The Death of Society?

Part One

Observers at the End of Time

We have entered tumultuous times. The central core of our supposedly modern society, the entire financial system, is in meltdown. Banks are failing, governments are helpless and the man in the street is walking blindly wherever this situation takes them. Never in such a short space of time has so many pillars of our way of living been demolished. It’s a big scary mess and fear is all pervasive in both the city and the household. Old orders are failing and new standards are being born. Tumultuous times indeed.

However, there is another way to look at this. If you can hold your nerve and stand aloof from all the madness, then this is an exciting series of events to watch. History is being made everyday and change is almost an hourly event. Its global in its scope and its going to effect pretty much every living person on the planet. I think what we are seeing is the fallout from 9/11 coming back to bite us. With 9/11, we in the west embarked upon a series of society changing measures and two major wars that have drained us of not only financial resources, but also of public will. People are no longer in tune with their governments, people no longer trust their governments. Our absolute belief systems have been eroded and dissipated in front of our eyes, its as if modern society was merely a veneer, draped over an original template that is now finally showing through. Religion as an organised part of our lives, is fading – although the rise of Islam is a separate issue and one with interesting repercussions – and the populace are searching for something to fill the void. The rise of esoteric studies and belief systems is as a result of this need, with people seeking new truths to replace the old ones, new comforts to rely upon. Arthur C. Clarke once said that most religions have 2000 years of life to them before they fade and are replaced. Maybe its time for some new ones.

As we hurtle towards the ominous date of 2012, it seems clear to me that we are in the throes of something remarkable. Where we will eventually end up is anybodies guess at this stage, making predictions in this environment of sudden change is a dangerous game to play, but I think one thing is clear, change is coming and coming fast. The level of the actual debt around on a national level is staggering. Its been estimated that in the US alone, 53 trillion dollars is the real figure when you factor in the social programs that have to be paid for. In the UK a series of emergency measures have just been announced to try and kick start an economy that is in its death throes. There are countries that are literally on the brink of complete insolvency, Hungary and Iceland in Europe, South Korea in Asia being notable economies that are in dire straights. The World Bank and the IMF are struggling to keep up with the crisis and the two pillars of recession, mass unemployment and rising inflation, are rearing their ugly heads once again. We are only at the very tip of a massive iceberg that is ready to hole us below the surface and bring the whole edifice tumbling down around our ears.

The short term looks bleak, but what about the long term outlook? I think we will shortly stand at a momentous crossroads. We have huge decisions to make and the choices will impact upon the human race for centuries to come. Sadly I fear that our leaders and so called experts will condemn us to more of the same for a while. This is as a result of short term thinking in order to secure their own places of power and control. But in the long term I think it is inevitable that everything will have to change completely. We cannot go on with a society that acts like a virus, consuming everything it comes into contact with, but with individuals that are only concerned with personal gain and greed. Its this word, greed, that I think we will be remembered for by future generations. I am presently working on a book idea to be called, Blood And Belief, which takes a look at dynastic control and power games over the past several millennium and asses why we feel the need to have certain people, dynasties and groups control and have power over our existence, draining us of our very humanity and condemning the masses to a life of little more than slavery.

In the end, we are condemned by our history. The only way we can hope for a better future, is to learn from a bitter past. We must throw the shackles of control and false belief aside and embrace our core selves. We as human beings, have a wonderful capacity for good and a knowledge of truth that has been buried beneath a mountain of greed and control. Its time for a change and its time for brave and strong decisions to be made. We are observers at the end of time, so crack open the wine, sit back, relax and watch it all unfold. These are exciting events indeed.

Simon Cox

Comments

[Marijane Miller]

Silly boy. When have human beings ever learned anything from the past? Shouldn’t the very first war have convinced everyone that armed conflict is deadly, destructive, heartbreaking, and – in the end – not that beneficial to society as a whole? Shouldn’t the very first hurtful lie have shown us all the value of the truth? If we truly learned from our mistakes, we’d be damned near perfect by now.

We are, however, far from anywhere near being even perfect-adjacent. We don’t learn because we are always beginning again. Every baby has to squeeze a kitty too hard before understanding the word “claws”. Every teenager has to discover for herself that sneaking out after curfew has consequences. Every husband has to find out the hard way that his wife knows when he’s been sniffing around the new secretary in accounting. We might learn within our own lifetimes, but that knowledge becomes “blah blah blah” to the next generation. History books are like the adults in a Charlie Brown cartoon – just trombones blaring nonsense to those who don’t want to hear it.

A thousand books can be written about how fire will burn your fingers. You Tube can post a million videos of people screaming in pain. But there are always people willing to see if it’s really that hot; really that painful. The paradox is that the curiosity that keeps us from believing what history tries to teach us is the same impulse that propels us forward into new discoveries and ways of thinking. You beg us to learn from the past so we will change. Yet it is the lack of learning that brings on the change. An economic paradigm of the 18th century may seem prudent but does it really have any application in the 21st century? Some clever college boy has read that book and dismisses its musty approach. But that bit in paragraph six? That’s not bad. Maybe he can do something with that…

There are great problems in the world. There have always been great problems in the world. Children suffer, people die, governments rise and fall. But the species goes on because, as corny as it sounds, there is always hope. It may be a self-centered hope for a better house or an education for one’s own children, but it is aspirational and it will keep things going as it always has. The next few years will no doubt bring despair to many as jobs disappear and food becomes scarce. But those of us who are bit more fortunate will keep on trying to make things a bit better. And in less than the blink of an eye in the life of planet Earth, things will get a bit better. Of course, we’re doing it for our children and our grandchildren. Will they thank us? Fuggedaboutit.