The Impersonal Society
We all live within a sphere the boundaries of which we set. Within this sphere lies what we hold dear, what is most important to us, what we trust, what we work and live for. As the world becomes more interconnected, the population increases, and the lines between peoples blur, the size of each of our spheres seem to be shrinking. It is contrary to what you would think, or at least what I would have predicted. The logical conclusion to a shrinking world would be increasing spheres. We should be becoming closer to each other. This is not the case.
I can admit that the sphere surrounding my life is very small. Those limits have been set in response to the world around me. I don’t believe my method of setting limits are different than anyone else’s. We all respond to the world around us. Put someone in a different location at a different time and their sphere will most likely be of a different size. It is not that I want my sphere as small as it is. Quite the contrary. I would prefer a large sphere where I welcome others into it, and I am welcomed into theirs. This dream is for another reality, though, not the one we find ourselves in presently.
I can also admit that I probably spend a little too much time analyzing the world around me versus living in it without consciously questioning all that I see: the interactions, relationships, the hows and the whys of the life surrounding me, surrounding us. Perhaps I have spent more time watching how others act and react than I have in attempting to expand my sphere. It is a choice, but for me it is one that has always fallen on the side of questioning things over “just living in the moment.” If I blindly accept things as they are and become a passive passenger on this ride, I could most definitely expand my sphere. That expansion, though, would be as meaningless and flimsy as my willingness to accept things without question is negligent and lazy. Living in the moment is fine and good, but when taken too far it precludes all sense of responsibility and accountability for future actions; something I refuse to do.
We all have different definitions of what the world should be like, or what we would like it to be like. This applies not only to the world but to all other levels of the societal hierarchy, from the country and state down to the city, community, and household. One way or another we have an opinion or belief, whether it is that things are fine the way they are, that they need to change, or that you just don’t care one way or another.
Remove yourself from the world for just a moment. Instead of living in it, think about it. Look at it and question it. For just a moment, do not accept it as it is and think of what it could be. It is far simpler to view it as something out of your control than to explore potentialities. It is also far less frustrating. The frustration of having essentially no control or say over the direction of the world you live in can be overwhelming if you think about it too much.
Our ability to influence the world is proportional to the power one holds; and most of us have little to no power. The bulk of our power is limited to the household and our career (if we are lucky): our sphere. The feelings of frustration or discontent grow the further we travel from our sphere, which is why most of our spheres are so small. Those who ride the wave and can ignore, or accept, the world as it is are lucky. For those who, like myself, have a dream to see things differently and find it difficult to accept things the way they are, we must accept the futility of our desires. Acceptance is not as easy for some as it is for others.
Above, I mentioned control and how we have extraordinarily little of it outside of our spheres. This makes it sound as if I seek control. If that is the impression that I gave then it was a failure on my part to convey my intentions. It is far from control of the environment that I look for; only the ability to choose the environment in which I live. I may wish or desire to see things a different way, but not to control others or have “my” view of the world triumph over theirs. That is, unless their view entails having control over others. In which case their view and goal are absolutely contrary to and in conflict with mine.
As I have said in some of my other writings, the world we live in is ruled, shaped, and designed by holders of power. Those powers do not want to relinquish that control, and competing forces are always vying for a share, or all, of it. I only want to be free from another’s power, not have power over another. Unfortunately for myself and others who may wish to see the world take another path and have a shuffling of priorities, we find ourselves outside of that jockeying for power. We are but pawns. We are the unwilling participants in a game of another’s choosing.
It is no wonder that when I look outside at the community I live in that I see what I see. I live in a relatively small city surrounded by other small cities. It is a stretch to even call them cities, really. A few thousand people here and there. Perhaps I am the only one foolish enough to think that communities of this size should be close knit. Is it old-fashioned to think that there should be something that connects us outside of the house we live in and the blood that flows through us? Maybe. Abnormal? At this time, absolutely.
Nearly every interaction I see and experience during the day is transactional and impersonal. I see it increasingly even amongst friends and relatives. Everyone is too busy, too concerned with their own tiny spheres that they have no time or energy for others. Exceptions always exist, but they only prove the rule. I see people in a rush, angry, frustrated, stressed, overworked, overwhelmed, and growing further and further disconnected from the world they live in. Their spheres are growing more disconnected from others, even as the number of people they interact with grows—maybe because of the growing interactions.
We have more stuff. We have more options. We have the insatiable and vacuous desire for more. But for all that we have, for all we acquire, we seem to be losing the connection with each other. We are losing one of our greatest assets. Slowly but surely, we are losing our sense of fraternity, community, and humanity.
If I could only just embrace my inability to do anything about this, my frustration would at least be limited to the common inconveniences of everyday life instead of the uncommon desires to see the world grow, beyond economically that is.
It is an impersonal world we live in. What hope does one have when the community they live in provides them nothing but the utility they receive by living there. It is increasingly about what you get and decreasingly about what you can give. When we only seek to gain, there are a growing number of those who will lose. In a world ruled by personal gain and self-serving interests, we all eventually become bankrupt.