When old gods die, they die hard. “Little hope or belief in their ability to create a new world, a post-factory world that builds on the extraordinary advances of the giant factory to forge a new and different kind of modernity.” This is the passive nihilism that William Connolly describes and @johnnydavis54 repeatedly warns as one of the main sources of lack of change. Hope in the collective story does seem like a lost cause.
I watched a tedx talk about neo-luddite lifestyle in the midst of modern-day malaise, about sticking it to the Man, seeking alternatives, being Advocates against agribusiness, etc. Almost every comment left on the YouTube post were of these passive nihilistic thoughts:how do I live in such a world where a car is required for my commute, when I have mouths to feed, where disconnecting from smartphones and other technologies means disconnecting from the world?
We are all passive nihilists at some point in the day, some more than others. The big question is how, how do we get out of this? Old gods die hard’, especially old gods that are revived again and again by The Daily Grind and the Giants doing the grinding.
Our [edit: modestly-sized] Collective and the discussions held here are what keep me going.
This post is just a reminder to myself and to others to live the life that needs to be lived today.