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After two World Wars and the Holocaust and the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and after the Roman games and after the Spanish Inquisition and after burning witches...shouldn't we call it off? I mean, we are a disease and should be ashamed of ourselves.

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Poster: Bob Lawler
Comment: When Kurt refers to the Holocaust, the Romans, the Spanish Inquisition, the current state of American politics, he is implying a human illness that knows no racial, cultural, historical catgeories. We are all desperately broken all across the board. In the same interview, Mr. Vonnegut recommends revisiting the teaching of Christ, specifically the principles of His Sermon on the Mount - which begins with acknowledging our spiritual bankruptcy (blessed are the poor in spirit.) Unfortunately whenever I offer to speak in these terms I get labeled a right wing Christian ideologue and the dialogue ceases to be productive. We are so broken that even the folks who say they hate stereotypes stereotype. In the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick, "God grant us wisdom, grant us courage, for the living of these days -- that we fail not man nor Thee."

Poster: Evelyn Munoz
Comment: If the Earth were peered through a microscope by someone or something thousands of light years away, what would be seen? There would be vast areas resembling splotches or holes where forests have been cut down, rain forests depleted of their canoply, mountains scarred from strip mining and the bottoms of the great oceans and seas vacuumed clean of life by factory fish trawlers. Also, huge mounds of dirt where mass burials of one war or another's dead people lie. If this is not a blight, a cancer, on our Earth, then I don't know what is. To express this, some years ago I wrote a poem which mirrored many of the comments Mr. Vonnegut made. Sadly, it predicted the extinction of our species by Earth herself, in her final death throes. Thank you, Mr. Vonnegut, for saying what had to be said.

Poster: Brother Doug
Comment: Glad to see Kurt speaking up about this madness. As a person of faith I cannot add even one more life when thousands of children die each day from preventable causes. Better to follow the example of Jesus who left no decedents.

Poster: Darrin Maxwell
Comment: Destruction is necessary, life begins & ends, the means are getting uglier, shock & awe. When will our collective unconcious become tired?

Poster: Mark
Comment: Call it off??? We're finally just getting to the point where we are no longer in denial of our nature and can overcome ourselves. Why stop now. One day the better angels of our nature will prevail.

Poster: Dave Myers
Comment: Mr. Vonnegut is absolutly right. We should just look at this "war" in iraq and the people who support it to determine that we are a disease on the planet. I recall another Vonnegut quote " above all, damn it people, you've got to be kind".

Poster: Joe Lackey
Comment: I'm of two minds regards Kurt Vonnegut's statement about the status of humanity. I've resigned myself to probably enduring within my own lifetime significant climatic change and its disasterous blobal consequences, some kind of airborne pandemic and the conflict-ridden decline of fossil fuels. Two presidential elections have occurred with suspect legitimacy. However, I believe that thought-forms precede reality-forms and if we anticipate doom strongly enough we'll probably have some.

Poster: Ayla
Comment: We tend to think of our species as being above others but that is not true. We have no more of a right to be here then any other species and since we are killing off so many speices a day we should instead go extinct ourselves and give the rest of the world a chance.

Poster: Judy Williams
Comment: Kurt Vonnegut's genius reminded me of a bumper sticker I saw: "Now that I have given up all hope- I feel better."

Poster: John, in Austin
Comment: I enjoyed Mr. Vonnegut's appearance. I am Pollyanna enough to disagree with his statement that we are a disease, but realist enough to understand where he's coming from. I've gone back to school in part to learn some skills that help me do my part to help make things more sensible. Either within the system, or without; I don't much care which. My 2 year old daughter's future depends upon it.

Poster: Aaron
Comment: Yes, join a gang! We are loosing our places in groups to technology and money. Without a discriminating eye on the things that detach us from a community, we loose our source of value and reasons to be good.

Poster: Gary Millhollen
Comment: The world is a perfect place. We dance to the music of the spheres and play the game the best we can along the road to nowhere. Acceptance is the key to understanding that everything has its place in this phenomenal world and it is in persevering and rising above that we have improved things along the way. We need no beliefs or opinions. We need to rise to our human potential just like each animal in nature rises to its potential; lives and dies and participates in the grand scheme

Poster: alfred loomis
Comment: we either cut our throats, or change society. here's a simple change, which may do some good: stop referring to america as a 'democracy', since it is not. then demand citizen-initiated-referendum be the primary law of the land.

