Exile
Though little skilledI do not playto please another’s ear.I play just for myselfand sing to give sustenance to my own heart.
from Hōjōki, by Kamo-no-Chōmei (written 1212)
1.
The moral system of our society demands that each person pay attention to, and take action on, issues that do not directly affect the person in question.
It judges the worth and character of individuals in accordance with their performance on this front.
It often goes so far as to question whether one has the right to experience joy when some other is suffering.
Not all individuals feel intrinsically compelled to act on issues that do not concern them.
These individuals (the "independents") are of paramount concern to the system, precisely because through their actions they advertise an alternate way of life.
Any happiness and satisfaction among the independents undermines the narrative structure of the system and threatens its hegemony. The system therefore attacks them with overwhelming force.
There are a few ways in which the system, acting through its supporters, attempts to silence and discipline the independents.
The system uses guilt and shame to suppress the self-expression and public action of the independents. It erodes the trust between individuals and promotes self-censorship.
It limits the use of hypothetical language in order to hobble logical arguments and promote impulsive, emotional responses.
The system has developed various styles of invective to rapidly delegitimize the independents. For example, their "humanity" is often questioned—as if such a thing could ever be in doubt.
The system spreads and perpetuates its influence primarily through the Internet.
For the last week, I've limited my computer use to the bare minimum necessary to do my job. I feel exceptionally relaxed.
I suspect that my mind is simply incapable of processing the amount of information that it encounters in an average day spent on the Internet.
If, as many suspect, one core duty of the mind is the construction of a consistent worldview, it's hard to imagine a behavior that would frustrate that function more than browsing social media.
For example, using Twitter is akin to reading a page from each of a hundred different books in rapid succession.
Producing a coherent and compact description of such unrelated pieces of information may well be impossible.
Empirically, the first and second most interesting things in my world, by time spent, are Twitter and math. I somehow doubt my destiny is on Twitter.
3.
I've decided to quit the Internet for a while.
I wonder what creatures I will meet in these newfound oceans of time.
You can still reach me at cybermonk@substack.com. I would love to correspond with you!