but by fundamentals because that is what a fundamental is, it's a base on which all else is formed. If the base of something fixed (like a developed nation) shifts too much, then everything above that base will begin to sway, and eventually topple. There was a day, not long ago, when public schools had prayers in the morning. When mentioning your belief in God around your friends wouldn't be met with uneasy silence or even ridicule. When most American families would sit down to a meal and thank God. When saying prayers at night before bed was normal. When there was no ridicule when these things were done on TV or in movies... they were normal and accepted practices. Today you'd get analyzed and criticized to death for showing those practices as a normal occurance in a TV show or movie without some comedic or dramatic effect attached; Like mocking prayers for comic effect. They would say your are spreading religious propaganda rather than just showing what is normal in your life (if you follow these religious practices). Times when almost all people would never, ever consider putting their elderly in a home far distant from themselves (many families years ago would bring an elderly widow or widower family member into their house). Where women ensured their children were eating and developing properly (I know of two inner-city women that allow their 6-10 year old children to get home from school alone, feed themselves, and remain home alone until later in the evening when the parent finally gets off work). Society is rotting from the inside out. I came across a UTube video today that had a small girl that had to be no older than six dancing like an adult to that 'My Humps' song by that skanky singer named Fergi. Society is pushing harder and harder to make kids more and more adult before their time. There's a line of cellphones just released that are made specifically for toddlers!

It is far to late to cure the world. And for the most part the world is wallowing in it's filth, enjoying it's moral deterioration. Look at most rap today. They are people that sing about money, killing, treating women like dogs, and drugs. They emphasize their material wealth and just how 'bad' they think they are... and the mobs love them. However, that is the mob mentality. There are many groups such as Habitat for Humanity, Peace Corps, Mustard Seed Foundation, just to name a few, that are trying to make a difference for the better.

Just a flashback example: Think how depressing it would have been so many years ago if you'd never really lived or enjoyed life, and then all the sudden World War II hits and your pulled from your home and sent to a war were most of the people you trained with will die, if not you yourself as well. The atrocities you would witness. So just enjoy what peace you have while it lasts.

Be aware of and work against the evils of this world, but do not dwell on them.

"When you look into the abyss the abyss also looks back into you." (Friedrich Nietzche)

He looked into the abyss and if you read about him you will realize that the abyss did look back.

I just wanted to rephrase that final statement. You'll see the difference.

Hmm very interesting. Good points.

I find that Fear is not of God.

And the greatest fear for most humans is death.

Death, the Final Frontier.

Lol Star Trek had it wrong. Death really IS the final frontier. A strange new world from whence there is no return. I will pray and pray and work and work to do good in this world, so that when my number is up, I feel no fear but total happiness and acceptance of the World to Come.

Just to clarify:

While the evidence can often be found in a number of popular music styles I chose rap mainly because it is the style that most obviously, and even proudly, takes it's stand to be 'bad' or evil. To live life for self-gratification to the point where you should kill another if they oppose your beliefs, or even just your image. How twisted is that?

I think Your god is what is wrong with mankind. You have Yours, they have theirs etc. ; it makes the gap between us larger. It's just another way of classifying ourselves how much "better" we are than those who don't believe; another form of racism. People pray and pray for their god to keep them from pain, suffering and death, while the belief in "him" is what, in-directly, is giving them (of course not everyone, though) the suffering and death, not only due to the bigger gap between them and the rest of us, but also because of their belief that everything that happens is supposed to happen and part of some damn scheme that they can't control.

Imagine all the wars that we have fought due to different beliefs. It is when all believers realize that we are the one's who decide how our world should look like that we can start shaping it that way. Religion and racism share the #1 spot of the reasons for conflict. Having beliefs in a higher power and in commandments is different, though. I wouldn't mind if everyone were convinced they shouldn't kill or steal, during their upbringing. Religion is many thousands of years old and have brought a heck lot more bad stuff than good stuff.

You have to agree with me: If You and Your nation strongly believe "this", and i and my nation strongly believe "that", are we gonna hate each other or what? Everyone want to have a better life, there is no doubt in my mind about that. But religion is not the way to get there. It will never give You salvation. Never.

I have abandoned the belief about the human kind totally destroying itself due to conflict with each other. The conflicts are fought so that the people of respective nation at war can have a better life, whether it's accumulating something or getting rid of something they could live without. As long as there are people who really want nothing else than goodness in this world i believe religion and racism can be fought back. Perhaps not directly, but i will never give up my positive side for the people of this planet. More and more nations will modernize and get real when the people that realize they can have a much better life if they co-operate with other nations instead, start taking over the leading positions; regardless of their thoughts and values. Once the idiots understand that war with others, now when the planet is occupied everywhere, only is going to kick them back some day. It is a blind ideology, but i have no doubt in my mind that love, natures own, real god, will turn-around these people and prevail one day.

I mean no offense to You or Your beliefs and actions to try and improve this world, LG and Apocalypse. As long as it's for the good of all, i'm all in.

Hi Robin. I am not AppocalypseNow. I just wanted to comment on your post.

Unbelievable. So belief in God causes people to suffer and die? I've got news for the atheists: you're going to die also.

On religion and war. First, wars are not inherently unjust. If my country invaded Sweden, you would certainly have the right to fight back. Second, if a war is said to be fought for religious reasons, it does not follow that religion itself is the cause. People start wars, not beliefs. I think in most wars involving religion, there are social and political factors involved. Third, a war fought partly or completely for religious motives can be just. Christian Europe had every right to defend itself against the Muslim onslaught it suffered throughout the medieval period.

While Islam is certainly a source of discord in the world, as it always has been, the idea that religion itself is the "#1" cause for conflict is simply false (I don't know why you bring up racism, I won't comment on that). To take my own country, what war was caused by religion? The Revolutionary War? War of 1812? The Civil War? WWI? WWII? Korea? Vietnam? The Gulf War? The current Iraq war? In fact, the bloodiest most brutal regimes of the 20th century were run by those who opposed religion: Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot etc.

How benevolent of you!

6.6 billion people thank you!

With all due respect, the rest of your post is just blather. We can talk about love and peace and togetherness all day, and it may give us a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, but at some point we have to face the realities of the world in which we live and stop preaching the childish idea that we can establish a utopia here in this world if only we get rid of religion.

Best wishes to you!