Panem et Circenses
A democratic nation is only as good and wise as the most middling of men who comprises it, but also only as evil and ignorant. This is both blessing and curse to the democratic nation, for the median quality of a polity is both slow to rise, and slow to fall. For nearly our entire history the United States has enjoyed a constant and steady march towards a more civilized and advanced civilization, and an ever wiser and more virtuous middling man. Progress has sometimes been slow, and often halting, but the idea that we as a nation are moving onward and upward has long been taken for granted. The last hundred years has seen remarkable technological and cultural advances, a trend largely driven by an increasingly educated and affluent middle class, the inertia of which has caused many to believe with the faith of the religious, that the prosperity and progress will never end.
As we approach the zenith of our affluence and technological advancement we find ourselves confronted with another double edged sword, which has been both plague and blessing. Some men are driven to better themselves and their surroundings by the strength of their ideas, and an unquenchable ambition to attain some unattainable notion of perfection – but these men are few. Most men have more realistic ambitions; they find their pleasures in the company of family and friends, and seek out comfort, security, and diversions that entertain. These middling men know a happiness and contentment not found in the restless soul of their more ambitious and successful counterparts, but together, these two types of men have moved this country steadily onward and upward throughout its history. This partnership has long been of great benefit to the civilization as whole, and all have benefited. With most of society desiring comfort and diversion, progress has come to be equated with greater levels of physical comfort and means of entertainment for an ever greater portion of the population. Our capacity for both has become enormous, so that even the most middling of men will find nearly infinite entertainment, enjoyed amidst an abundance of cheap food and material luxury. However, as we reach the point of saturation for both comfort and diversion, one must wander what will become of the middling man, now that all of his ambitions have been satisfied.
These impulses, carried over from a time when humanity fought merely to survive, have carried us to heights unimagined. However, at the height of our achievement, the threats to our ongoing survival and prosperity are much more subtle than they were for our ancestors. In the lap of luxury and ease, most find their attention and energies consumed by banality and complacence. If we are to overcome our present condition, great and middling men alike must learn not only to survive, but to live purposefully and well. Having achieved all of his ambitions, the middling man has become politically disengaged, and socially apathetic. Still industrious at work, he is asleep at home and in his community. The short sighted desires engendered by the paradigm of immediate survival have rendered our society incapable of dealing with long term problems, which affect our wellbeing and existence. The long term existential threats to our environment and economy have taken a backseat to the immediate banality of pop culture, which offers diversion, and the comfort of not thinking about that which is unpleasant.
To survive, humanity must move beyond short-term gratification and immediate survival. We must trade our feasts for simple wholesome foods, and put away our toys and circuses, to dedicate ourselves to the cultivation of our minds and souls. Greatness is now required of great and middling men alike – to survive, mere survival can no longer be our only concern.
December 29, 2012
Modern Malaise: Gen Y
Something is amiss with modern man; a sort of subtle melancholy that at times defies articulation. The history of humanity has thus far been defined by hardship and the struggle for survival. Our forebears lived lives that were nasty, brutish and short, where each day was an unbearable struggle to merely survive. However, over the past hundred years or so a large portion of the human race has managed to pull itself up from the drudgery of mere survival, to a place of prosperity and ease. Physical comfort and survival accomplished, the question has become: What now?
Those stuck in the paradigm of survival have concluded that if what they have now is good, surely more is better. So they set out to acquire ever more wealth, luxury and ease; often at the expense of enjoying any of it. However, an increasing portion of the population, particularly those in Gen Y, are no longer satisfied with their predecessors’ imperative of survival.
This is the generation who has known no great wars, and was born into a world of material abundance and digital connectivity. Survival was never at risk for this cohort, so they often fail to see the necessity or wisdom of the ideas that drive modern society. Survival assured, Gen Y wants more than their parents’ suburban mansions, with garages filled to overflowing with once wanted but now unused adornments and diversions. Instead, they wish to live lives filled with meaning, in communities that foster growth.
People are changing, and the world is soon to follow. What many are experiencing now is the birthing pains of a new paradigm, and a new age. As survival chafes against the paradigm of prosperity, many find themselves trapped in old patterns that leave them feeling empty and unfulfilled. They work jobs they hate, doing thing they find meaningless or wrong, to buy things, once acquired, they no longer want. They live in a world of survival, because they cannot see how prosperous they are. This person feels trapped, and their life meaningless. They know there is a better way, but they see no way to achieve it. They feel trapped in a struggle for survival, not born of the necessity to survive, but out of a system and circumstances that seem to allow no alternative. In short, they are caught in the inertia of a world predicated on a paradigm that enriches their flesh, but impoverishes their soul.
However, only our choice to adhere to inertia’s mandate gives it any power over us. To live a life of prosperity, one need only decide they are prosperous and enjoy their wealth. I do not speak of the ornaments of survival that have given birth to the tremendous waste and shallow consumerism of our society. Instead, I speak of the richness of living a life with meaning, with people you love. To be prosperous, one need only live a life in which your values and actions align, and those you love are cherished.
Consider what the world would be like if everyone engaged only in those things they found meaningful, good and worthwhile. Is it somewhere you would like to live? If so, what is stopping you?