[gnramires]

That doesn't make sense. I appreciate the amenities I have, I know I believe quite clearly what a good life is like (with some limitations of course), and there is a somewhat clear path to improving or maintaining our lives and existences.

To throw it all away and "hope for the best" is foolish to say the least. If your life is good or tolerable, if you appreciate the wealth of knowledge and culture etc. it's because its been a long path to where we are. If you stop caring and stop trying, you're simply degenerating to a state where life is much harder, less cultured, with probably less creativity, entertainment, and so on. Cases of people genuinely preferring to live an isolated life in the jungle are extremely rare I believe. When I start romanticizing the Wild Life, I remember my grandmother that had a very difficult childhood, working all day in coffee plantations. She didn't learn how to read until later in life because feeding her family was the priority. She later, for the most part, resented farms and greatly appreciated the urban life -- she could still take care of a plant or two in her backyard. It's very easy to sit on top of civilization with disdain. I think it's our responsibility not only to maintain it, but to make the future amazing, as much as our imagination allows.

(Here is my personal contribution: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29547638)