Our idols now no longer exist in metaphors; they have become flesh and blood personified. We follow them everywhere. We study pictures and analyze what they wear, what they use and even who they hang out with. Then we try to emulate them.
It is good if we try to emulate their talents and skills, but if we only try to look and live like them, then we will set a limitation on what we ourselves can do. This is because, in our pursuit to be them, we lose our own individuality. In fact, this condition is so prevalent, that we now all aim for the same things. That is the reason why mass production works so well in this generation.
What I find most interesting about this situation is that many of us who try to live up to the lifestyle of our idols do it because we wish to assert our right to free choice. A situation where we feel that we can live as we wish and choose within the bounds of legal limits.
If we compare our modern idols to ancient ones we will see that the trappings of flowers and nature has now changed to precious stones and material things. So instead of striving to be free to enjoy nature, we have become so focused on what we can get materially that we throw all reason to the wind. Nothing is ever enough anymore, nothing is ever satisfying anymore. Why? Because our idols have this or that and we, in our worship of them, must also show the same propensity for collecting wealth.
We have now reached a point where we collectively consume so much energy that we are sacrificing the future of the planet. We have now reached a point where we are so obsessed about becoming as popular as our idols that we would risk our privacy to attain it. Some of us even ignore copyrights to gain it.
In the midst of that, we have also become insecure. So much so that we shun heralds of bad news and only look to those who bring us good tiding. That is the reason why scam works so well in our generation. Even when we see news of oils spills, instead of focusing our energy on finding ways to reduce oil consumption, we focus them on blaming the oil corporations for the environmental damage. That is akin to accusing them of sabotaging their own business, which does not make any sense.
Our convenient lifestyle has also made us dependent on others to clean up after us. It would have been easy enough to use a mug instead of a paper cup, or a refillable bottle instead of a use-and-throw water bottle, yet many of us find it too bothersome to wash up later. In addition to that, our dependence on cheap energy has in turn made us more susceptible to environmental risks spawning from hydroelectric dams and nuclear power plants.
Never mind the mess we’ve made or the carbon footprint we are leaving behind, I think that our worst condition is that we have allowed ourselves to be cheated into thinking that we are free, when in fact, we are no different than captive zoo animals that do tricks for morsels of food. Yes, we are taken care of. Yes, we are protected from the harsh outside world. Yet the surrender of our natural independence also comes with a price. It means that we are at the mercy of our handlers.
That is the reason why when economic recessions hit a country, many fall into chronic depression and some even lose all hope. Desperate people began to do desperate things to make ends meet, taking risks that they were never trained to take and doing work that they are not able to physically cope with.
I have to admit, that though my own lifestyle worries me, and my own lack of independence is troubling, I don’t know a way out of this hole. For one, it’s a jungle outside the zoo.
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