Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.
– T. S. Eliot, from the poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Politically Motivated All Of The Sudden
I guess I’ll throw my hat in the political opinion ring. What else is there to do? These are times that try our souls. That test our resolve. That prove by omission our values.
If you’re reading my posts regularly, (as regularly as one can after three posts,) you’ll know I am concerned with the mental health of my fellow humans. Especially our most vulnerable populations, which right now seem to be young people, whose safety I’m particularly concerned for in the coming years.
To qualify, I will resist broad generalizations like “Gen Z” or “Millennials.” Though I wear the Gen X badge with pride and do indeed exhibit many of the generalized traits associated with such, I understand a person cannot be flattened into a category and still be treated with respect and dignity. So when I speak of a generalized phenomenon affecting our mental health, I’ll do my best to stick to theories, statistics, and opinions of others far more qualified than I to discuss such matters. For reference I’m talking about children between the ages of 5 and 18-ish.
I’ve just read Jonathan Haidt’s latest book, The Anxious Generation. It was recommended to me by a former head of school at a private K-12 I know well. He pointed out that the book has been widely placed in the “must read this summer” category by many school districts and educators. There are good reasons for it.
Here are a few thoughts about what his findings represent:
Loss of real-world connections: The decline in play-based childhood and the rise of phone-based childhood contribute to a loss of meaningful, face-to-face connections. The inability to make connections with others furthers our meaning crisis by reducing opportunities for children to develop a sense of belonging and purpose through real-world interactions and community involvement. Young people shrink from engagement and dialogue for lack of social/emotional intelligence or experience.
Fragmented attention and shallow engagement: The constant digital engagement Haidt describes leads to a fragmented sense of self and extreme difficulty in focusing on deeper, more meaningful pursuits, or indeed even finding the effort worthy of consideration. Why bother when dissociation and withdrawal provides its own dopaminergic cycles, albeit in constantly diminishing returns? This contributes to a sense of emptiness or lack of purpose as individuals struggle to find fulfillment in an increasingly distracted world.
Overprotection and lack of challenge: The drastic reduction in unsupervised play and thoughtful risk-taking behaviors remove experiences which equip children to face life's challenges and find meaning through overcoming adversity. This contributes to a pervasive sense of purposelessness and inadequacy in the face of real-world problems. Information is in the palms of our hand, and our institutions, (less and less,) provide knowledge. Wherefore shall they find wisdom?
Virtual vs. Real-world identity: The dichotomy between overprotection in the real world and underprotection in the virtual world leads to a disconnection between an online persona and the real-world self, potentially contributing to identity confusion and a struggle to find authentic meaning. Young people lose their connection to the natural world and to the sense of connection to something much larger than themselves. They are removed from the experience of our profound mystery of being, which ultimately provides us with the nudge toward purpose, as in Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy, or Jung’s transcendent function of Individuation.
Politics of Disenfranchisement
This is bleak, folks. Bleak as fuck. But what does it have to do with politics and our modern moment?
The phone-based childhood Haidt describes leads to increased exposure to echo chambers and filter bubbles on social media, promoting and exacerbating political polarization by limiting exposure to diverse viewpoints. Roughly speaking, living in the digital promotes magical, selfish, and narcissistic thinking.
Science has long known that any reduction in face-to-face interactions and unsupervised play hampers the development of crucial social skills needed for civil discourse and understanding different perspectives, thus contributing to political polarization. Pathways to real dialogue are obscured by an inability to accept otherness as a crucial element to mental health. In the same way we inoculate ourselves from certain diseases by introducing a tiny amount to our immune systems, so opposing views teach us to hold our own perspectives and those of others lightly and with care.
Increased anxiety and mental health issues lead individuals to seek comfort in more extreme or polarized political views, as a way of finding certainty and belonging in a world that they feel doesn’t give a shit about them or provide for their needs, which are now unrealistic and based entirely on fantasies fed by their infinite, algorithmically-curated social media feeds. The tactic prompts the flattening of humanity into packs of “others” upon whom we can project our own shadows. This lack of real-world interactions and increased digital engagement reduce empathy and the ability to understand others' perspectives, further fueling political divides. As the playwright and author Tom Stoppard once wrote, “[People] know what to expect and that is all they are prepared to believe in.”
The addictive nature of social media platforms Haidt mentions rewards outrage and extreme views.
I have to stop writing for a moment to absorb that.
