☄️ Last week I’ve spent times with 2 great-grand-mothers -which is definitely something quite special. But it always makes me sad when I hear them being so pessimistic about the current state of the world. They were born in France right at the beginning of WW2 -one of them from a Polish -jewish- mother!- one of them looked her then boyfriend be enrolled for the war in Algeria -they were only 20- they went through the whole Cold War and so on. But nope, when you ask them, the world hasn’t been as bad as… now. Adam digs into this phenomenon. The end is nigh and here's why.
That can explain why things always seem bad and why things always seem like they’re getting worse. Which is exactly what we see in the data: every year, people say that humans just aren’t as kind as they used to be, and every year they rate human kindness exactly the same as they did last year.
If I’m right, people’s colorful theories of the End Times come second. What comes first is the conviction that the world’s problems are brand-spanking-new. And that conviction is stunningly consistent across time.
“Happiness is all gone,” says the Prophecy of Neferty, an Egyptian papyrus from roughly 4000 years ago. “Kindness has vanished and rudeness has descended upon everyone,” agrees Dialogue of a Man with His Spirit, written at around the same time. “It is not like last year […] There is no person free from wrong, and everyone alike is doing it,” says the appropriately-named Complaints of Khakheperraseneb from several hundred years later. And some unknown amount of time after that, the Admonitions of Ipuwer reports that actually things just started going to hell. “All is ruin! Indeed, laughter is perished and no longer made.” Worst of all: “Everyone’s hair has fallen out.”
🍽 When there is abundance, overconsumption becomes the trap that waits us all; and it’s happening in all areas of our lives. Digital consumption keeps me from getting better at my job.
There is a new lifestyle imposed on almost the entire world, (...) which somehow affects all ordinary people: a consumption-oriented life. Fast consumption, constant consumption, more consumption.
🧐 Alain De Botton might be one of the greatest philosopher alive and listening to him is always a pleasure. I didn’t expect such a thoughtful and deep discussion on this podcast but I’ve to say Harry did a tremendous job here. It felt personal.