So, this is progress?
“But to tear down a factory or to revolt against a government or to avoid repair of a motorcycle because it is a system is to attack effects rather than causes; and as long as the attack is upon effects only, no change is possible. The true system, the real system, is our present construction of systematic thought itself, rationality itself, and if a factory is torn down but the rationality which produced it is left standing, then that rationality will simply produce another factory. If a revolution destroys a systematic government, but the systematic patterns of thought that produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will repeat themselves in the succeeding government. There’s so much talk about the system. And so little understanding.”
― Robert M Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
Apparently, what we’re seeing domestically and on the world stage counts as progress.
I don’t see it that way.
In fact, I find a culture so in swoon with ‘being all you can be’, novelty, consumerism and an inveterate obsession with ‘more’ not just regressive but bordering on delusional.
I’m not sure what that says about me given that I’ve been and still am part of the cultural mythos but that, like so many misanthropic people, is my unworthy cross to bear.
You may have a very different take on things, and will, no doubt, point to the low rates of infant mortality, the abundance of wealth (…in a few hands) and opportunities (this one’s a bit iffy), length of life, clean water, medicines and all those other things that go to make up the dominant narrative that’s prayed in aid as so much better than the previous epoch. However, at the risk of making a cheap/flabby point, if this (truly) is progress, just look at the cost (the link will take you to the latest IPCC reports which are a conservative view of our likely demise).
In other words:
How the hell did it get like this?
But that’s a minor detail, right?
Just like in previous decades, we’ll engineer a solution to our plight, or better still transhumanise the entire world.
I realise that what I’m describing is way too simple but you have to ask yourself — or at least I do, routinely — at what stage will we wake up to the enormity of the extant situation and understand that without a massive and unprecedented change in the way we live and what we stand for, we’ll simply accelerate our demise.
But of course that would require a thoughtful and constructive conversation at all levels of society on such issues as:
Why we believe we’re the Crown of Creation and have no or very little connection with all of nature?
Why we believe that we’re entitled to a better life than previous generations?
Living with less — a lot less.
Money.
The overbearing cultural narrative.
Values, beliefs and the absence of a connection to the spirits.
And living up to our god-given potential — whatever that means.
If I bring things back to reality, though, how about starting with an honest and open conversation with ourselves? Do we think that 10 billion people can enjoy what we enjoy without causing or contributing to Gaia’s destruction and us along the way?
Yes, I think that an excellent place to start as well as the reason why so few people, or at least the ones I know, even discuss the worst effects of the Anthropocene and what we can do to ensure that we’re not all burnt to a crisp etc. in the next 100 years.
The thing is, despite my outpouring on this subject, I know in my heart, given the scale of the problem, that nothing’s going to change. Namely, we won’t’ abate our earth-wrecking ways and instead will have to be stopped — and that’s going to be messy, ugly and inevitable.
One last thing. I read and hear lots of people talk up an awakening of sorts where we all suddenly experience an insight of such epic proportion — practically beatific — that we’ll stop our earth-wrecking ways. As much as I’d wish for a miracle — which this is — I don’t believe we’ll see 8 billion people wake up to the enormity of the issues, and that leaves out the equation all the vested interests who will and are doing their level best to ensure that the status quo remains the status quo.
Sorry. I know this a bit of a bum post — and you’ve heard it all before (from me) — but I can’t shrug off the existential dread that infuses my waning days.
Blessings,
Julian