The Cult of the Self -
“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” – Ayn Rand
In no way am I attempting to detract from Ayn Rand's contribution to philosophy and reflections on society. Her quote simply serves to illustrate my point. In our society we are competitive, but we have become overly competitive.
As I said in Part 2 people usually want to be “right”. This leads to all manner of arguments, both with other people and within one's self. Because we tend to weigh things in an “either/or” frame of thought, if one person is “right” then the other person must be “wrong”. So a person who is “right” is a “winner” and a person who is “wrong” is a “loser”? This is an false conclusion.
It is a self-serving approach to view “right and wrong” as an “either/or” proposition. The mentality becomes the oft-used phrase “it is a dog-eat-dog World”. To say someone is “wrong” by an assumptive extension allows the person who is “right” to assert “victor's rights” over the “loser”. Under this illusion of thinking, conflicts will arise if everyone wants to be “right” because no one wants to be “wrong”.
This frame of thought certainly takes the modern way of life for granted. The abundance of freedom, health, and comfort that comes from technology has served to drive people apart. People have undergone an objectification, feeling they are becoming more like automatons in a mechanized society.
It is the cult of being “on time”, the cult of the workplace, and the cult of recreation to alleviate stress.
The mechanization of society into dull, repetitive routines has made people feel devalued. They lash back by becoming driven by self-interest, but this drives down the level of compassion - or empathy.
“The social institutions that reified, propagated and administered empathy have imploded. The nuclear family, the closely-knit extended clan, the village, the neighborhood, the Church – have all unraveled. Society is atomized and anomic. The resulting alienation fostered a wave of antisocial behavior, both criminal and “legitimate”. The survival value of empathy is on the decline. It is far wiser to be cunning, to cut corners, to deceive, and to abuse – than to be empathic. Empathy has largely dropped from the contemporary curriculum of socialization.”†
As the trend of greater individual freedom creates a high focus on of self-importance, the “either/or” way of thinking begins to devalue others and the community at large. The community one lives in becomes perceived as a means to support the individual. Strangers start to be viewed as irrational “boogie men” who stand in the way of what a person wants. It starts to become acceptable to believe what other people want is irrelevant as long as you get what you want.
So many people feel alienated they lack the desire to change. They would rather fight tooth and nail for what they can eek out of modern living than change their way of living. People want someone to assist in their struggle but are not willing to help the next person.
It is small wonder then, when confronted with the specter of man-made climate change and global warming, that many people are not interested because it does not serve there desires. This attitude comes from a profound lack of gratitude, having been replaced by greed or the idea that the World “owes them something”.
Let's face it: those who are rich and powerful are perceived as “winners” by social standards, and people who are poor are perceived as “losers”. However, if a person has “won at 'the Game'”, are they more often “right” than “wrong”? Deep down if you really think about it, the answer is most likely “yes”. We need to re-think how we view success.
Many people falsely assume to change our way of living now, in this mental atmosphere of “right versus wrong”, would be admission to being “wrong” - to living “wrong”. It is a selfish and self-absorbed approach to responsible living and responsibility to human sustainability on the Earth. Preserving the Earth's environment for future generations is not about “winning or losing” during the present generation.
To stop pollution of the environment, to stop man-made climate change, to stop this carcinogenic way of living – we need to realize that the situation is not about any one individual. The problem involves all of us. Becoming responsible for changing our society's bad habits does involve compromise, but it is not saying we have “lost”.
The truly wrong way of addressing the situation would be to say “it is not just about YOU”. This is the old way of thinking. This devalues a person.
Actually, the problem confronting us IS about you. In the new way of thinking, you must value what others have to offer. You must value your own contribution. Everyone can contribute. It just takes a little effort, but if you really look around, you will realize that you are not alone.
Right Thinking will lead to Right Action.
† Quote by Erin Kelley-Soderholm, M.Ed., Article on Empathy at Cassiopedia.org
http://www.cassiopedia.org/glossary/Empathy
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