I think the problems in the world are directly related to the rate of growth of mankind on earth - and this is the main reason. Man destroys nature from that and all these cataclysms described in National Geographic. Just think about these numbers.
During the first 500 years of the second Millennium, The world's population has increased by about 1.5 times, the second - 12 times, and only in the last - the 20th century - almost 4 times. The acceleration in population growth is well reflected in the number of years in which the World's population has increased by 1 billion inhabitants. Such C show that the population of the Earth has reached the population:

in 1 billion people - in 1820, i.e. in the history of its development;

2 billion people in 1927 - after 107 years,

3 billion people in 1960 - 33 years later,

4 billion people in 1974 - after 14 years,

5 billion people in 1987 after 13 years,

6 billion people in 1999 - 12 years later.

As you can see, the accumulation of the first billion inhabitants of the Earth took several tens of thousands of years, while the 6th billion of them appeared in the last 12 years.

Thus, the 20th century was the period of the fastest growth of the world population. The General accumulation of the human mass was pushed by the entry of an increasing number of countries into the period of sharply expanded reproduction of the population-the demographic revolution

Tax money goes to the country's budget
The budget is spent on different needs, in different countries in different ways, for example:

• financial support of law enforcement bodies of the state
• the maintenance of state institutions (hospitals, schools, orphanages, etc.)
• ensuring the security of the state, in particular the maintenance of the army
• financing of state programs
• the content of the state administration apparatus (payment of salaries to civil servants)
• construction and improvement of social facilities and territories
• pension provision

Without taxes, the budget will not be replenished and your country will fall apart

Do you want chaos in your country?

People pay taxes only because they're forced to, threatening to use force to resist.
There are those who say that they pay taxes voluntarily.
It is difficult for people to admit that they pay taxes only for fear of retaliation from the representatives of the state. It was hard for me to admit it to myself. I don't steal not because I'm afraid of going to hell or prison, but because I understand that stealing is bad. What's the difference with taxes? To tell a person that he pays taxes only because he is afraid that he will be caught and punished means to admit that he is bad. It's very uncomfortable, people want to be good. That is why it is important for the representatives of the state that everyone thinks that paying taxes is good

There's countless threats to earth but just to put a different spin on it, I'll leave you with a quote from Robert Swan who said:

"The greatest danger to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it."

It shouldn't be just environmentalists saving our planet, every person should do more. When we finally wake up and realize that war is not the answer, then instead of recruiting troops for a mandatory service of 1year +, every country could recruit young people to go on environmental missions. I've always believed traveling is one of the most awarding things we can do on this planet. If each and every young person were given the opportunity to learn and travel the world, while saving our planet, we could actually make a difference.

It appears terrorism is the greatest threat facing humanity now.

    – You are 17,600 times more likely to die from heart disease than from a terrorist attack

    – You are 12,571 times more likely to die from cancer than from a terrorist attack

    — You are 11,000 times more likely to die in an airplane accident than from a terrorist plot involving an airplane

    — You are 1048 times more likely to die from a car accident than from a terrorist attack

    –You are 404 times more likely to die in a fall than from a terrorist attack

    — You are 87 times more likely to drown than die in a terrorist attack

    – You are 13 times more likely to die in a railway accident than from a terrorist attack

    –You are 12 times more likely to die from accidental suffocation in bed than from a terrorist attack

    –You are 9 times more likely to choke to death on your own vomit than die in a terrorist attack

    –You are 8 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than by a terrorist

    –You are 8 times more likely to die from accidental electrocution than from a terrorist attack

    – You are 6 times more likely to die from hot weather than from a terrorist attack

Immortality in the sense of a digital copy is not true immortality. It is more along the lines of cloning. For instance, think of an organic human as a vinyl record and the digital copy as an mp3. For the most part you can say there is no distinguishing differences yet, the mp3 does not log all the dings, scratches and every other error present in the original. Just as when you copy any file on a computer it is not the original file, but a copy.

If your goal is to continue yourself from the state you were at when you died, then yes, that will suffice. The problem is, it isn't you. You still died. So you feel nothing. Your copy is what will experience the world after you die. Just as when you make a clone of say a dog, you know it is not your actual dog, but a clone of it. There is no difference from a dog and a person when you are copying its data. Both had an original and both have a copy.

The main problem is how we are created. Humans as they are now will never be immortal. But, if you follow the beliefs of tranhumanism, eventually humanity and technology will meld together until there is a point where there is no distinguishing difference between the two. Those of us born before that time will be doomed to die. After that phase though, humans will be created in a digital environment, so technically they would live forever as they do not have to deal with organic flaws. They would also not be classified as Homo Sapiens, or from the viewpoint of some, not human at all.

Also, I've always thought that if reincarnation is real then there is no reason to find immortality. You technically already are. You just don't stay in the same state forever. Which sounds more fun than watching the world pass by as the same person or thing.

Hi all.......need a bit of advice really.

I invested quite a bit of money in a number of ICOs back in December when bitcoin was pretty high and I initially made quite a bit of money but since the bear market started and continued I'm down a few thousand.

I can't bring my self to sell any of my coins due to an attachment I have with them. So it looks like I'm.going to be holding a bit longer.

Any advice on any coins that might be worth day trading to recoup a bit of money back as every coo  I choose to invest in seems only to go one way..

Many thanks

How much you would pay for visit to Iran and also meet with its president Hassan Rouhani to discuss some international politics questions ? I think 200 USD would be max price, without airplane tickets and visas.

actually it all depends on the leader of the country. if the leader of a country has a goal to advance the country, no matter what happens it will be done for the welfare of its people. if the leader of a country is silent without any definite purpose the country becomes poor

Why are some countries still so rich and others so poor?
Actually, the question is interesting. Really, with all the technology that we have now, why countries are still poor?
We have improved our health care system and people are still unable to cure themselves. Moreover, in some countries, they die and suffer from strange diseases.
 About education, well, so many are still without degrees. Why? Why people can't just go to college and get an education? Is it so hard to learn basic economics rule and become rich? Moreover, the world is really divided. Different religions, different theories. We have developed many sectors but we still have work to do.
What about war, prostitution and migration?
Actually, to tell the truth, it seems that all the problems of the world are needed. The elite needs it to feel better or to be superior.

Business! Yes, we read it. The reason is business. I know that athletes compete not for money but for glory. Is that true? it is hard to prove. Today, sport and business are very alike. First, international competition was meant to keep peace between nations, to push people to be feet. It is a good thing to build bridges between nations. From the Greek with their Olympic games to the Romans, sport has always played a good role in history. However in modern time, it has been used as a machine to corrupt or to make money. Big money in sport has caused a lot of harm. Remember the FIFA scandal? We always knew they were corrupted, but not so much. However I believe international competition is good and a smart way to bring people together and to push athletes to higher results.