“I cannot bring knowledge to a man, but I can make him think”.
Socrate.
Hello, young Padawan
You asked me, I did it. Here is a reflection on “the current atmosphere”.
As usual on this blog, we will get in the roller coaster, drive into the abyss to hopefully come out of it thanks to a few ideas; because light, there will always be (note: a.k.a Yoda). The goal is never sterile analysis but, on the contrary, the search for solutions resulting from analysis, trying as much as possible to have no bias, even if, as a simple human being, I would always have one (Doxa and so on, ed). Indeed, as buddy Socrates said: “What I know is that I know nothing,” in other words, not to confuse knowledge, with opinion or belief.
I will repeat verbatim a few snippets of Morpheus’ speech to Neo in quotation marks; if you have never watched the movie The Matrix, now is the time: “You felt it your entire life, that there is something wrong with the world, you don’t know what it is, but it’s there”. Today we are in “a prison for your mind”. Our modern society is “the world that as been pulled over your eyes, to blind you from the truth.”
So taking the red pill is, in my opinion, the only way to find solutions, because you can only find a solution when you have exposed yourself to the situation, have analyzed and understood it. Let’s go.
In the past, things were clearer: “I am the leader of the “chief of the chiefs,” I dominate you, you are my slave and do not try to escape you, or I impale you”. Very clear, even. Nowadays, we are supposed to have evolved, but the torture of the bodies has just given way to that of the spirits. It is no longer politically correct to impale the slaves, nevermind; we will tie up their brains. Is our society less violent then? I wouldn’t be so sure.
So here I am going to point to a dysfunction, certainly among thousands of others, which is for me an essential consequence of the “current atmosphere”: Why the world, provided with the majority of us, is not governed by the people and ideas coming from the majority of us? Why are those who govern us are a handful of mental freaks that have lost all notions with reality, a bunch of frustrated sociopaths, greedy for power and money, in short: sick assholes?
There’s no more elite
Most human beings basically want the same thing: to be free, to be worthy, to eat their fill, to be loved, to have a family, friends, a house, an honest job, a dog or a cat, possibly a car and/or a bike (yes, and Netflix, if you say so, lol, ed). It’s not difficult to be a happy Sapiens.
And yet, some of us, the most frustrated and unstable, feel that they want much more complex and dangerous things: Power over others, enslavement, misplaced recognition, that is to say being taken for an elite of which they will never be because they will never have the intelligence or the taste for work to achieve it.
A real elite does not establish its business at the expense of others. A real elite is Knowledge, Science, but by no means power. True erudite are behind their desks, in the shadows, invested with the passion for their work, reading, searching, discovering, and have no ego. Unfortunately, the real elite is something extremely rare because it requires a lot of investment and work, it’s a bit like talent (see my article here), some will never succeed, despite a whole devoted life. They’ll die for trying, which is a great credit. Some of them become famous, but most of the time post mortem.
However, it is more accessible to build a reputation or a network. And since society recognizes those who fake to work, why deprive oneself of it after all? Thus, the imposters, the clowns, are more concerned with their number of TV and radio shows than with the number of discoveries. Besides, what have they really done in their life, apart from strutting around? And yet they are the first that are listened to, and worse: believed.
The lack of recognition
When more is always needed, there is a problem.
Haven’t you noticed? Today, those who consider themselves “elite” are mentally ill people in need of recognition. Maybe mom or dad didn’t tell them enough how much he or she was worth it, and now the rest of humanity is in trouble. Conflict of interest, embezzlement, cronyism, everything is good, even selling one’s soul and principles to the devil for a little recognition.
An exceptional being, whether by one’s beauty, intelligence, talent, or charisma, does not seek to be exceptional, since by definition he is. There is, therefore, no need to pursue chimeras, crushing everything in one’s path. Where it gets complicated is for the frustrated. Is it so terrible not to be exceptional? For some, in any case, it is inconceivable. And it is only by making others pay for this that they can tolerate this life, in this body so common, with this so miserable intellect.
For the sociopath billionaire, money is only an accessory to bend his fellows to his pseudo glory, humiliating the other becomes erotic, and the pleasure reaped at all this evil does not last more than the time of orgasm. So they need more, always more. The return to reality, facing the mirror of a soul that darkens with each passing day, is more and more difficult: “Without your power, you have nothing more than your neighbor, you are exceptional In nothing”. A chasm between fantasy and reality.
The family is dead, long live individualism.
“The others, they should not be allowed this unattainable luxury of being happy when we, sociopaths, will never be, with our egos, our power over others and our billions”.
So since 1950, one takes a shit on family values, one wipes with education, one pees at the dearest values to human beings: the clan.
