Quote:
Originally Posted by coberst
Humans are artifact adoring artisans
Humans are meme (idea) adoring creators.
Humans create symbols (abstract ideas) upon which they place value sufficient for killing and dying.
Americans create a flag (an artifact of cloth) which symbolizes the value they place in a nation (artifact, idea, meme) for which they will really kill and die (nothing artificial here).
Humans require meaningful symbols upon which to give life sufficient purpose for living, dying, and killing.
Because humans can create their own meaningful artifacts why does our species place meaning into such dangerous artifacts (memes, ideologies) as religion, nation, capitalism, communism, etc?
The freedom we have to create that which is meaningful to us is poorly used, why?
Why do we waste such a precious freedom on such dangerous toys?
We do so because we lack the courage (self-reliance) to go against the flow.
Our adaptation to society as infants and children has left us without the courage and confidence required to go against the flow of society. We have the freedom but not the energy and courage to overcome the blind habit of conformity.
We are not determined atoms; we do have the potential to do much better. How can we overcome what we have become and thus become something better?
We can overcome our present predicament by creating a new reality, a new set of meaningful symbols that we choose to give value.
Imagination is the instrument by which we can overcome.
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Meaningful artifacts are usually created after an event (such as the American Revolution) to represent the sacrifices made by previous generations which created the opportunity for you to live in the freedom you do today. If you choose to believe you're not free, then that is a choice you've made. If you've chosen to believe you are free, then you will know that the essential part of who you are will always be free, regardless of who or what controls your body or mind. Perhaps you don't need a cultural artifact such as a flag to represent that freedom, but having a culturally identifiable artifact encourages human beings to collectively focus as individuals on a similar goal or belief. This is a demonstration of the tribal nature of human beings. A nature which is almost impossible to escape because society is a self fulfilling ideology.
Individuals will always go against the flow. Everyone has a 'rugged individual' inside them and if and when the time comes, this individual will become apparent. Most of the time it's easier to go with the flow. Why is that? Because that's how society works. If everyone wanted to go against the flow, then it'd just be a different type of society or maybe there'd be anarchy, although there is order in anarchy anyway, so people are still going with the flow.
What you propose (if I understand your point) is impossible, because even if your ideas became reality, everyone would still be going with the flow, because that would be the collective cultural understanding.