I was thinking this morning about our past as human beings. Imagining what it was like during the Roman times when there was so much unknown. Someone must have felt great excitement coming up with a new thought, theory, or philosophy. Reminded me of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure movie when they went back in time to and got Socrates to help them with their homework assignment. How amazed people from that time would be to see the things we’ve created and accomplished.
Fast forward a bit to when covered wagons were the primary mode of transportation. My mind immediately splits in two directions: Little House on the Prarie and the Donner Party on the Oregon Trail. Community meant survival in those days. Scientists and psychologists frequently write about how isolated and fragmented our society has become. Much of which they say is associated with the highest mental health issues we’ve ever seen. Positively contributing toward the political divide our country currently faces. Most of us have lost site as to what community truly means, myself included. I’d rather go to the dentist then to talk to one of my neighbors. However, I’ve seen this change in an instant. When hurricane Ian came through, no one had power or running water. Neighbors came out with generators and bottles of water, and we talked with each other. We offered each other help. It takes tragic or major events such as these to draw us out of our shells and remember the significance of community.
Some countries haven’t lost their sense of community. Mostly developing countries. Would they join the list of isolated and fragmented societies once developed? Perhaps, like America, it would take centuries. We did not get to the place we are at today overnight. Most of my reference from previous times comes from movies or television shows, if you can’t guess. I was thinking of It’s a Wonderful Life which was representing the early 1900s, around 1918. Or the Wonder Years which was the 60/70s. It seemed like community still existed then. Was this due to a lack of immersive technologies such as gaming platforms, the internet, blockbuster movies? Is technology the problem? Or is it American Individualism? I think I’d like to read up on Amercian Individualism.
Shaynanigans 