Poster: Nathalie G
Comment: Every time I think my friends and I are a small pocket of reason in a world overrun with people in it only for themselves, someone like Mr. Vonnegut comes along to remind me that pants rarely come with only one pocket. Thanks for the reminder.

Poster: Terry Bonner
Comment: Vonnegut's purported misanthropy bespeaks a profound and optimistic humanism which challenges us to live up to our potential and move beyond this self-indulgent narcissism of the past two generations. He may talk like a pessimist, but he is still a true believer in humanity. That's why I love him.

Poster: carolyn
Comment: Individually I believe we have the capacity for great kindness and caring. When we join together in large organizations we seem to suppress and subvert that trait.

Poster: Robert Bratton
Comment: I'm not at all optimistic about the human species. I think that we are a big-brained, evolutionary dead-end. We will destroy the world. I think Vonnegut is right on the money for the need for an extended family: friends, co-workers, neighbors - not just our biological family. I am old enough to remember the front porch and no air conditioning. I can remember neighbors talking and calling to each other from the front of their houses. I remember neiborhoods. Look at the houses being built now: the garage is in the front, you drives home and into the garage, the door decends, the house is entered through the garage, and you go out onto the deck in the fenced in back yard. It is possible to live a lifetime in the same house on the same street and never know your neighbor...

Poster: Wanda LaCroix
Comment: Kurt Vonnegut should get the Nobel Peace Prize. He could give an acceptance speech and say, "If this isn't fun I don't know what is." I will cry when he's gone even though he wants to sue big tobacco for not killing him as they've promised. He doesn't have a computer, but maybe somebody could tell him that I have all his books, except the new one (I'll get it soon) and will always love him. Until I join him in humanist heaven.

Poster: e.v. banks
Comment: First, Kurt Vonnegut THANK YOU for being YOU! I have enjoyed all of your writings and found them insightful and highly entertaining. I agree with your statement that the earths immune system is purging itself of us with hurricanes, sunami, fire, earth quakes etc.. just as it did other great civilizations such as Angkor Wat and the Maya when their greed and single mindedness knew no boundaries. But to just give up, I am not ready for that. Maybe we need to greet each new child, Mr Rosewter style, and instill a sense of peace and power that they can make the difference we haven't been able to. We should explain what we know, continue to fight the injustices,show compassion and pass the torch with the anticipation that they will do better.

Poster: Ricardo Vanegas-Plata
Comment: I totally agree with Mr Vonnegut. After thousand of years, our societies - depite of knowledge, thecnology, and all the suffering we humans went through - are still unable to rise better human beings. That is our "original sin" our capability to kill, to destroy, to lie. If there was a God who told us to dominate the world for sure he made a mistake.

Poster: susan price-johnson
Comment: If one definition of insanity is repeatedly doing something with the hope of a different result, then war must be the absolute insanity. Also, as a note on the beatitudes; what convinced me of Christ's divinity were his words "love your enemy". I don't believe a human could come up with that.

Poster: Carrie Roach
Comment: Yes, recognizing the missing of the mark is important as is having a core belief in the source of our being as good. Trust is essential so we continue to hope and therefore work for the reign of love, we all have in the caves of our longings. We are to trust our species will evolve into this fullness of being.

Poster: Chris Wisehart
Comment: Absolutely both my Old and New Testaments are clear. We are depraved and I find it humorous that humanist think we may save ourselves. Yes the world will come close to getting rid of use but thank God for His Grace that the end, though tragic will we be triumphant. My hope is in Him not man.

Poster: brent ramey
Comment: I know Mr. Vonnegut has not been reading my mind, and I didn't think I was reading his, but deja vu! We really are self-important, arrogant apes, and to have the earth come into our care was the ultimate tragic misfortune! As americans, we hold a shameful amount of responsibility, whether or not our national persona holds denial as the "salve of choice/screen before all!"

