We really do live in a time that is very different than any other time before it. Of course, no second is equal, and life and the world are constantly changing, but what I mean by this time being really different than any previous time in history is that there is so much that is new nowadays, that it seems like we’ve entered a completely new world, in a way. Our attitudes towards life and our approaches to living it are completely different than they’ve ever been, and it’s partly because, in a very short span of time, we’ve introduced, and/or been introduced to, such new and powerful tools, such as the internet, that allow us to live life in completely unprecedented ways. It’s not so much about what’s new even, because the internet also makes old information available to us, knowledge that may have been forgotten forever, were it not for the internet providing us with a way of documenting and making it available to everyone. Now, if you’re read any of my previous posts you know that a topic that comes up constantly in my writing is duality. There are two sides to every story. Now, these new tools have advanced our way of life so much, that even mentioning going back to our old way of life sounds completely ridiculous to anyone, and would probably be met with much hostility if it was suggested. Now, as a lover of the internet as well as music hardware and all kinds of electronics, believe me, I am not in any way saying that we should go back to living like cavemen. However, there is definitely a negative side to these tools, or at least to the way we’ve implemented them into our lives. Now, I’m not saying this next thing I’m about to mention is necessarily negative, but it is the thing that got me thinking about this whole topic today. I read that Canada had its lowest fertility rate ever for two years in a row in 2023. Looking at people’s comments on that thread, it became clear that a lot of it has to do with the constantly-increasing cost of housing as well as basic necessities. Although I completely agree that this is an issue, and it is a big reason why even my wife and myself haven’t had children yet, after being married for more than seven years, I do think there are a lot of other reasons why people nowadays are deciding not to have children. I know because I can feel it in myself. I’ve always criticized how normalized the 9-to-5 lifestyle is, and how okay people are with this idea. I’m truly frustrated by how little time is left to us for our own interests, when we get home after work, for example. Tired from eight hours of mind-numbing work, and ready to fall asleep, yet we’re expected to use this time for our own interests. Why? Because our interests are seen as stupid and unimportant. Of course they are! They’re not making us money, after all. Anyway, that’s enough of a rant about work. What I was saying that I feel in myself is that, when I have free time, I really can get lost for hours in so many things I’m interested in. I’m learning piano. I’m constantly learning more about music production. Most recently I’m learning and getting into modular synthesis. I learn about philosophy and history. There’s just so much out there, and when I think of having children, and of how cruel and harsh the world can be, it really makes me not even want kids. I feel like I could be entertained forever by myself, and with my wife. Now, that might sound very selfish, and maybe it is. Just maybe. Maybe it’s not. However, whether it’s selfish or not doesn’t change the fact that I’m sure so many people are feeling the exact same way. Getting married and having children was what everyone automatically set out to do in the days before the internet. It seems to me like it was almost an unconscious thing people did. I mean, I’m sure people never thought, “okay, let’s have sex in order to continue the species,” and yet it seems like humanity was always doing what needed to be done in order for that to happen. Today’s society seems to me to be a lot more individualistic, and of course that would be the case. How could it not be the case when we have so much information constantly available to us? We can learn what we want, we can get into a million things if we want to. We can learn how life is in other parts of the world, how life was in historic times, and so many other things. These things can, and do, inspire us to live different lives. Since all of us are being influenced by so many different things, we are all becoming more and more unique. Now, I’ve always loved individual freedom, so to me, this seems like a great thing. At the same time though, it seems to me, like by becoming more aware of ourselves as individuals, with so many options to choose from, so many possible paths to take, so many ideas to think about, we are opening the doors for things like existential dread and stress to slowly creep in to our minds. Now, I don’t mean to say individual freedom is wrong. Of course not. Maybe this new stress is the price to pay for this new way of being we have come to see as normal, a way of being in which each individual can do what he or she wants do, and can be whoever he or she wants to be. Another problem I wouldn’t be surprised to see is that, now that people have so much to think about, so much is getting mixed in our heads and it is affecting us, and influencing us in insidious ways. Maybe this is also leading people to more stress, and with more stress comes more risk of anxiety, depression, and all sorts of other things. Treating people badly. More and more drugs make it into the mix… More paranoia, psychosis, maybe schizophrenia. This is coming from someone who has always criticized laws surrounding drugs’ legality, especially weed and psychedelics. I mean, just this last week was the first time ever when some guy chopped his dick off with a machete while tripping on shrooms. So, back to my point. It seems clear to me that individual freedom is not only a right, but also a responsibility. Perhaps it’s our only real responsibility, and it is an enormous one. Are we wise enough to handle our own minds? Our own lives? I’ve always thought so, even when people continue to show me otherwise. I guess I still have some hope though… You kind of have to.
I appreciate you reading!
rebel eye 