Why would that be the case? Why would anyone construct a machine or process that intentionally reinforces the worst aspects of the human condition and drop it in the laps of children like napalm? The incentives here are all financial. THE INCENTIVES FOR DESTROYING OUR CHILDREN’S LIVES ARE ENTIRELY SELFISH, NARCISSISTIC, PUERILE, AND FINANCIAL.
That’s the last yelling I’ll do for a while. Sorry.
I am a father of two teenage daughters and so I take Haidt’s work very closely to heart. My girls are intelligent, strong, and very independent. But, as is the case with all teenagers, they are highly susceptible to the dangers of social media, as well as public opinion, enculturated normativity, and the majority of this country’s institutions of education. Fortunately these two love books and the outdoors. They love learning. And they exhibit more and more maturity and self-awareness each and every day. But they have to be shepherded away from the constant temptations that beset the Anthropocene. My eldest is a competitive athlete who does have an instagram account which she uses to promote her performances and communicate with the rest of her sport’s community. She is also under restrictions of how much time is allowed for this pursuit. Most children are not so lucky.
Now What?
Here is a list of what I try to do with my work. If anyone is interested in democracy, in promoting fairness and safety for our most vulnerable populations, or affording a life of dignity and meaning for ALL HUMANS, please share and promulgate this agenda widely:
• Promote digital literacy and critical thinking skills to help young people navigate online spaces more effectively and recognize polarizing content. We do this by limiting, sometimes severely access to the sources of perverse incentives. These are largely, but not limited to, social media sites. This must start with adults demonstrating these skills. We cannot consume a fast-food diet while telling others to eat healthily and exercise. The message is hollow if not practiced by responsible parties. If the response is a plea for a surcease of boredom, hold steady. No one has died of boredom. Boredom is the sign of a strong mind searching for ideas. They will come.
• Encourage community engagement and real-world experiences that bring together people with diverse viewpoints. God, even sitting at a window looking outside at the world is better than staring at a phone. Nothing in our lives worth anything happens without other people. Nothing. Not innovation, not achievement, not creativity. Nothing. Sartre did indeed confuse us when he said, “Hell is other people.” What I believe he meant was “Hell is my complete and utter inability to connect to the fundamental humanity in others or indeed myself because my giant postmodern head is so far up my own ass I can’t see the forest for the trees.” Or something like that.
• Support initiatives that promote outdoor play, unsupervised time, and face-to-face interactions among children and adolescents. I want to highlight the work of Rafe Kelly and Evolve, Move, Play. His work mirrors my own in helping people find embodied wisdom practices. Kelly is a nature Parkour specialist and a proponent of roughhouse play: that’s productive play that introduces self-sufficiency, awareness, and manageable risk taking. I can’t impress enough the importance of movement to create wholeness and habits of well-being in everyone, but especially young people.
• Develop policies and technologies that prioritize mental health and well-being over engagement metrics on social media platforms. ‘Nuff said.
• Implement education programs that focus on emotional intelligence, empathy, and conflict resolution skills. Many will mistake this for a liberal agenda, conflating these priorities with a mandate for social justice. Quite the contrary. Whether or not people gravitate left or right, they all need these skills to become quality leaders, thinkers, and doers in the world. Regardless of your community, this agenda promotes everyone’s agency and ultimate thriving.
• Encourage delayed adoption of smartphones and supervised, limited use of social media for younger children. ‘Nuff said.
• Foster intergenerational connections and mentorship programs to provide guidance and perspective to younger generations. We have largely lost our links to elders or aged mentors. As I alluded to before, we no longer know where to look for wisdom. Our fear of death has caused us to compartmentalize and institutionalize our elders who traditionally provided a link for young people to connect with the past and with generational knowledge.
Where Is Wisdom To Be Found?
Similarly, we no longer preference technical degrees or blue-collar educational opportunities. Home economics, shop classes, cooking, or even basic budgeting classes are gone. Not to mention arts curriculums.
I just watched David Brooks talk about the rise of all these phenomena and his proposal for the creation of Weavers. He defines weavers as people working to repair the social fabric, restore sanity to our institutions, and reclaim the flag of our disposition, perhaps of green stuff woven. Before you dismiss this as a bunch of Whole Food eatin’, shade-grown, fair trade cloth wearing bleeding hearts who have the luxury of free time to devote to helping others, let me ask. Who, then? And why not you?
What is the flag of your disposition? Is it the red, white, and blue? The No Step On Snek Gadsden? Or is it whatever strikes your fancy at the moment? I’m with Walt Whitman.
For what do you stand, and at what cost our future?
Remember, Friends, Attention is a Creative Act.
Yours,
A Clown ;o)