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Things are Different

It is almost impossible today for those in Western society to even imagine how people lived up until 100 years ago. In 1800 the average woman had given birth to seven or eight children. By 1900 this had dropped to four or five. Even then, most people lived and died in the town in which they were born. As a result, one’s friends were one’s siblings and cousins and almost everyone in town was a relative of some sort. People were intimately known.

Today most “families” often consist of only two adults on their first or second marriage and one or two children all of whom have their own work or school, friends, interests, and activities such that the home is more like a boarding house where each can sleep, shower, and change clothes. Relatives are often distant and only visited infrequently. The historical model of the large and geographically fixed family began to transition with the mobility afforded by the automobile in the 1920s.

It can be difficult to grasp the parallel impact of media as first radio and then television became the primary sources of information and even values which had previously been provided by fathers and grandfathers. Public education also provided a channel for information. Spending 12 formative years being told to shut up, sit down, and do what you are told can contribute much to a mostly compliant populace.

A child born today will be processed to develop much more differently than most humans throughout history. He will assume that his experiences are normative as they will be similar to the others of his age with whom he is most familiar. He will not be aware of the depth and breadth of family connections that had been the norm in the past. He will, however, still have the need for social connections that will only superficially be met with the current family structure.

Like a Harlow monkey clinging to a wire mother,various problems can begin to manifest. The thousands of screaming teen girls at the Beatles concerts in the 1960s might be seen as an indicator of the degree to which emotional deficiencies were accumulating. Another indicator of problems associated with this new direction of life might be seen in increasing rates of divorce, drug and alcohol abuse, anxiety, suicide, and depression..

The decrease of relational connections has had an additional effect in amplifying the attention given to oneself. This has contributed to what Christopher Lasch called “The Culture of Narcissism”. Aided by advertising, a “consumer society” emerged to profit from growing anxieties seeking to be soothed briefly through purchasing. The explosive growth of entertainment such as movies, TV, and music was reflective of the emphasis people were increasingly giving to give themselves pleasurable sensations. It was as if a nation of Stoics increasingly abandoned their philosophy in favor of Hedonism.

It was not uncommon for those of the WWII generation to get into fist-fights over politics or religion. This was not so admirable in itself, but is reflective of a time when what people thought was right, true, and good meant enough to them to stand up to opposition. This seems so archaic today as most feel the greatest crime that can be committed is to make someone feel bad. Thus “feelings” have replaced values as the highest good today.

One can observe a change in the prevailing religion of Christianity as well. It has either been mostly abandoned or transformed into various self-stimulating experiences. Perhaps this disconnection from the source of wisdom (God) may be related to the larger societal pursuit of foolishness.

For those cognizant of the divergent path of our culture and desiring to minimize its impact on their own families consideration is often given to different options. The easiest is to have hope that the political climate of the country will reverse its trend because some political icon like Trump or DeSantis will make things better.

Some work feverishly to convince their neighbors and family members that a conservative approach will change things for the better. Still others withdraw somewhat seeing in contemporary times a climate a little similar to what Jews saw in Germany in the 1930s. Homeschooling can limit the total indoctrination of one’s children. Moving to a red state or a rural area might buy time or even provide survivalist options.

Depending on how one projects the current trend, more drastic steps can be taken. Aside from the Amish, one will be unlikely to find a community similar to what existed prior to the 1920s. However, it might be wise to relocate to a statistically safer area. Scott Adams (of Dilbert fame) was crucified for saying that if 50% of a group felt you had no right to exist, that it might be wise to avoid that group. It is difficult to fault the logic.

If those on the left kill their own children simply for their own convenience, it is not a big stretch of the imagination to consider that they might apply the same solution to those who disagree with their policies. Hopefully they will not see it as a final solution.

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