Great read. In a meme, 'leave society, be a monke'. The Viagra Boys' newest record Cave World hits on alot of these themes. Worth a listen if you haven't already.
I don't think it's liberalism. We've had liberalism for two centuries now, and the rot only began to set in a few decades ago. I honestly think that it has a lot to do with the way that the intellectual world has come to push the idea that there is simply no God, and that it is foolhardy to believe. It's actually a nonsensical position (the chances of there being a God and not being a God are statistically identical), but the idea has certainly come to dominate academe, and has through it come to dominate the professions and the media and tech worlds, which means that it dominates pretty much everything in the West. The reason why people don't believe in meaning anymore is that the font of meaning has been torn away from them. I'm not saying you gotta believe, or that it's wise to believe. But I am saying if you have a society with a significant percentage who don't believe, and have that lack of belief constantly reinforced through mass culture, we shouldn't be surprised when the wheels of society start coming off. They're nihilists because they have been trained to believe that nihil is all there is.
Good job Katherine, now that you let the secret out they are going to try to "fix it", and I already have like 6 mandatory trainings to go to a year :D
Liberalism, Individualism, and Autonomy do not cause the Nihilism. Freedom simply allows for deeper self development, and to pursue that development, a person merely requires a higher purpose than YOLO. Authoritarian Governments crush the Individual Will and prevent both Individual Development and Social Prosperity. People should retain and even expand their Freedom, but also purse a sense of Meaning through Purpose - and that's mostly about helping, not hurting, other people.
Alienation, and behind that, the lack of values and communal feeling are culpable for nihilism. The massive pressure placed on popularity and social value as the ONLY meanings that matter also exacerbate the issue further
Yes, they’re constantly bombarded with the idea that Nothing Matters. That’s why it looks like mental illness to us who know Everything Matters. Every action adds up, to a net positive or deficit. They’re encouraged to give up.
Part of the loss of meaning or the "meaning crisis" is the disappearance of a distinct place in our lives. I touch on this in my own blog. https://jjoftheoaks.substack.com/p/renaissance-reflections-in-pixelated
amazing
Great read. In a meme, 'leave society, be a monke'. The Viagra Boys' newest record Cave World hits on alot of these themes. Worth a listen if you haven't already.
I don't think it's liberalism. We've had liberalism for two centuries now, and the rot only began to set in a few decades ago. I honestly think that it has a lot to do with the way that the intellectual world has come to push the idea that there is simply no God, and that it is foolhardy to believe. It's actually a nonsensical position (the chances of there being a God and not being a God are statistically identical), but the idea has certainly come to dominate academe, and has through it come to dominate the professions and the media and tech worlds, which means that it dominates pretty much everything in the West. The reason why people don't believe in meaning anymore is that the font of meaning has been torn away from them. I'm not saying you gotta believe, or that it's wise to believe. But I am saying if you have a society with a significant percentage who don't believe, and have that lack of belief constantly reinforced through mass culture, we shouldn't be surprised when the wheels of society start coming off. They're nihilists because they have been trained to believe that nihil is all there is.
This is the article that led me to you! It's brilliant, as are you.
Good job Katherine, now that you let the secret out they are going to try to "fix it", and I already have like 6 mandatory trainings to go to a year :D
Liberalism, Individualism, and Autonomy do not cause the Nihilism. Freedom simply allows for deeper self development, and to pursue that development, a person merely requires a higher purpose than YOLO. Authoritarian Governments crush the Individual Will and prevent both Individual Development and Social Prosperity. People should retain and even expand their Freedom, but also purse a sense of Meaning through Purpose - and that's mostly about helping, not hurting, other people.
Alienation, and behind that, the lack of values and communal feeling are culpable for nihilism. The massive pressure placed on popularity and social value as the ONLY meanings that matter also exacerbate the issue further
Now look at that. And I signed a trial subscription to CONTRA two weeks ago just to harvest the original for some hard-hitting quotes. ^^
Yes, they’re constantly bombarded with the idea that Nothing Matters. That’s why it looks like mental illness to us who know Everything Matters. Every action adds up, to a net positive or deficit. They’re encouraged to give up.
"We have a nihilism problem" = "News That Stays News"
One of my favorite's, glad to have it out from behind the paywall!