What is the biggest problem facing the world today?

[Tenshiki]

In one word, ignorance.

Many people of this world are ignorant. They are completely devoid of knowledge about other places, cultures, and ideas in this world, and then it branches off into discrimination, fighting, and hate. People cannot admit their own imperfections, and humans by design are not perfect. We project our problems elsewhere, and try to justify the things we do. This just fuels wars and hatred, making man turn on man. People end up not thinking for themselves, and just follow the leader blindly to make themselves feel more secure.

All of this, in my opinion, stems from ignorance. Our inability to sympathize with others, and our lack of knowledge about the other side of a conflict.

[nikkiChan]

For me it's either Ignorance or Morality.

In one word, ignorance.

Many people of this world are ignorant. They are completely devoid of knowledge about other places, cultures, and ideas in this world, and then it branches off into discrimination, fighting, and hate. People cannot admit their own imperfections, and humans by design are not perfect. We project our problems elsewhere, and try to justify the things we do. This just fuels wars and hatred, making man turn on man. People end up not thinking for themselves, and just follow the leader blindly to make themselves feel more secure.

All of this, in my opinion, stems from ignorance. Our inability to sympathize with others, and our lack of knowledge about the other side of a conflict.

[mippa]

I am with Gandhi on this one: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”

That is the biggest problem with the world today. Human beings don't respect the world around them.

[jvonm]

I am with Gandhi on this one: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”

That is the biggest problem with the world today. Human beings don't respect the world around them.

I love that quote! And as a vegan, I feel like less of a hypocrite when referring to't.

[reteo]

I would say religious faith in law. "Legal" and "Illegal" have replaced "Right" and "Wrong" in too many peoples' minds, and as a result, they cannot see the problem with unjust laws. Once bad laws pass, the larger group of people then associate that activity with "wrong" or "right" in their minds, depending on whether it's a prohibition or mandate, even if the law itself is wrong. If the laws are in the books long enough, they will be associated in the mind by default, because the current generation never knew any differently, and likely learned the association as part of their education.

To put it more simply, too many people have outsourced their morality to the government, who then turn around and outsource the collective morality to the highest bidder. As a result, we have a public domain locked at 1923, high bars placed by laws to prevent new competitors to established businesses, out-of-control healthcare run by insurance companies, wars being directed by corporate interests, lobbying groups attempting to represent extreme morality, and a police state in order to enforce it all.

Keep in mind, I'm in the US, so your system may vary. However, I'm sure that any country's ills can be traced back to the collective relinquishment of morality to the legislature, regardless of what name it goes by.

[Stryker]

Nikki-chan really nailed it. Ignorance, closed-mindedness, and moral righteousness.

[The_Azure_Knight]

I think it's fear whether it be fear of the unknown, fear of failing at something you desperately want to achieve, or even fear that your not going to be able to support your family through harsh economic times.

[Xephon0930]

Nothing feels sacred anymore. It seems that everything in this world could be bought out. I'm talking about friends,relationships,ideals,and so many other abstract things in our lives that should NEVER have a price on them.

[Victiln]

Our world being entirely based on oil - and I mean entirely based on oil, even though it is a material that is going to run dry quicker than we think. oh yeah, also money for that matter.

People getting told and believing in far to narrow-minded options.
Democrats - Republicans
Democracy - Dictarship
Etc - etc
So many other choices, so many of them better

Creativity, imagination, intuition, art, feelings etc, continuesly becoming less desired desirable traits.

As I think it was Ghandi who said it.
"The planet can give every mans needs, but it cannot give every mans creed"

Well thinking about it, the list is much longer than this, but getting depressed thinking about it, oh yeah, also list depression

[rebelcheese]

I think a big problem is that people believe our system is broken and needs to be fundamentally altered, if not transformed or even discarded and replaced entirely. The problem is not the system. The basic system has worked since George Washington. The problem is the people running the system. The CEOs, the banks, etc., are exploiting it and the normal everyday person for every last drop of money.

100 or so years ago we got Theodore Roosevelt as President and he managed to weaken the people running the system enough that the system could keep functioning the way it always has. There were cries to change our economic and social system back then, to convert to socialism or communism or whatnot. It didn't happen, and it was proved it didn't need to happen. It doesn't need to happen now. We need someone to weaken the people who exploit our economic and social system again. We may fight this battle agian in 100-150 years but it's better than to change the system or break it completely and discover we've created a total disaster.