The problem with civilization is that it tries to make a perfect system of rules to eliminate uncertainty and doubt. However, in doing so, it creates a reality in itself, like a game, which can then be mastered by people independent of the underlying reality. As they do this, society drifts apart from reality.
Like a snowball, socialization itself gains momentum and mass at the same time. It becomes a reaction out of control, resembling a nuclear meltdown in its achievement of critical mass and then an uncontrollable cascade. At first, it can be arrested but then it reaches a state where it is reacting to itself and cannot be restrained.
One mention of this that is particularly interesting comes to us from the classic literature of the 1920s in which writers wrote about their time. Scott Fitzgerald describes people “doing stunts” to draw attention to themselves. Ernest Hemingway describes people acting outlandishly as a means of passing the time or becoming socially powerful.
This way of drawing attention to oneself is a chain reaction like the ones described above. At first, it is a benign form of attention whoring. But with each event, each person must make themselves more noticeable than the others. This quickly moves from simply outlandish to obscene, ironic, prurient, insane and self-destructive.
Similarly, one way to draw attention to yourself is to project a false concern for others. By doing this, you demand that whatever they are doing should be tolerated. Since you don’t care what it is they’re doing, or what its consequences are, and only worry about making yourself look good, a spiral appears here too.
In the West right now, we’re seeing a mass immaturity wave. Our cities are flooded with hipsters who specialize in being ironic. Our media is full of foolish celebrities who act beyond rationality in order to stay in the news. Even our leaders, in an attempt to be cool like the kids, are acting like teenagers.
When we see elections like 2008 and 2012 where one party wins by lying, making promises, distorting the truth and evading actual questions in favor of “flavor issues” that have emotional or ironic appeal (“first black president,” bro!) we can see the future of the immature society: it consumes itself by feasting on delusion.
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Homo Sapiens is a strange creature. Neoteny is a huge factor in our evolution and I often think about how, for example, Humans retain there sense of wonder and love of exploring and learning often for all of their lives. But it also has the negative effect of making them gullible, gives them ‘magpie syndrome’ where they chase the shiny things and makes them prone to ‘imaginary friend’ notions of God rather than trying to find what ‘God’ really is and means. Does it make them do that thing children do when they kick up a fuss about wanting what another has and then when they get it they don’t even know why they wanted it to begin with?
At the same time, don’t the small minority of fools, myself included, help keep things interesting?
I suppose we’re just rubber-banding at this point between the poles of order and chaos.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. – Matthew 6:5
Having no anchor or direction, the modern children wander aimlessly, pointlessly. There may be natural pea-cocking in this for strictly reproductive ends, perhaps even unbeknownst to them. In this we see the vanity and emptiness of their ways. It makes for excellent contrast and the purpose of tradition clear to those with a vision towards eternity.
These children can not lead a civilization – though they make easy prey for liars and manipulators. Just tell them who to vote for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2oZWpqtNi4
Modern pop culture.
You get what your nation subsidizes. Meet Honey Boo-Boo!
Not to mention. Octomom!
http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/08/octomom-is-back-on-welfare-video/
Can you believe she’s back on welfare? I mean how did that happen?
What we pay attention to, grows.
I wanted to add more than my simple statement above, because I know it is not that simple. There are so many thoughts that cross through my mind on the subject, but one thing I’ll share is the notion that I think as a society we are worn down. Many people know something is wrong, but don’t know what. So then a dysfunctional/toxic culture takes hold within a broken context. Kind of like a destructive micro-organism that thrives in unhealthy conditions. And when things that are ultimately destructive of self and life, and destructive of that which gives life meaning take hold, it becomes a viscous cycle in that the cycle further creates the breading ground for more dysfunction. At some point, the path as been tread too far and there is no way back.
One thing I will not speculate on is what makes for a healthy culture. I just feel something is amiss in our current reality. One thing that I think has caught many people off guard has been the technological advances that have shaped people’s lives. These can be used to enhance the human experience, but we can also become slaves to such things, and rely on them at the expense of critical thought and human decision making based on common sense and depth of being. And in this confusion, there is a rush for self-gratification, whether riches or ego fulfillment, but regardless our current pop-culture seems to be an outcropping of this. Maybe this has always been the case, but the current environment has amplified the effect. At least that is how I see it sometimes.
“Maybe this has always been the case, but the current environment has amplified the effect.”
Definitely, the availability of technology and easy access to wikipedia/google/etc. only makes things worse. Everyone suddenly has a valid opinion on matters great and small – not the least of which is how “amazing!!!” and special they truly are as individuals. Ha!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2oZWpqtNi4