Learn freedom: How to live in the new, postmodern world

Learn to handle freedom. Learn to enjoy it. Learn to grow in it. Learn how to swim in deep water. Breathe in and out and be happy with the new life.

Get used to parachute jumping without landing. Take a course in skydiving. Learn to speak another language, as if it is your native tongue. Learn to use the other hand than your usual one.

Learn to learn.

Learn not to depend on outer certainties. Learn even not to depend on inner certainties. Relieve yourself of being self-convinced. It may restrict your senses and your survival. Learn to be alert. The old jungle genes are patiently waiting to get re-mobilized into situational awareness again (see my blog on situational awareness http://petervanderwerff.blogspot.nl/2017/03/situational-awareness-conversation-at.html ).

Do you plan to resist the worldwide upcoming changes? Will you chain yourself to a large rock? The rock will explode or disappear in the abyss. Will you plant your boots solidly on the ground? A storm will rise up from the earth and blow you high into the sky. What, then, is the use of boots?

Will you cling to the biggest oak tree in order to survive the tsunami? Forget it. The oak tree will evaporate or jump into the air and open a parachute only for itself. Are you organizing a new social group to live on an island? The tsunami will make you all swim in the ocean.

POSTMODERNITY

Why is this fundamental reorientation needed? What the hell is going on?

Postmodernity is going on. It’s a worldwide set of trends and they grow in force. Social trends can have that strength.

And mind you, these changes in society, observable for each of us, are very different from 'postmodernism' in philosophy and art. Check the last two letters.

The overall trend of postmodernity undermines traditional forms of family settings, regular media, permanently employing companies, only one-time sales offers by companies, rather predictable markets, reliable banks and retirement funds, social welfare and health care arrangements, universities, trade unions, religious organizations, political parties and the custom of elections.

The rise of the video clip, with its fragmentation and rapid change of images, exemplifies postmodernity.

Nation states lose their clear demarcation with the growth of cross-border economic production lines, financial transactions, information, entertainment, migration, tourism and business.

National armies, identifiable by their generals and uniforms, transform into disguised guerilla bands, drone technology units, hired private armies, combat units of secret services and commercial bodyguard companies.

CONNECTIONS

These changes do not occur in isolation. They mutually influence each other. Together they constitute the overall trend that is called postmodernity.

In terms of social actors, the word postmodernity refers to both the contributors to the social changes and the people reacting to these changes.

Contributors to postmodernity are found in business and finance but also among IT pioneers, governments and armies trying to escape from exposure, children escaping from family control and migrants escaping from village control or poor countries.

How to see the reactions involved. A variation of the three Fs distinction may help.

FLIGHT

The loss of stable social structures creates deep uncertainties in many of us. Feelings of a nearing catastrophe are on the rise. The tendentious operations of banks and armies add to the bewilderment. Regular media overexpose terrorism to attract audiences while in terms of casualties terrorism is negligible.

For many people dealing with an abstract idea such as a trend is beyond reach. Planning to resist immensely powerful companies, governments and armies is also felt to be pointless.

One way out for the fearful is to identify less powerful people and turn them into scapegoats, including immigrants. Another way out is the romantic retreat into small-scale life and diving into family histories or the local past.

But is the world really caught in a downward spiral? No, not at all. Look at some facts. Diseases are more prevented than ever. Less babies die. Old people live longer. Less people get killed in warfare or other violence. Prosperity grows for most people and the percentage of people below the poverty line decreases.

The bewilderment, feelings of catastrophe and xenophobia can be reduced by understanding and dealing with postmodernity.

FREEZE

Willy-nilly or not, we adjust to rapid change, acquire flexibility, develop short spans of attention, shield ourselves off from an overdose of information and hope for the best.

FIGHT

Alternative lifestyles are abounding. Social networks in neighborhoods arise, inspired single issue organizations replace outdated political parties. Spiritual movements compensate secularization.

The Internet does not only reveals scandals but also provides solutions for better physical and emotional health, and opportunities for effective action.

THE REAL DANGER

Unfortunately, the large range of postmodernity keeps many of us from seeing the real danger for humanity.

Sure, there is a growing gap between rich and poor but for most people in the world prosperity grows. But the expectation that this growing gap will lead to violent protests is not confirmed by social research. Revolts and revolutions have other causes.

The real worldwide danger that we face is of an ecological nature. It constitutes, more than only climate change, the rapid depletion of natural resources. Stocks of groundwater, ocean fish and forests are depleted for nearly 70% already since World War II. Some depletions are beyond the point of no return. Did you know?

These depletions result from economic growth of about 3% per year. Population growth of 1% also counts but is on the decrease. Meanwhile, there are hardly attempts to stop or diminish economic growth and redistribute the remaining spoils.

So, what to do in our postmodern times? Consume less, learn to fly, keep looking around like we  once did in the jungle and enjoy liveliness.