Poster: Paul Chandler
Comment: when looking at a graph of human population growth and the rate of growth of certain bacteria, they are virtually identical, which makes me think- and also wonder if Kilgore Trout may have once written a book about a pitri dish of bacteria who at 6-am Sunday were peaceful and kind and got along with each other and weren't greedy or power-hungry... but as we can all predict.. by 8-pm monday were at each-others throats, scratching and clawing and plotting and scheming with all eyes on the prize. Master Vonnegut's remark is not so much literaly anti-human, as it is figuratively thought provoking. Yes. let's call the whole thing off. let's realize that this way of being human is not working. this way of Civilization really, is not very Civilized. this way of Christianity is not very Christian and, this way of Democracy is not very Democratic.

Poster: Jerry Renteria
Comment: It's incredible how a religion created by Man can rule this planet. It's always a crisis here and a crisis there. Always related to: God told me to do this. Isn't it time for truly enlightened people to take over and leave those pulled by dogma behind. Somewhere we all have to live on a cleaner more liveable world to enjoy it and more importantly leave our children a chance...

Poster: Sherry Rieder
Comment: Yes, I've said before that people who say we are created in God's image and likeness blaspheme. Thank you for a fine interview.

Poster: Kris
Comment: The innateness of hate, hurt, greed and complacency is a heady and destructive mix. One would think it enough, and then comes politics. Small wonder there are those who are convinced we're doomed.

Poster: Janet
Comment: I totally agree with Vonnegut when he says that the Democrats and Republicans are winners and the people of the US are the loser. But I don't think it is too late yet. I am optimistic that things can change. Generally speaking very few of the post-baby boomer generation (about 45 years and under) involve themselves in mainstream politics or media. Instead they engage in alternative politics and media. They are, however, very active in politics through their involvement in social movement organizations and non-governmental organizations. If, however, they realize that this is allowing those in power to have free reign, to be dictators who are also incompetent, corrupt, and engage in cronyism. They do not care about the people, period. The economic system is at the mercy of their greed (through speculation on natural resources, in particular black gold, and has reverted back to a mercantilist economy and is no longer a capitalist one). Where are the Communists hiding that president Bush was talking about in his speech yesterday? And as far as the Fascists (government controlled by business) are concerned, he doesn�t have to search too hard, he need only look in the mirror to find one. If the younger generation, or I should say when, they come to this realization, then the people can take back the political power they have lost.

Poster: Patricia Gwin
Comment: Thank you David and Mr. Vonnegut. Mr. Vonnegut, and I want to buy your book. You named several astrocities in history. There are many more. For instance, in our own history here in the United States is the genocide of the American Indian. Please don't ever forget this as it concerns the very country that so many of us comfortably reside and our red brothers struggle on their respective reservations.

Poster: just Joe
Comment: The trouble with journalism in this country is that it's too damn polite. Journalists tend to rely on paychecks from the rich. Cronyism and competence (the lack thereof) have always been the issue. No one wants to talk about it because the "gang", as Vonnegut calls it, is a group of friends. We have to remember that mediocre minds are not meant to lead nations. The friends they(mediocre minds) choose are not the ones we want to carry out the will of the people. Thanks Mr. Vonnegut for being who you are. Long live Humanism.

Poster: john tierney
Comment: I'm going to pretend the quote of the day is "What does it matter whether or not Jesus was God, he had a hell of a lot to say, and we humanists are listening." What Jesus had to SAY about how we humans can get along with each other better...that should be the real reason we should be discussing Jesus. What if all of the stuff about him being God was just good marketing, so that a wider audience would hear what Jesus had to SAY? Can you tell I've been reading Rosewater and Cradle lately?

Poster: Joe Hadley
Comment: The trouble with journalism in this country is that it's too damn polite. Journalists tend to rely on paychecks from the rich. Cronyism and competence (the lack thereof) have always been the issue. No one wants to talk about it because the "gang", as Vonnegut calls it, is a group of friends. We have to remember that mediocre minds are not meant to lead nations. The friends they(mediocre minds) choose are not the ones we want to carry out the will of the people. Thanks Mr. Vonnegut for being who you are. Long live Humanism.

