Most Problematic Phrase EVER
"As life becomes increasingly complex. . . "
I'm curious -- raise of hands, here -- how many of you actually believe that life has become increasingly complex? Huh? What does that even mean?
Seems to me, nowadays we have this sense of superiority that our lifetime is the most difficult one ever lived. Why do we think that?
A friend of mine said the other day that most races feel that their history of hardships was most difficult and that every other race's difficulties were nothing compared to theirs. I agree, although I know, in the grand scheme of things, "my people" have had it relatively good.
Point is, I think the same goes for generations. I mean, does our generation really have it that bad? Is life really more complex now than it was for the Lost Generation when everything they thought they knew was turned upside-down? Or is life more complex now than it was during, say, British rule in Ireland in the 1600s? Or is it more complex now than when people had to actually kill or gather their own food, when daily life was a struggle just to survive?
Why do we think we're so above every other generation? Why do we think our life is more complex? I'm telling you now, doomsdayers and naysayers (not that you, the reader are either of those things), we've got it good. Really good. And even if life is more "complex" now, it's good complex -- it's a complexity brought on from countless possibilities and opportunities.
I'm curious -- raise of hands, here -- how many of you actually believe that life has become increasingly complex? Huh? What does that even mean?
Seems to me, nowadays we have this sense of superiority that our lifetime is the most difficult one ever lived. Why do we think that?
A friend of mine said the other day that most races feel that their history of hardships was most difficult and that every other race's difficulties were nothing compared to theirs. I agree, although I know, in the grand scheme of things, "my people" have had it relatively good.
Point is, I think the same goes for generations. I mean, does our generation really have it that bad? Is life really more complex now than it was for the Lost Generation when everything they thought they knew was turned upside-down? Or is life more complex now than it was during, say, British rule in Ireland in the 1600s? Or is it more complex now than when people had to actually kill or gather their own food, when daily life was a struggle just to survive?
Why do we think we're so above every other generation? Why do we think our life is more complex? I'm telling you now, doomsdayers and naysayers (not that you, the reader are either of those things), we've got it good. Really good. And even if life is more "complex" now, it's good complex -- it's a complexity brought on from countless possibilities and opportunities.
posted by Lauren | 12:16 PM
3 Comments:
I'm going to raise my hand and say that I believe life has become increasingly complex. I understand the point you're trying to make, but I don't think it goes to proving that life is not increasingly complex. Other generations may have had more or different challenges, but their world was not as complex as ours. The main differences being, in my opinion, the exponential growth of technology and the impact that has on what we do.
Life is increasingly complex for the most current generation because technology and the like have made us more connected with the world around us. There was a time when a person could go through life without wondering about carbon emissions and how her lifestyle plays a role in environmental changes. Also, people could live in relative ignorance about what was going on in other countries. It's true that you can still do that today, but not so easily. We are (somewhat) aware of the consequences of military action by our country; much more than preceding generations. There have been many fewer war casualties, but there is also the capacity to cause more than ever before.
One dictionary defines complex as hard to separate, analyze, or solve. I believe under that definition, and given the factors above, life has become increasingly difficult to separate and analyze. There is so much more information to process and analyze than there was in the last generation. As we gain more understanding of the world we live in and how it works, things don't really get simpler, but rather more complex.
Anyway, that is my jumbled opinion.
casey
I agree with casey, yet I agree with Lauren... this is so complicated:)
Very thought provoking though Lauren. (by the way we're in June now). We have so many good choices. That alone makes it hard to decide. And the choices are complicated by all the variables like casey says.
Yeah, I've thought of the technology aspect, Casey. Industrialization, modernization, overpopulation, all that fun stuff. But I think that life is complex no matter what era you live in.
I guess maybe the issue lies in defining the world "complex." I'm glad you found a definition for it, but I think "hard to separate, analyze, or solve" doesn't really get us anywhere. Life itself is difficult to "analyze or solve." Doesn't matter what time period you live in.
I just think that we can't say our life is more complex than others. Problems are problems, plights are plights. Those problems and plights might evolve, or shift, or change completely, but they're always there in some aspect.
Agree to disagree. And thanks for posting, dude. So many new folks out there! Fun!
And speaking of new folks, Frey's back! How are ya? Are you talking about the title of my blog? May Bees? They're lyrics from a Pixies' song. And June Bees just doesn't work. You know, the whole play on words thing...
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