We break up the family unit; grandparents, who used to help educate children while dad was in the mine or in the factory and mom working in the garden or in the household chores, are now relegated to the nursing home. The person you loved, with whom you decided to start a family with, when hit around 40 is no longer good enough for your boomer’s ego, so you change partners, because you are worth it, to realize 5 years later that they are “all the same macho” or “all boring chicks.” No second chance, no compromise, no investment – at the time of the tissue, I present to you the disposable family.
We are more and more lonely. Fewer and fewer friends as well, because investing there is too much effort too; and above all, we shouldn’t risk questioning ourselves. “Brenda did not listen to me as I wanted!”, “Brendon forgot my birthday!”: Next. But the real question to ask is: Are we happier now?
So who was right, the ancestral family clan with its members who can be sometimes a pain in the ass, or individualism on prozac? You have 2 hours.
So what do we do?
Wait, don’t shoot yourself right now, you still have Netflix. No, I’m kidding. We get there, there are some ideas…
– Let’s educate ourselves. Let us read, learn the true history of our countries, draw the true lessons of the past, by reading the works going for and against our thought to touch on the beginning of truth. Let us forge a well-made brain, never cease to learn, to enrich ourselves, without bias, without newspeak, without intellectual pollution. With the internet, we have the means. And above all: let’s stop giving credit to circus puppets with no more IQ than the otter that keeps a ball on its head. And that’s mean for the otter.
– Let’s educate our children. Knowing that there is nothing more dangerous than a frustrated person who thinks that the rest of the world owes him reparation: let us educate our children with honesty, wisdom, simplicity, not too much ego, without resentment, with good values and knowledge. Let’s never forget that yesterday’s asshole boy is tomorrow’s bastard man. It does not help anyone, neither you nor society, to carry your offspring on a pedestal or not to teach them the basics of politeness, respect, and living together.
– Let’s be adults. We are adults, responsible people. Let us no longer let ourselves be carried away by this unbearable infantilization that one is trying to put on our shoulders, to make us even more enslaved than we already are. Never accept being on your knees, get up, walk with your head held high and assume who you are, even if it means being judged by your people who are still in the single mandatory way of thinking.
– Let’s be rebellious. Let’s believe in our values as happy human beings who just want to be in peace, whatever they are. And let’s be proud of who we are. Let us not give a chance to those who try to annihilate our well-being, our principles, our history, and our culture to do it.
– Let’s search, find, and apply. Let’s search solutions, find ideas, apply them. Personally, I aspire to be as independent as possible. But there are probably a lot of other ways out of this mess.
– Let’s find back a tribe. Don’t be afraid, I’m not talking about dancing around the fire with a noodle necklace around your neck. I’m just talking about people you can count on; a tribe of trusted people around you, people who can bring you love, help, support, moments of joy, fun, well-being, but also the exchange of knowledge, goods, and services.
A human being is a social individual, and it gives stress or discomfort, especially in cities, to have no one to rely on. To be alone in front of the broken faucet, to miss an apple to make your pie, to need someone to babysit your kid an hour to go to the dentist, in short, someone to help you to face the surprises of everyday life. In the past, you would have asked you’re lovely neighbor for an apple to finish your pie, and you would have brought him or her a piece of it an hour later. Result? Two happy souls for the rest of the day, smiling, with certainty: if one day he or she needs sugar or some tape, you will be there, proud to be able to do the same!
So, find support. With your family or what is left, your friends, your neighbors, maybe also among your colleagues, you can find people in this dynamic. I trust you, just be aware your balance also depends on the support of your tribe, and on which you can bring to them. Give and take.
You have a little garden that gave you eight million zucchini? Spread the neighborhood, you will harvest back eggs, strawberries, … This is life; sharing, being here for oneself and for others, in good understanding. There will always be bickering indeed, but if you are afraid of it, ask yourself the following question: would you prefer to be alone without having anyone to lean on in case of, or to open up to others with the risk of one day bumping on an asshole, knowing that you can still deal with the asshole by staying by your own?
The world is populated by 99% of people who simply have the aspiration of a happy life, in which they are allowed to live in peace. If we were a little more aware of it, we could fire all these mentally ill people and create a world in harmony, happy, where nobody would lack anything. But since it seems complicated on a large scale, why not do it on a small one? Between us, let’s reform mini-tribes, help each other, carry our values proudly, and leave them for what they really are: insignificant people.
If we all do it together, we will inspire others, and with a little luck, we will spread it to everyone.
I leave you for today; I have tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini to water.
XO 🥒
Detroit, Michigan, USA.