We live in an age of polarized beliefs and extreme opposite sides. An age where opinions, beliefs, perspectives, and self-righteousness are key marks of who we are and what we stand for. We live in a society that has transitioned to both extremes of sensitivity. So, do we live in a sensitive or desensitized society? Perhaps, it’s been this way since the beginning of civilization but highlighted even more during recent times. Simply put, we all want to be on the right side of history.
We often lack the courage to engage in different perspectives. And even more often, we lack the humility to learn from them.
Please note this is not a societal “black pilled” article. We are not making these observations and throwing our hands up suggesting everything is “doomed”. It is not in men’s natural behavior to complain and criticize but rather uplift, build, and problem-solve. Instead, this article is meant to break down what might be holding men, and humans in general, back from taking the next step forward. We need to break down that which hinders progress and build from there.
This article isn’t like any other articles we have published before. This article isn’t about statements or funny punts and jokes. It is rather meant to provoke questions and open-minded discussions. We need to question our current state of affairs. We need more than ever to remain curious.
What Is the Driving Factor Behind a Sensitive Society?
Self-righteousness and the illusion of ego. It is uncertain why our beliefs can sometimes come from a sense of self-righteousness and why that sense is a justification for automatically being on the right side of history. We rarely grasp the fact that we are limited by how we each uniquely sense reality and effectively the world and its “truths”. Here is a reality check: There are no absolute truths. At least not the truths we hope there would be, and we were conditioned to believe.
But why is that for the most part society has become so sensitive to the point of division and ultimately resentment towards each other? To the point that people rather not express their opinions to avoid confrontation. Especially if the interaction leads to pinning your beliefs against a wall and poking at your ego. And man, do we struggle with overly protecting our ego and our sense of self. Perhaps, that is at the core of the group of society that has become extremely sensitive. Too sensitive.
We live in an age where we often expect society to cater to our every emotion and caress our egos.
In an age where there are such divisive events happening, ego is bound to be in the middle of it all. We fail to escape the illusion of ego. It prevents us from fully experiencing humanity, and therefore connecting with each other. Isn’t that what we so desperately need right now? Or better yet. Isn’t that our nature and the key to taking the next step in our evolutional and spiritual evolution?
But What Is a Sensitive Society and How It Is Manifested?
A sensitive society is an environment where expressing your opinions can instantly connect you with someone or instantly isolate you. In other words, you are now on the wrong side of history. We are not saying the history of the world is full of harmony and agreeance. Quite the opposite. And depending on your perspective, this is a good thing.
We are humans, we are bound to disagree and stand firm by what we believe. And this indeed is a good thing. This is man’s nature. Men have fought and conquered shielded by their deepest beliefs and vision. But we can’t help to think that somehow, a little empathy or at least openness could be the best tool we have in modern times. The world was, can be, and still is, a cruel place. It can be black and white, but we perhaps fail to add a little color by being too sensitive and self-righteous about our beliefs.
Take the Covid-19 pandemic for example. We, the world, have never seen such divisiveness and polarization as in our current state of affairs. If you, like us, encourage and see the benefits of openly, maturely, and respectfully expressing your opinions. Or at the very least, having the conversation without rejecting yourself mentally or physically every time you encounter a different “truth”. Wouldn’t we benefit from operating as one big brain?
Is A Desensitized Society the Downfall of Humanity?
Now, this might sound a little “black pilled”, and it might be at its core. For those unfamiliar with the term “black pill”, it is often used within the manosphere community to describe the hopeless state of modern dating or for that matter intergender dynamics. We are using it in a slightly different way, but we hope you get the point.
We are seeing more and more people that have simply given up hope that things will get better. Some people simply stopped caring. This is at the core of a desensitized society: Complete apathy and isolation from your fellow humans.
There is a saying that has become one of our life’s mottos: You can escape reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of escaping reality. This should, in theory, and if you let it sink in for a minute, shake things up deep down within you.
We must move away from a desensitized society.
The good news is that in our experience in the manosphere community and real-world day-to-day interactions we don’t come across too much of this. For the most part, we have encountered men, rooted and firm in their beliefs. Sometimes too rooted for their own good.
After all, a man is what he believes.
The Mid-Point: What Does That Look Like and What It Potentially Could Do
We live, for the most part, in one extreme or the other. Rarely do we fall in the sweet spot of caring and engagement without injecting our sense of ego and self-righteousness into conversations that can lead to solutions and a better understanding and sense of an “absolute truth”. We believe that is possible, however, it desperately needs an understanding that your reality and truth are only a piece of the puzzle. A 7.8-billion-piece puzzle.
On Aug 23rd, 2021 Brett McKay from The Art of Manliness uploaded an episode of his podcast called “How Moral Grandstanding Is Running Our Public Discourse” (we will leave a link to the episode at the bottom, we highly recommend taking a listen to this episode and his entire podcast) in which he and his guest Brandon Warmke discuss this subject. It goes in-depth about what moral grandstanding entails, its history, and how it can potentially affect public discourse. And that ultimately is the goal, what is the best approach when expressing and sharing beliefs, opinions, perspectives when the genuine intend lies with the public and humanity overall.
The best approach is to have the courage to engage in different perspectives without censorship. We must remain curious, and cultivate a collective mindset. We must cultivate a sense of a collective truth, and the pursuit of that truth via collaboration. Imagine for a second how different our state of affairs would be if we had the courage to remain humble and accepting that you, too, can be, just maybe, be wrong. And that a different perspective will allow progress and somehow uplift you.
Connect. Simply Connect.
So perhaps the title of this article shouldn’t be “A Sensitive or Desensitized Society?”. This divides, and that is exactly what we are condemning and arguing against. Perhaps the title should be “A Society”. This removes the labels of whether we live in a sensitive or desensitized society. Yes, connect, simply connect. But man, oh man, saying and writing it is so easy. Accomplishing that task is a whole different matter. Simple, yet complex at the same time. If we are to take the next step, this is a must, this is the steppingstone that will help us cross this turbulent and powerful current. Without it, we will wash away.
Check out The Art of Manliness’s episode “How Moral Grandstanding Is Running Our Public Discourse” here.
Check out our previous Wellness & Self-Development article here.
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