Poster: Dipak Chowdhury
Comment: Didn't someone say "history repeats itsef"? Mr. Vonnegut's quote only points to this fact, in an elegent and strrking manner. If this is a fact why should we expect anything better? I look around me and see what I am doing about it - shame is the only feeling that suits me.

Poster: John II
Comment: I'm a Christian and I Agree with Kurt concerning Right-wing politics, They are not practicing Christ. Liberals politics also do not practice "Jesus's teachings ". In a way his Pbs appearance was a human in apology for humanity. And humanity as a "whole" has much to be ashamed of, and is need of repentance.... a word which today is a "dirty word", but simply means we should changer our current paths of direction. But come to think of it... it is a dirty word. Who's willing to change ?

Poster: Karen Gorden
Comment: I believe humanity's ultimate demise may still be avoided if we seek, individually and collectively to grow in spiritual wisdom. We, as the human race have stagnated in that area, while our technical and scientific knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds. This kind of power, used without spiritual wisdom, ethical standards, moral guidelines, whatever you want to call it, is poisoning our planet and our hearts. We cannot sustain ourselves or our precious planet if we continue down this same road. We, fellow inhabitants, must develop foresight while remembering who we really are, spiritual beings having an earthly experience. Kurt, thanks for reminding me.

Poster: Jean Reilly
Comment: From his curbside observance, Kurt has once again pointed to where we've landed in this raw condition we call "human." Recollection of historical legacy proves and explains why we just don't seem to "get it." He is a master of irony and one (I believe) who possesses a sincere and authentic compassion for all who crawl this planet.

Poster: Harold Burns
Comment: First as a previous poster I've always viewed humanity as a cancer on this planet. Mr Vonnegut what you call a charade the combat between Republicans and Democrats I call the illusion of inclusion and boy does it work well.

Poster: Carol Stachura
Comment: The Earth is a gift from God, and we humans have not cherished this beautiful gift the way we should have. Those beautiful pictures of our blue marble sent back by the astronauts should have changed us ages ago. I hope it's not too late.

Poster: Betty Benner
Comment: Yes, we should call off all the awful stuff, the war, the nuclear bombs, the hatred, the destruction. That is the disease our mother wants us to cure ourselves of. But who will go first? No country steps forward to be the initiator--maybe individual people in small villages have to start, in small ways. Also have to let our leaders know we are leaving off hate and starting love.

Poster: Gary Moraco
Comment: The last book I read by kurt Vonnegut was Galapagos 1985.If you read that I wont need to say more.My parents thought I was nutty but what they did'nt know was my reading skills out weighed there critical input.i did'nt say contructive critisizm.Enjoy your work,have fun,Stop trying to tidy up nature or nature will laugh with me.

Poster: Jean Reilly
Comment: Kurt, insightful as ever, offers the listener a curbside account of where we've landed. He speaks to the human condition, the inevitable suffering. His compassion doesn't limit itself to our species as evidenced by his further comments regarding most animals not having a good life on earth. As history has told, we just don't seem to "get it." But hey, like Kurt, I'm still around too and savoring the experience as best I can. Yes, and sometimes this humaness also delights in a simple journey to the store, and all that involves, to purchase an envelope.

Poster: RIC BAUER
Comment: Pro-God, pro-war? Pro-family, pro-guns? Pro-life, pro-death penalty? It's not always best to think positive.

Poster: Lydia and John
Comment: Bravo, Kurt Vonnegut! You speak the truth - humanity would seem to be a disease on this little blue planet and perhaps Global Warming is just Gaia running a fever to shake off the invaders? If we don't do ourselves in, maybe she will help the process along? BUT... I would mention that folks like you and David provide fine examples of this disease mutating into something rather positive. So perhaps there is some hope... That idea of a Secretary of the Future is wonderful... For what it's worth, our little Pomeranian puppy Einstein watched the program with keen interest...

Poster: Uncle Don
Comment: My worst fear is to become old and bitter but I've already got the shame part down. I guess by "call it off" you mean end it? That would solve the "old" problem, as I'm barely old enough to get elected president and I guess the bitter thing would be taken out of the equation as well. So in the end I'm left with shame, ^..^ , is that the dis-ease?

