Where are we going
It feels strange to watch society both evolve and deevolve simultaneously. Technological progress marches on as our intellectual capacity seems to diminish. I can't decide if this is how it has always been or if readily accessible outlets simply make it more apparent. It feels like everyone is trying to find validation through placing themselves in the public eye or trying to get their opinion recognized for a vicarious similar effect. I wonder why it feels that way to me, but so many of the issues that find their way into the news are trivial in nature, yet given so much thought and attention as multitudes clamour towards it, bolstering the apparent importance to any less vocal onlookers.
It's sad that I don't even feel that I can reference any specific topics because this obscure journal entry could be read by someone years from now and be used as a generalization for all of my ideology. Whether I referenced something trivial or significant, it could impact career or even result in fear for safety. If I feel compelled to filter my written and spoken words, what does that say about the aspiring goal of humankind to be open, honest, and without fear of judgment? A pursuit of more readily accessible forms of communication across broader platforms is gradually transforming people into silent observers, though not as a direct intent, but rather a bitter byproduct. What is the root cause? One could just as easily bullet point it under "validation" as "parenting" or "society" or countless other titles. If it was put under validation, someone would argue that the parents should teach their children. The parents would want to shift fault to the schools for lack of education (regardless of subject matter). The schools could say that it is peer pressure or society that has created an unsuitable environment for proper growth and development. That's too general and nameless, so another might try to extrapolate that those responsible for our environment are individuals with political influence, whether local or larger government. Government might try to address concerns, but be condemned because their efforts called into question someone further down the chain who has already tried to escalate it to that broader and more convenient scope. And so on, and so forth, it becomes a vicious cycle of shifting responsibility. No one wants to take accountability for their contributions to an issue even if they had some small part to play because it becomes so generalized that we want to put all fault on a convenient scape goat.
I've become a little too focused on a tangent, but it exemplifies a thought process for how I am beginning to see the world. Don't say that or you're this. Don't feel this way or you're that. There are good people in this world. It's just becoming more difficult to discern who they are or if the value of trust is as much a value as it once was.
I find my circle of trust to be shrinking more as I get older. Perhaps that is a reflection of me as a person or my advancement in age. I consider that as a possibility. Maybe these perspectives are common amongst all as they witness the world change through youth and onward.
Whatever the reason, my perception of our evolutionary path makes me fear what future we are venturing towards. While I don't have children of my own, I do care about the world I was born into and the perseverance of future generations. There is a part of me that wants to dismiss it, being far removed from relevance to my later years or after. Just the same, I don't know how we can be aware of the issues and address them without becoming further muddled in meticulous micromanagement of things that flow better through naturally occurring means.