Society is made up of individuals yet it seems to take on a life of its own. Even though you are one of the individuals that gives society a body, you can't change society just by changing yourself.
Questions I think have some importance: What makes a person want to change anything about either themselves or society? Do we get our esteem from ourselves or is it given to us by others? Why should we care? Can you take a position on how to deal with a problem in society unless you take the time to figure out what society is and why it exists?
I've spent the last few years studying the work of Ernest Becker and those, mainly Sheldon Solomon, who are furthering his work. Becker synthesised the work of others before him and came up with a theory about what causes human evil in the world. It's now called "Terror Management Theory" (TMT) and is an emerging school of thought that is starting to gain more credibility.
Some of the opinions I currently hold about my role in society and what I think needs to change are based on having been exposed to TMT. As with many other subjects that I've studied, I find I absorb it better by trying to explain it to others.
The basic theory starts with: Every human being has a psychological need to feel like a person of significance in a world of meaning. If those two needs aren't satisfied, they do what is commonly referred to as "evil".
The Individual And Society
The Individual And Society
Anyone interested in a discussion about what's wrong in the world (an informed discussion) might want to check out Sheldon Solomon's lecture Teach These Souls To Fly available on youtube. Of course you don't need to watch it to join the discussion, but it sure helps give a common language if you know what I'm talking about already.
link
link
The Individual And Society
I was watching a documentary last night about the story of two kids named Yvette Rodier and Zach Snarr who, on their first date, decided to hike through a canyon in Utah...That's when Jorge Benvenuto had driven up to them in his truck, asked a quick question, to only then pull out a gun and unload it on both of them. Zach died and Yvette survived with multiple wounds, including a bullet that shaved the top of her head. Apparently Jorge attempted to murder both of them simply to "see what it felt like to kill someone"...
During the trial Yvette's family, including herself, voiced how much they wanted to see Jorge's life come to an end. I couldn't help but wonder just how avoidable all of this can be and to know just how much ignorance plays a role in what we as a society define as "evil".
Events like this, that are derived from pure and utter ignorance and neglect, makes me realize just how much I honestly don't know what I would do during these situations.
I'd watched a movie earlier in the day called "To dance with Olivia" which portrays a lawyer's son being gunned down by a drunkard in his front yard for no other reason but sheer ignorance. The lawyer, sitting on the ground clutching his dead child, could do nothing but weep. When looking at these things objectively it's easy to say what we might do if we were in those situations but the sobering reality is that we don't really know. I think it goes a long way in helping us all realize that we don't really know ourselves either. We don't know ourselves as much as we think we do and so on a macrosociological spectrum I think alot of times people place more trust in how they see themselves through others more so then when they meditate about how they think they truly feel about themselves. Perhaps this is where societal "norms" become defined making us all accept them as apart of our own true identity but at the same time when we use this sense of psuedo-ego trip we tend to lose sight of what we might otherwise deem to be totally immoral by our own personal standards had we not applied them to what's considered popular by the society we live in.
There's an article in Newsweek that I think is relevant and in it is a quote from John Donne No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2 ... unity.html
I like to interpret it as a loss of mankind is not just the physical death of someone but one's loss of sense of self worth to society which is no doubt constructed by the neglect we as a society impose upon the less fortunate, which by said societies definition are those that do not "meaningfully" contribute to a society whose ideologies might stem from money in one society and intelligence in another.
To me the individual in society has shown to be meaningless or else we'd have an example of a successful libertarian state and we don't. Therefore it must be concluded that a collective society is better off using laws, which are guaranteed by the votes of individuals, in place of individual standards...The more laws voted in by the majority the more individual standards set by the state of which can be said is the sentiment of that society both individually and collectively.
During the trial Yvette's family, including herself, voiced how much they wanted to see Jorge's life come to an end. I couldn't help but wonder just how avoidable all of this can be and to know just how much ignorance plays a role in what we as a society define as "evil".
Events like this, that are derived from pure and utter ignorance and neglect, makes me realize just how much I honestly don't know what I would do during these situations.
