To be a modern person is to be lonely, bored, anxious and passive.
That is, according to the German psychologist-philosopher Erich Fromm. This is the great mind who reinterpreted the story of Adam and Eve to be a virtuous one. He pointed out that being able to distinguish between good and evil is generally considered to be a good thing, but that biblical scholars usually speak about Adam and Eve in the same way that teachers speak about naughty children. Fromm praised Adam and Eve for actually having a go and not just doing what they were told. He reckoned this is what made them truly human: weighing up the situation and then taking action. And Fromm said that the most profound characteristics of modern people - of you and me - are loneliness, boredom, anxiety and passivity. That last one is the word that sticks with me. I'm such a sit-and-watch-the-wheels kinda cat. And anything beyond this point would amount to a sermon or a lecture from me, some pseudo-authority handing out fruit-eating guidelines. You work it out. I will too. Let's compare notes in a week. Or not. It's up to you.
1 Comment
Nick
10/10/2014 06:30:55 pm
It hasn't quite been a week, but I'll forget if I leave it any longer...
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