Heaven too soon

One recurrent observation I make about events around me has to do with society's unreasonable expectations and aspirations. For example, look at the relentless pursuit of convenience that we are experiencing: everything needs to be made easier, almost frictionless. It has even become the bleeding edge of capitalism as heralded by its geek prophet Bill Gates.

But I am not denouncing progress here. We seem to have an uncanny ability to learn and to apply our learning in solving daily problems, so we're just exercising this ability. What I am denouncing is the unbalanced pursuit of modernity, without consideration for side effects on humans and humanity, which after all is the most important consideration, given that we belong to one race that wants to survive and advance.

Modern corporations are a case in point. Sure, they function much more efficiently than Mom and Pop businesses, but at what price? A quick glance at newspapers during the last decade should convince you that the price has been high on individuals, and maybe even on whole societies.

Another point of unreasonable expectation is the concept of freedom. Those who think to have achieved it, feel under attack by those who haven't. But freedom is not static, and every time we free ourselves from a chain (and thus advance in the unknown), we find ourselves bound by a new one. And some chains we just cannot free ourselves from, like with other humans for example. So the hysterical yearning for freedom has to give way to a universal agreement on what is the current amount of freedom needed, to get to where we're going collectively.

For example, I think the extreme sexualization of media is a manifestation of this yearning for freedom. Finally! We can break those age-old chains of taboo and get down and dirty! I hate to break the news, but nobody is feeling any better by being bombarded with porn video clips, sites and ads. On the contrary, they make it a lot harder on normal people who want to lead a balanced life. Of course my blood boils when I see images of beautiful naked women in provocative poses, and I often cannot help but desiring them and acting on this desire. But I am also aware that the path of cheap pleasures is dangerous to one's physical and psychological health, let alone any continuity in our emotional life, so why do you keep pushing me towards this lifestyle?

These were just examples, and to me they point in one common direction: we want heaven too soon, and we're looking for it in the wrong places. Sure, in heaven we would be able to have as many sexual partners as we desire: it's heaven, no one's going to get pissed at us! And yes, we'll make tons of money there, but not on anyone's expense! But right now, on earth, in life, things are different and we need to be honest about it.