This blog post is probably going to make me sound old, but please allow me to rant a little about the current status of our society. Having grown up without any Social Media or the internet, I have been privy to watch as we as a society have gone from interest in famous people from movies, sports and TV, to full blown idolization of anyone who has any sort of 15 minutes of fame. It’s sickening to see some many Millennials and Gen Z’ers growing up thinking that the Kardashians are something to aspire to.
We glorify fame of any kind as a goal to attain.
Every little thing that happens is broadcast to the world, and all of the excruciating minutia of everyone’s life is on a 24 hour news cycle. For example, a little while ago in downtown Detroit, a raccoon had climbed up on a building and was sleeping on a ledge outside a window. That’s what raccoons do, at least when they end up as city dwellers. But there was a blitzkrieg of Social Media about it, and of course the local news channels had to pick it up as well. Why the eff do I care about a raccoon in Detroit? Of equal importance in mind is what Kim Kardashian or Taylor Swift had for lunch. Or what stupid stun Logan Paul is up to now. It irritates me that I even know who Logan Paul is well enough to reference him here! On occasion, each of these people does something that actually does contribute to society, but a monthly newsletter update would suffice, thanks. How are these mundane things of any importance to the rest of us?
THEY ARE NOT. We shouldn’t care about these or a million other things that was get exposure to on a daily basis. But welcome to the lowest common denominator society. We allow far too much into our own lives, let it seep into our brains and influence our behavior. We buy Yeezy’s for $400 and Supreme t-shirts for $80 a piece so we can take pictures of ourselves to post for the world to see. We perpetuate the illusion that we are living a lifestyle that is beyond our means, and are willing to do so at whatever cost. Consumer debt is skyrocketing, and the middle class is drowning in debt try to live the above standard lifestyle that their jobs can afford them. To once again quote Fight Club: “We were all raised on [social media] to believe that one day we were going to be millionaires, movie gods and rock stars. But we won’t, and we are slowly learning that fact. And we are very, very pissed off about it.”
Welcome to life kid…grab a helmet.
Time for a restructure. And I am not talking about a huge economic crash or a war on our home soil to get everyone’s attention. I am talking about you. Start unplugging more often. Change your mindset to longevity and getting your shit together now. The longer you wait, the deeper the hole you are climbing out of. I speak from experience, get started right away. Stop idolizing the vapid, stop rewarding the “famous for being famous” group of people out there with your attention. Focus on you. That will make the world a better place. And please start soon, before we reach a tipping point from which there is no coming back.
Ok, I am climbing off my soapbox now…
by Darrin Schenck
Share
by Darrin Schenck
Share
Related Posts
Blog #441 – Who’s Fault? Still Your Problem…
This one is tough to swallow, but you need to understand something…life is not fair. That is a universal truth that we all learn too late in life. Some of us are born into abject […]
Blog #467 – Adults Don’t Exist
I am beginning to really like British Author George Mack, and this quote is an excellent example of how he sees the world. I love his insightful and slightly askew look at the world. For […]
Blog #466 – That one stung a little…
I got a reminder that life isn’t meant to follow the script we all write out in advance. This is a blog about resiliency… I am an ambitious person; I need to be busy and […]
Blog #465 – Our Scars are Different…
I thought this was an interesting way to remind you that the perspectives, beliefs and habits you have are the sum total of your life experiences so far. It is easy to think that most […]