“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need.”
Tyler Durden, Fight Club
I recently re-watched Fight Club – a great book which the film does a fantastic job of representing – and was, once again, affected by the poignancy of the themes within it. Dark and destructive with a penchant for mayhem, it strikes a chord with a certain type of man.
What is this chord?
The desire to destroy this entrapping system we live in; consumerist, safe and sterile.
But what really hit me was that this film is 20 years old, yet still feels as relevant as the day it came out.
I don’t know whether this is because nothing has changed – I mean, the societal trends Project Mayhem rails against have only become more entrenched – or whether there is an intrinsic destructive capability bubbling within men which is always looking for a mechanism for release.
More likely it’s both.
It’s taboo to discuss this destructive capability, yet we repeatedly bear witness to it – particularly with regard to mob behaviour. Put men (and to a lesser extent, women) in a crowded, violent situation and watch this internal terror – normally hidden in darkness – burst into the light.
Whether Antifa protests, football hooliganism or bar fights, the possibility for the eruption is undeniable.
Society’s Emergence
Indeed, society emerged in response to this – in order to prevent it – as Thomas Hobbes famously wrote about what would be without civilization:
“No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all, continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.”
Thomas Hobbes
Whether or not you like this potential for wreaking havoc, whether you believe it is positive, or negative, you cannot deny its existence. And, from time to time, all men feel it; a biological urge to destroy.
And this is where social conditioning comes in.
From an early age, we are all being conditioned. As much as your ego wishes you to think you are distinct from this, you’re not.
Yes, some people exercise their agency to a greater extent, and are able to resist societal trends, but they are not immune to them.
This is highlighted in the film. The men involved with Project Mayhem become servantile drones to the greater mission, as their rage against social conditioning leads them to a different kind of conditioning, but one – and this is key – which provides them with meaning.
Subcultures
This is the heart of all sub-cultural movements. Likeminded – or equally susceptible – individuals joining together to form their own groups, with their own norms of behaviour, all absolutely certain that their values are better. But in reality, what they’re looking for is belonging, meaning and purpose.
It is for this reason we must all find our OWN purpose, lest we be given it from above – or more pertinently in the age of subliminal messaging on Social Media – suggested it subconsciously.
Whether the consumerist pursuit of material things or running off-grid to live in a commune; both are seeking to conform with others. It is who they are conforming with, and what values dictate that group’s identity, which differ.
Cultish allure preys on this deep-rooted need and desire. They often begin with good teachings, and occasionally even spawn from a positive place – before exploitation starts, either as a conscious plan, or in a frenzied descent into power madness.
Tribalism is as deeply held within us as man’s destructive nature and, as such, conforming isn’t inherently negative; particularly when we are aware that not all values are created equal. This is undeniable. In fact, much of what I discuss in this blog details this, through my take on the importance of marriage, faith, or eating habits.
But what I’m really driving at in this article is this: is it a boon that society curtails our destructive, yet biological desire?
Is civilization a wonder?
Or is it a cancer?
Has it lead us to a creation of magnificent things, structures and beauty?
Or has it divorced us from our roots, causing a near-constant psychosis?
Nature Vs Nurture
I see both sides, but believe this is a paradox which must be lived with as, for me, the trade-offs are worth it. After all, everything must have a downside to balance its upside.
That said, whether you think that society’s juice is worth the strife’s squeeze is a personal decision.
But once too many make the decision it’s not, society has ultimately failed.
If, like me, you take the position that society is a good thing, then this is perhaps the greatest danger with the disruption emerging as a result of social media. As the post-modern breakdown of shared norms, shared values and shared purpose gathers pace, there is the fear that we are entering a dark time; a time where societal change is clear in coming – but grim in its execution.
For it is in these times where man’s darkness, his shadow, must come to the open and thrive. Without the structures of society to hold this back – with no-one adhering to the unwritten Social Contract – destruction emerges.
And in reality, if each man is to survive he must act in accordance with this nature. We were not birthed with these impulses for no reason. Biology always has a justification.
This is nothing new. Every so often society goes through these troubles. Whether civil war, revolution or state on state warfare; history is littered with examples of man getting in touch with his destructive capability.
And likely this is cyclical. After all, “hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” Yet, despite this, I feel we would not be doing our civic duty if we weren’t fighting to avoid it.
I also fear that with tracking technology, social manipulation and globalized supply chains, the outcome of this particular era of discord is not likely to be positive – perhaps even more destructive than both World War 1 and 2.
But how do we solve this?
New Norms; New Values
Well, what we must do is re-find a shared identity which is rooted in ideals which are concurrent with the modern world; ideals which match with the sovereignty of the individual; ideals that require absolute personal responsibility; ideals of equitable consequence, and individual contentment.
It will take more intelligent men than me to dream up this change, to enact it and breathe new life into a societal structure which badly requires fixing before things go south, fast.
And they know they cannot do this on their own.
I talked briefly about the negatives of social media and its conditioning, but it’s not all bad. It has allowed minds – previously separated by location – to connect in order to dream up a new world. Tribes are forming which have a vision of a better world; tribes which can influence the shape of things to come.
And you have an opportunity to hear, first hand, some of these visionaries speak at the AionCon – The Plot to Save the World.
So keep your eyes and ears peeled friends, I will talk more of this in the future.
There’s some exciting things coming, friends.
Thanks for reading.