Poster: Vern Locklear
Comment: I agree with Kurt Vonnegut, in his quoting Christ from St. Matthew Ch. 5. Society has convulsed and removed its enemies over time. The untruths of political, economic, and religious leaders have and will "find them out." The cruel leaders such as Nero, who killed St. Paul, Bloody Mary who hated Christians, Hitler, who hated Jews, and now the evils of the communists and terrorists must be resisted for the sake of freedom lovers, red yellow, black and white.

Poster: Bledar Qato
Comment: Well, Kurt speaks about the destroying that we are doing to our environment. First, we have scientists telling us that the environment is being destroyed due to the carbon we realise in the air. Even, worse the senate decides to pass just today a bill that will allow oil refineries to drill in national parks and landscapes; therefore further depleting the environment. The bill was barely passed mainly because it will not resolve the current crise in gas prices and natural gas. It is clear that there are some problems with our gas supply in this country however I would be more worried about inflation rather than the refineries. The hurricanes truly affected the national supply of oil however, the higher prices are more the result of inflation embracing significant parts of our economy. Here we find ourselves in the 21st century further depleting our environment, making it more difficult for a middle class to survive, and slowly eroding that famous american dream. So, after eight years of the Bush Administration and its famous policy with lower taxes and lower interest rates, we find ourselves in frantic housing market where prices are so incredible that no decent working person can afford to buy one. Then we have inflation slowly seeping into our economy, higher gas prices, higher prices for manufacturing goods etc. Salary increases for the average american has not been able to keep up with the increase in inflation, and our presidents speaks about economic growth(one where workers get paid less, yet they must pay more). We all have become people without a nation, for those same rights and beliefs that created this country have slowly eroded.

Poster: Dave Bootes
Comment: During the 80 some years I have spent observing the human scene, I have noticed that things keep getting worse and worse. If anyone thinks things will get better, they are fools.

Poster: Brad Shurter
Comment: Somewhat of a variation of my long-held proposition that humanity and ALL of what we do, is natural - a natural disaster - no different from the hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanos and the like. This does not preclude that there is no beauty in all of this.

Poster: phillip low
Comment: he's right. thanks for one of the best interviews i've ever seen - wry and brilliant.

Poster: Earl G. Dennerline
Comment: "When we remwmber we are all mad the mysteries dissappear and life stands explained" Mark Twain (I think)

Poster: Brent Gugliemotto
Comment: I think that statements like this act as a reminder of the past, and bring attention to the inability of mankind to learn from its mistakes.

Poster: Chris Hartley
Comment: While I agree that we're far away from the thrust of Jesus' insistence on turning the other cheek, on denying revenge, and on love and harmony toward each other, I'm not sure it's the humanist message, or indeed Kurt's, that we should in fact be expunged. Pride is the enemy, we are not our own enemy, nor are God's, nor the world's, nor animals... Guilt and shame themselves are a negative product of pride. Should we simply accept our responsibilities, and our role in this world, of we are stewards, we will be that much closer to willfull compliance with the sage words of the beatitudes... Thank you Mr. Vonnegut, it was really great to see your appearance on the program. I hope the rest of your stay here is filled with the presence of the "terminaly nice" people you mentioned :)

Poster: Donna Treloar
Comment: The main problem now is the rule by corporations and the obscenely wealthy. How do we dump the ruling fools?

Poster: Jason Cameron
Comment: I can agree with this quote.We are a disease, a mental disease. Our society rewards relentless, and often ruthless, exploitation of human beings and the environment. I think a lot of people understand this and try, with varying degrees of success, to change that. Unfortunately, the means and will of those who don't understand or don't care or profit somehow from this disease, outstrips, by vast amounts, the ability of those searching for a cure.

Poster: Gerry O'Donnell
Comment: I suspect that everyone who thinks that the world would be better off without human beings, white human beings in particular, are simply masochistic liberals indulging their mistaken moral superiority. However, if they are indeed serious about improving the world, the answer is obvious - start by ridding it of themselves.

Poster: PAT MILLER
Comment: could not agree more. How can HATE be so powerful in human beings who are all imperfect? Where is forgiveness and love? Please let the kindness inside come out before the rage takes over.

