Not living by a code allowed for human catastrophes like Nazi Germany and Mao's China. Right now it is critical that we establish a code once again, and live by it.
Jul 28, 2022Liked by The Society of Problem Solvers
Great post.
You talk about values that I suspect would be regarded as "old fashioned". I try and drum these things into my kids; honesty, reliability, punctuality, professionalism and discipline. For me, especially discipline. And I don't mean smacking my kids. I mean grinding out whatever it is you are doing to the best of your ability, even if you don't want to. Especially if you don't want to.
Broadly they fall under the guise of "honour" or perhaps chivalry.
Perhaps I am being old and grumpy.
A younger generation might reasonably argue "What is the point of honour in an anonymous digital world" or "what of is the point of discipline when everything is on demand"?
The strength and allure of honour is dependent on the shame of breaching it. The allure of discipline comes from overcoming challenges and understanding those challenges made you stronger. You only understand the value of discipline by being disciplined.
But for discipline and honour to have meaning we must have consequence.
We seem to live more and more in a world without consequence.
Eat yourself to death; there is no shame in sloth or gluttony. Burn down the building and riot. Bite the energy hand that feeds you. Cancel what you don't agree with. Hurl Twitter abuse at people you know nothing about in the most horrible way. Shoplift, it's fine it's not really a crime. Safe spaces and safe speech. The worst part of the pandemic for me was the rise of the term "stay safe". As if staying safe is in any way enlivening. Where ever we can we seem to remove consequence from situations, unless the consequence is more good times.
Much of this is nihilism which itself is more or less an anti code.
It seems to be the old battle between conservatism and progressivism. The code helps you maintain a structure. A structure allows you to move beyond the chaos. But not all of the structure is good or right and the environment of the code changes as well. Progressives see that and want to change the code for the better. This is correct. It is how we improve.
The problem is when you smash the code to pieces and have nothing in it's place. When you choose cataclysm over evolution. That seems to be what we have now. Society becoming ever more permissive, ever more accepting, ever more tolerant until those things themselves are becoming the code. Everything goes and anything goes, nothing matters, the anti code......this surely leads us back towards chaos.
The problem is that these are all passive aspects, they all involve just letting. But passivity alone does not engender discipline (physical or mental). And it makes it very easy for the corrupt, the ones with a code of exploitation, narcissism and fear to take the reigns.
This explains what we see in Canada or my own country, New Zealand. A sort of a hugs fascism. The hugs fascists weaponise characteristics that are good (tolerance, empathy, love) and use them to control the populace in a completely insidious way. To stand against them with honour, trust, fidelity or strength is to be seen as an anachronism, to be accused of "hate speech" or "wanting to maintain the patriarchy". They take these positive but passive characteristics and wield them as a shield. It is difficult to combat because they have captured the moral high ground and battling them makes you look "mean" and "unkind".
If you are the guy that criticizes the policies of the nice, open, tolerant people, you immediately look the opposite of those things. You may well be standing up for free speech, or bodily autonomy or just good science and logic. But you are simply labelled mysogynist or a bigot and cast aside with the other racist, ant-vaxers.
Resisting the hugs fascists is like resisting a blanket. You can punch it and wrestle with it but it makes no difference. You get worn down.....the blanket is still there and it slowly suffocates you. It's not a jackboot on your throat......it is even worse. Everyone understands resisting force. But resisting hugs..........
Of course I also have to entertain the idea that this has always been, and I am just getting old and grumpy!
Jul 21, 2022Liked by The Society of Problem Solvers
I guess I do live by a code. I had never thought of it that way, but reading the things you mentioned, helping, empathy, love thy neighbor, standing up against wrongs, yeah, that's mostly my "code." Part of my code is, "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you." BUT, they get 3 chances. If they continue to abuse me after that, they're fair game. I guess, that means, IMO, codes should have limits. Accidents happen, apologize. If I think you really mean it, you get another chance.
Great post.
You talk about values that I suspect would be regarded as "old fashioned". I try and drum these things into my kids; honesty, reliability, punctuality, professionalism and discipline. For me, especially discipline. And I don't mean smacking my kids. I mean grinding out whatever it is you are doing to the best of your ability, even if you don't want to. Especially if you don't want to.
Broadly they fall under the guise of "honour" or perhaps chivalry.
Perhaps I am being old and grumpy.
A younger generation might reasonably argue "What is the point of honour in an anonymous digital world" or "what of is the point of discipline when everything is on demand"?
The strength and allure of honour is dependent on the shame of breaching it. The allure of discipline comes from overcoming challenges and understanding those challenges made you stronger. You only understand the value of discipline by being disciplined.
But for discipline and honour to have meaning we must have consequence.
We seem to live more and more in a world without consequence.
Eat yourself to death; there is no shame in sloth or gluttony. Burn down the building and riot. Bite the energy hand that feeds you. Cancel what you don't agree with. Hurl Twitter abuse at people you know nothing about in the most horrible way. Shoplift, it's fine it's not really a crime. Safe spaces and safe speech. The worst part of the pandemic for me was the rise of the term "stay safe". As if staying safe is in any way enlivening. Where ever we can we seem to remove consequence from situations, unless the consequence is more good times.
Much of this is nihilism which itself is more or less an anti code.
It seems to be the old battle between conservatism and progressivism. The code helps you maintain a structure. A structure allows you to move beyond the chaos. But not all of the structure is good or right and the environment of the code changes as well. Progressives see that and want to change the code for the better. This is correct. It is how we improve.
The problem is when you smash the code to pieces and have nothing in it's place. When you choose cataclysm over evolution. That seems to be what we have now. Society becoming ever more permissive, ever more accepting, ever more tolerant until those things themselves are becoming the code. Everything goes and anything goes, nothing matters, the anti code......this surely leads us back towards chaos.
The problem is that these are all passive aspects, they all involve just letting. But passivity alone does not engender discipline (physical or mental). And it makes it very easy for the corrupt, the ones with a code of exploitation, narcissism and fear to take the reigns.
This explains what we see in Canada or my own country, New Zealand. A sort of a hugs fascism. The hugs fascists weaponise characteristics that are good (tolerance, empathy, love) and use them to control the populace in a completely insidious way. To stand against them with honour, trust, fidelity or strength is to be seen as an anachronism, to be accused of "hate speech" or "wanting to maintain the patriarchy". They take these positive but passive characteristics and wield them as a shield. It is difficult to combat because they have captured the moral high ground and battling them makes you look "mean" and "unkind".
If you are the guy that criticizes the policies of the nice, open, tolerant people, you immediately look the opposite of those things. You may well be standing up for free speech, or bodily autonomy or just good science and logic. But you are simply labelled mysogynist or a bigot and cast aside with the other racist, ant-vaxers.
Resisting the hugs fascists is like resisting a blanket. You can punch it and wrestle with it but it makes no difference. You get worn down.....the blanket is still there and it slowly suffocates you. It's not a jackboot on your throat......it is even worse. Everyone understands resisting force. But resisting hugs..........
Of course I also have to entertain the idea that this has always been, and I am just getting old and grumpy!
Thanks for your post.
I guess I do live by a code. I had never thought of it that way, but reading the things you mentioned, helping, empathy, love thy neighbor, standing up against wrongs, yeah, that's mostly my "code." Part of my code is, "Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you." BUT, they get 3 chances. If they continue to abuse me after that, they're fair game. I guess, that means, IMO, codes should have limits. Accidents happen, apologize. If I think you really mean it, you get another chance.
The Nazis and Maoists also lived by a code.
Having a code isn't enough, it also matters what the code is.