I'd watched a movie earlier in the day called "To dance with Olivia" which portrays a lawyer's son being gunned down by a drunkard in his front yard for no other reason but sheer ignorance. The lawyer, sitting on the ground clutching his dead child, could do nothing but weep. When looking at these things objectively it's easy to say what we might do if we were in those situations but the sobering reality is that we don't really know. I think it goes a long way in helping us all realize that we don't really know ourselves either. We don't know ourselves as much as we think we do and so on a macrosociological spectrum I think alot of times people place more trust in how they see themselves through others more so then when they meditate about how they think they truly feel about themselves. Perhaps this is where societal "norms" become defined making us all accept them as apart of our own true identity but at the same time when we use this sense of psuedo-ego trip we tend to lose sight of what we might otherwise deem to be totally immoral by our own personal standards had we not applied them to what's considered popular by the society we live in.
There's an article in Newsweek that I think is relevant and in it is a quote from John Donne No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee. http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2 ... unity.html
I like to interpret it as a loss of mankind is not just the physical death of someone but one's loss of sense of self worth to society which is no doubt constructed by the neglect we as a society impose upon the less fortunate, which by said societies definition are those that do not "meaningfully" contribute to a society whose ideologies might stem from money in one society and intelligence in another.
To me the individual in society has shown to be meaningless or else we'd have an example of a successful libertarian state and we don't. Therefore it must be concluded that a collective society is better off using laws, which are guaranteed by the votes of individuals, in place of individual standards...The more laws voted in by the majority the more individual standards set by the state of which can be said is the sentiment of that society both individually and collectively.
The Individual And Society
It's amazing how much violence and death our psyche needs to cope with in modern culture. 9/11 showed how much fear can be used to manipulate a population. I don't foresee any real attempt to reduce exposure to terror so I think the best way to proceed is to foster an understanding of the terror.
I'm of the belief that human sense of meaning and significance is reduced in proportion to the size of the city in which s/he lives. We are assigned numbers and live by numbers that represent our worth. One of the few ways to attain a sense of worth and meaning outside of large numbers in a bank account is to attach to a group identity... like nationalism or specific political party, though churches traditionally used to fill that role.
I'm of the belief that human sense of meaning and significance is reduced in proportion to the size of the city in which s/he lives. We are assigned numbers and live by numbers that represent our worth. One of the few ways to attain a sense of worth and meaning outside of large numbers in a bank account is to attach to a group identity... like nationalism or specific political party, though churches traditionally used to fill that role.
The Individual And Society
In response to the issue of losing a child, Kevin, the only thing that can be expected is grief and loss of meaning. When I lost my son there was no one to blame but I wanted to blame someone. There is no knowing when we will die, that's what grieves us. Ultimately, the compassion and love that the nurses gave me was the only solution to continuing to live. It was my first encounter with true compassion. I was still angry and in despair for awhile but they helped me refocus on the fact that other people were still alive, including myself. Terror Management at its best.
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AnneBoleyn
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The Individual And Society
I am so sorry to hear you lost a son, koan. My condolences. I had a daughter once............
The Individual And Society
Sorry to hear that 
It's the closest a person comes to death without actually being physically harmed. I went into the hospital completely alone (I had a stillbirth), no one knew I was there. I left feeling like I was part of a community. We gave each other meaning with our tears.
I avoided the terror for a long time by doing math (sudoku). Creating a sense of order in my mind but I could feel the horror trying to edge its way around my mental wall on a constant basis. I recognize the feeling more clearly now. It is alway there, always being held at bay by a thread. For most people that thread is connected to ritual and usually the ritual is our society. But society doesn't fulfill the individual in a personal way anymore.
It's the closest a person comes to death without actually being physically harmed. I went into the hospital completely alone (I had a stillbirth), no one knew I was there. I left feeling like I was part of a community. We gave each other meaning with our tears.
I avoided the terror for a long time by doing math (sudoku). Creating a sense of order in my mind but I could feel the horror trying to edge its way around my mental wall on a constant basis. I recognize the feeling more clearly now. It is alway there, always being held at bay by a thread. For most people that thread is connected to ritual and usually the ritual is our society. But society doesn't fulfill the individual in a personal way anymore.
The Individual And Society
Dante wrote his Divine Comedy after being exiled from his home. Back then exile was like public death. It was an acknowledged need to be a part of a culture. So he wrote The Comedy, which chronicles a man's journey through Hell and Purgatory to Heaven and comes back to tell the tale.
I don't think we recognize how much religious purpose our society has. Incidentally, if you look at a picture of a major city you'll likely find the church used to be the highest building, then they made parliament buildings higher, and now you'll find office towers rule the sky.
I don't think we recognize how much religious purpose our society has. Incidentally, if you look at a picture of a major city you'll likely find the church used to be the highest building, then they made parliament buildings higher, and now you'll find office towers rule the sky.