Poster: Sage McCarey
Comment: I agree with Kurt Vonnegut. Humans pride ourselves on being better than other animals because we can think and choose our behavior. It really doesn't look as if we can. War, killing, destroying doesn't work but we just keep doing it. Why?

Poster: Richard Dovgin
Comment: As a grand generality to stimulate serious thinking about the state of the world and to prompt remedial action, Kurt, as usual, strikes to the core of a problem with his irony. Some days I'm inclined to even include myself and good friends as a "disease", however, I struggle against the same stupid, horrific kind of behaviours that he cites with the resources available to me. So it goes.

Poster: William McCullough
Comment: Shame implies some ethical standard. I associate disease with natural entropy without any ethics or morals. My hope is that Gaia will enventually find a cure for the human disease since we obviously don't have the capability to simply "call it off." But what the hey ... those Roman games were pretty cool.

Poster: Linda Mandel
Comment: I don't agree. Just because America has selfish, greedy, arrogant leaders today, I have hope the American people will wake up and send them packing. People have much more power then they believe. I also believe people are basically good. I am an optimist and believe things will get better. It seems each generation must suffer in some way to understand. Remember when the only story the media could hang onto was a personal infidelity of Clinton even though the economy and people were living pretty well. I do miss the media we had in the 60's and 70's.

Poster: human
Comment: No, we should look at those atrocities and try to understand the complex set of events and circumstances that led to those ends. If we use only these examples of 3+ millions yars of our modern evolution than the future is bleak as you suppose, but are there not also examples of compassion, good will and kindness from those same events. We are still in our childhood as a species and if we were to give up now, that would be shameful. All of your examples relate to fear based reactions given a particular societies set of rules. If you look at more common traits as opposed to single events a little more optomistic sense of humanity emerges. All in all, I as a representative of humanity refuse to be defined by anything other than my own actions, thoughts and conciousness. And at the same time I am part of the overall experience which we all share.

Poster: Claudia Casper
Comment: Kurt, you're right. But I wouldn't go idealizing those chimps either. THey get up to a heck of a lot of mischief too, and shouldn't be put in the same boat as gorillas. We are basically, well as you know, chimps with bigger brains who forgot how to climb trees. So, understanding that, can you really blame us? It's just that when you love someone, like your children for example, you can't understand how the murderous, over-sexed ape in us can let the whole pig-out go on.

Poster: J. C. Bolton
Comment: If we would just stop procreating for about 75 years we could save the planet.

Poster: Tamara Carpenter
Comment: I am a life-long fan of Mr. Vonnegut. I have often had the same thought �"We" (white people for some reason seem to be the worst) are a cancer on the planet. Maybe it is just human nature and not related to race. I grew up in the 1960s, and the conclusion I came to at a very young age after learning history was "white people are the scourge of the earth." A cancer is what I've always thought. Kudos to NOW and Mr. Vonnegut. I wouldn't be the same without either of you!

Poster: Chic Young
Comment: In the mid-1930s, my father frequently stated the our two Political Parties were miss-named. They should be named "The Ins and the Outs," because the "Ins" will do absolutely anything to stay in - and the "Outs" will do absolutely anything to get in - and that is what they both spend 99% of their time doing. Nothing else is really important to either Party, and those who want support in either Party must to the mark to get in, and stay in, Power!

Poster: william meyer
Comment: is there any way i can apprise Kurt that he belongs in the company of twain and einstein? that they are good company for reasons beyond their intellects?

Poster: Ray D. Burkett, Ph. D.
Comment: Who are "we?" Are you combining all of humanity into one group, and condemning us all? There are a few of us who are educated enough and sensible enough to not believe everything that we are told about others who differ from us. I would like to see the best of humanity presented in music, drama, news, tv, etc., to counterbalance the crude, rude, and profane that passes for news and entertainment.

Poster: Cheryl
Comment: Simply, yes. I spent this morning at a conference for women facilitated by Margaret Wheatly. Our discussion focused on the necessity for women to step up into leadership roles and end the madness of this world. I am not Pollyanna, but people working together can and do make a difference - remember Solidarity?

Poster: NOW Editor
Comment: Read more about and by Kurt Vonnegut.

To maintain standards of civility all messages are editorially reviewed before posting.