Let me explain today what’s wrong with society today. Or, at least, what I think could be better.
We are richer than ever before, have access to much better medical care and as a result of the overall improvement of society, life expectancies are going up.
Yet, people are also unhappier than previous generations, regardless of making more money and having more luxury. The rising rates of depression are a troublesome fact indeed.
Overly concerned with the opinion of others
People today are often overly concerned with the opinions of others in today’s society.
The only thing we can control is ourselves, and even that’s with great difficulty. No matter how hard we try, no matter how good we are for other people, there are always going to be people who dislike us. If only for the simple fact that we are trying to please them.
That’s why we shouldn’t let other people determine our self-worth.
Luckily for us, there are also people out there who like us for who we are. And it is exactly those people who matter and who we should build upon. Because the people who don’t like us for who we are, are unimportant and not worth changing for.
Clout chasing
Being a clout chaser means chasing popularity, which can be an attempt to gain power and money.
Clout chasing has become increasingly popular. Not to mention that it has become extremely easy to do so in modern times because of being able to connect and share with others with a single click on social media.
Clout chasing leads to people lying, copying others, and doing extremely pitiful/embarrassing acts to become popular and rich.
In other words, don’t chase the clout.
Too sensitive
A lot of people have gone soft in our modern days of luxury and abundance of resources. As a result, a lot of us have become overly sensitive.
I’m not saying that having feelings is a bad thing. On the contrary, it is an absolutely good thing, and every single one of us should be able and allowed to express our feelings.
But what isn’t good is that seemingly everything, no matter how insignificant what is said today, seems to hurt somebody to their core. It seems like we have to be continually walking on eggshells because of overly sensitive people, which isn’t a good thing.
Free speech is a must, and if we want free speech to thrive, then we must risk offending people. Yet, offending people is often not allowed in our society.
I’m not saying that we should aim to hurt or offend other people. But when we try to speak from the heart and with all our differences in mind, offending other people from time to time is unavoidable. Especially those who are being overly sensitive.
Everything needs to be fun
Due to the overabundance of overall resources and luxury, most of us have had it quite easy in life and thus, faced fewer hardships than our ancestors.
Not to mention all the free time we have now, compared to before. We live in a consumer-based society, in which we crave immediate gratification from our senses while doing as little of the things we don’t like. Not too unlike hedonism.
However, life isn’t always fair or fun. And sometimes we must do things which we don’t like to survive or to improve our lives. Like with everything, we must learn through experience. And if we continuously avoid non or less fun things, we can’t get better at them and thus, can’t grow.
Important to note is that I think that things have to be meaningful. And doing stuff you don’t like without a purpose serves … Well, no purpose at all. So when doing things you don’t like, try to understand the importance of them and why you’re doing them.
Little to no trust and respect for each other
One of the biggest things that is wrong with society today is that people don’t respect each other anymore.
In previous generations, people had respect for each other. There was even often enough trust that a handshake was enough, and no paperwork was required.
Lying almost seems normal today. And respect for each other seems increasingly rare.
Yet, showing respect is essential in the road towards mutual respect. Respect, trust, and honesty are virtues that are vital to work and live well in harmony with each other.
Overly focussed on material wealth
All the money in the world can’t buy you health or happiness for that matter. But it can certainly help.
People are more than just physical entities. We need to be mentally and spiritually stimulated as well. And it has been shown and confirmed in studies as well that more money does not equal being happier than those with less money.
Maybe this may wake some of us up to try to venture into the world to give us new experiences rather than being obsessed with just monetary gains.
Far too easy to spread misinformation
With the invention of the internet, and almost everyone in modern society having the money to buy a computer and cellphone, it has never been easier to search for or spread information.
Overall, this is great and beneficial to everyone. Free speech is indeed a basic human right. However, like with everything, there are advantages and disadvantages.
On the flip side, it has never been easier to spread and take in misinformation as well. Since so many platforms exist to spread information.
Spreading fake news on social media happens quite frequently. Although multiple companies are trying to stop or lessen the spread of fake news, sometimes it seems like it’s a losing battle. Not to mention the problem of how ethical it is to deny certain people their opinions.
Nevertheless, some say that you are uninformed if you don’t watch the news. But sometimes, the opposite is true as well.
Everyone gets to voice their opinion now
Everyone getting to voice their opinion is both an advantage and, in some cases, a disadvantage as well.
As a result of all these online platforms to share information, and the easy access we people have to the internet, it has never been easier to voice your opinion.
You are not entitled to your opinion. You are entitled to your informed opinion. No one is entitled to be ignorant.”
Harlan Ellison
This is great if everyone tries to share their informed opinion, that which they took the time and effort to research the topic at hand.
The reality is that a lot of people do this and are far too certain of their “superior intelligence”. As a result, they don’t bother researching the topic because of their preconceived biases.
Conclusion
I’m quite pleased with a lot of things currently going on in modern society. But there are some downsides that we must address before we unknowingly go down a dark path.
Being overly concerned with the opinions of others and being obsessed with money and fame are recipes for disaster in the long term. It will lead to depression and anxiety, which is true as modern people are suffering more from mental disorders than before.
Of course, other factors such as an increased ability to report such things decreased taboo, and increased focus on the subject of mental awareness influence the numbers as well.
Western and Eastern societies could learn a lot from each other. And each has the things they do better than the other. Trying to take the best of both worlds is advised, and a lot of experimenting and constant effort will go into creating the best society we possibly can.
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