Darkness Descends

Flying over the rift valley formed between the left and right, a kettle of rapacious vultures are patiently circling. Although the scent of death has only just begun to seep through the air, these necrophages salaciously wait in anticipation. Ogling a well intentioned yet largely uniformed society tear itself apart, they covetously await the feast with complete disregard for the collective.

While the majority clamour to realise their fleeting and fickle fiat dreams, society has insidiously stumbled into another dark age. Unlike the last period of decline where the burning of books led to a dearth of information, this time it’s different. Now, on the back of decades of scientific and technological advances, we find ourselves in an age where information is in an over abundance.

On the surface this may seem counterintuitive and, no doubt, the connectivity of our modern world still benefits us in many ways. However, with the shear volume of information now available, it is almost impossible for most to reliably decipher the truth. Left to sift through the innumerable amount of resources, people will naturally fall towards their own cognitive biases. Now polarised, the ensuing dialogue generally leads to often unnecessary and misguided conflict.

Although there are still a multitude of experts in any field, their year’s of work are often drowned out by ill-informed, yet more confident and popular sources. Combined with often questionable motivations, these vocal factions spout their agendas to a large audience. Ironically, across platforms that were carved out by experts who are now often disregarded if their message doesn’t fit the correct narrative.

Unfortunately this freedom means there is little practical space for experts anymore. It is the purveyors of information that now decide what we think. Just like late stage capitalism, the further it “matures” the fewer it actually benefits. Words are now more important than actions or the act of doing and proving something. This is the first waft of stench from the decay of our civilisation.

Just like a child-parent relationship, as always in times of need, we look towards our leaders for an answer. Sadly, even though it could possibly be the best system we’ve got, the nurturing hug never comes as most seem to get caught up in the hyperbole. Barracking for a political team like a sporting match, they are blinded to the fact that the system is actually broken. Divided by a plethora of agendas, we disappear off on a tangent stopping us from massing together and confronting the real issues.

Nurtured by a bureaucracy that's too scared to do anything, yet so righteous that it squeezes every cent out of its citizens. These faceless, untalented pen pushers provide minimal tangible value to the people they are supposed to serve. When there's nothing left to provide value that's when the illusion of values through misinformation rises. This is the next big whiff of putrefaction from an establishment and by extension a society that is rotting from the top down.

To stop the relentless march through this cycle of detritus, we need to band together and stop fighting over trivial matters. At the moment we are packed into a room full of people screaming over the top of each other. Maybe it’s time we sat back and listened for a change. Take a moment to step aside and realise that there is a much bigger picture at stake.

Push aside some of the trivial qualms of our relatively cushy lifestyle and inhale a little clarity. Breathe in the successes of our civilisation and then look towards the bigger picture. Once we have things in perspective, it’s time to focus on the real threats. Ask yourself, is each particular problem* being made into a bigger issue than it is?

Then you may realise that your attention is being diverted away from the things that matter. Meanwhile, the powerbrokers are staying busy muckraking their opponents, leaving little energy or will for making real and effective change. So, maybe it’s time to hush the room for a moment and let some real experts speak again. There is no point in blindly growing the economy if technologically and intellectually we continue to recede.

In the process, we might even decide that the rampant cycle of shrinkflation and gouging is not in our best interests either. Then, maybe start clearing the system of the cushy bureaucrats and give our ancestors the best chance at a life as fruitful as ours. Finally, the end goal should be restoring a system that benefits all factions of our society. This could be done through funding science again to find answers to our real problems regardless of the financial return.

As the old cliche goes, history may not repeat but it often rhymes. Historically one of the biggest indicators of a collapsing society is a bloated bureaucracy funded through increasingly gouging the general population. It may be too late to avoid traversing further down this overused and cliched path but it would at least be pleasant to go down without all the unnecessary arguing. That way when future historians pick over the bones of our decomposed society at least they might still have something nice to say.

* Not referring to one particular issue as it's a different thing/s for everyone depending on their perception and disposition.