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Delusions
of Grandeur (Nov/Dec 2005)
It's
the classic definition of insanity. Repeating the same behavior
and expecting different results. And right now, the whole world-we're
all of us afflicted with this degenerative disease.
In everything
we do, we require some element of control. We need to be the Ghost
in the Machine pulling the switches behind the scene.
Evolution endowed
us with the unique capacity to think and reason. By extension,
we gained the ability to shape physical reality to suite our own
needs. Since the agricultural revolution we've utilized these
skills as never before. Extracting ourselves from the systems
which spawned us. Becoming the self-proclaimed stewards of the
Earth.
It seemed simple
enough at first. If we freed ourselves from the mundane search
for nourishment we'd have time to pursue personal gratification.
Cue population explosion and inevitable empire construction. Old
habits die hard. All the nuances of human nature that helped us
survive-aggression, predation, competitiveness, ruthless self-interest-have
been bastardized by irrational cultural memes. Instead of helping
us thrive, these basic genetic aspects of personal identity fuel
our pursuit of an imagined physical perfection. Cue the advent
of the nine-to-five workday. An ever elusive happiness we seek
through manipulation of the material.
Possession is
nine tenths of the law.
We are now entering
what some have dubbed "The Age of Melancholy." The World
Health Organization tells us by 2020 depression will become one
of the most common disabling disorders worldwide. So we approach
this global pandemic the same way we always have: by treating
effects instead of causes. Big Pharma pill-pushers spoon-feed
us prescriptions of malpractice. Each drug we swallow a remedy
for marketable maladies we hardly understand. Ignoring the unintended
side-effects, we purchase products to fill emotional hollows gouged
by lifestyle obsessions. American dreamers seem particularly prone
to the delusion of finding value in vanity.
Our minds are
commodities to be bought and sold.
We know we are
adept at modifying our surroundings, so we assume the fix-all
solution to alleviate suffering will be available for trade on
the Free Market. After gaining no sense of permanent satisfaction,
we do nothing to adjust our actions. We continue our blind search
and repress the lingering knowledge that something's missing.
We experiment with anti-aging technologies and cryogenically freeze
our pain away. Trudging through the drudgery of life in a numb
haze, attempting to dictate our own destiny. Nostalgia comforts
us in times of need.
All along, we've
forgotten the world we seek to dominate is the very thing we must
surrender to if we ever again hope to feel whole.
-Jason M Glover
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