by Harry Windsor

Created on: February 18, 2009

Modern society does not contain space for a soul and so it is slowly being squeezed out of existence. The problem is that there is nothing to aim for in life these days. Previously there have been great struggles and great achievements usually centred on a convergence of the local and the universal - great wars that endanger the individual and give him a personal reason to fight alongside others; great intellectual discoveries that change life for all people but on a personal level etc. In harmony with this there was the pervasion of spirituality throughout life that made it all seem worthwhile.

These days life has changed, the speed of communication has made life seem slow, we hear about something in the news and expect our lives to be changed but they are not. We read of great suffering but it does not really affect us. our lives are an electronic dream where everything is vivid and dynamic but lacks stability and definition. We are told we can achieve anything and this can only lead to disappointment. We are told that religion is out-dated and inaccurate but all that is offered to replace it is the cult of technology, money and frivolity. We are told by some that society is at its peak and by others that we have never been more degenerate - we see great tragedy and incredible achievement.

All this information, this global information, makes our individual existence seem futile. In the majority of the world we are not going to partake in any tragic heroism but nor are we likely to be blessed with true happiness; there is always another minor irritation, a morgatge, a death, a worry. We are condemned to mediocrity through lack of a better alternative. Who hasn't entertained dreams of great achievement, or even great failure, great something at least.

The problem with modern society is that it offers little in the way of hope. The aim of post-industrial capitalism is perpetuial economic growth. This aim is based on the idea that we can all become wealthy and that this wealth will make us happy. Neither is true. The majority struggle through in poverty and those who do improve their monetary situation are condemned by the consumer culture to spend their newly gained wealth on more expensive 'stuff' and so have achieved no absolute change. Even if we are lucky enough to be fabulously rich it is not much different from being just solvent - the TVs, cars and houses get bigger but the worries remain. The mortgage is replaced by worries about financial investment, but

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>