Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
EP 71 - Our Modern Village
11 Plays5 days ago
Humanity needs community in order to thrive. Our modern society has grown to incredible levels of complexity and abstraction. Behaviors that would have gotten you kicked out of most ancient villages are now tolerated and in some cases rewarded. Today’s episode explores this shift, and some ways we can rebalance our connection to community.
For more info & to download a free PDF of today's episode notes, visit: http://www.chriskreuter.com/CDWI
Join the Kreuter Studios mailing list: https://mailchi.mp/810367311f3d/ksb
Recommended
Transcript
Chris's Mission and Approach
00:00:08
Speaker
On Chris deals with it, I talk about the frameworks and methods I use to clear personal, creative, and professional roadblocks. My goal is to help others bridge the gap between where they're at now and what they want to achieve. If you're new to the show, I'm an engineer, writer, parent, game designer, leader, and reader who leverages that experience to develop creative solutions to problems. An AI statement that all elements of this episode are products of the author, Chris Croyder, and made without the use of any AI tools.
Complexity and Community in Modern Society
00:00:38
Speaker
Welcome to episode 71 of Chris Steels with it, Our Modern Village. Humanity needs community in order to thrive. Our modern society has grown to incredible levels of complexity and abstraction. Behaviors that would have gotten you kicked out of most ancient villages are now tolerated and in some cases rewarded. Today's episode's gonna explore this shift and some of the ways that we can rebalance our connection to community.
00:01:03
Speaker
So recorded human civilizations have existed for about 6,000 years. I mean, this is a tiny blip compared to the history of the universe. And it's also a very tiny fraction of the estimated history of Homo sapiens with evidence of Stone Age tool use as old as 2.6 million years ago. Civilization really accounts for about two-tenths of a single percent of our history as a species.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Progress
00:01:26
Speaker
And in that time, we've gone from Sumerian inventions like writing, math, and agriculture to worldwide communication networks and globalized supply chains. Now, there have been countless benefits to this mind-blowing expansion of human civilization. There have been achievements in science and technology that have expanded human lifespans and capabilities. There's been enhanced quality of life through medicines, surgical procedures, improved diets, access to a beautiful diversity of cultures, thoughts, products, and experiences, a reduction in the dangers of ancient life, natural disasters, predatory wildlife, plagues,
00:02:05
Speaker
An expansion in the variety and quantity of products available for our consumption. Incredible and inspiring works of art, feats of engineering, and spiritual awakenings. A much greater stability in social and political structures. Globally, we're far from perfect, but many humans enjoy fortunate lives and aren't living in constant fear, repression, and poverty.
00:02:28
Speaker
Now again, many problems inequalities remain in today's world. I'm not trying to discount that, but modern civilization does provide us with a wonderful platform for cultural flourishing, technological development and longer lifespans.
Challenges of Modern Abstraction and Disconnection
00:02:42
Speaker
By many metrics, there has never been a better or safer time to be a homo sapien. So all that to say, I am a big fan of modern civilization.
00:02:52
Speaker
But today's episode's about exploring what we've been losing in this bargain. And with this awareness, provide some insights into how we can be better participants in our communities. Consider the many diverse and complex layers of anonymity and abstraction in modern society. Who made your food, your clothes, your vehicle, your kids' toys? The answer to most of those questions are likely brands, corporations, designer labels, or in some cases, the nation states where they were made. Sometimes, we'll simply tell people the distributor who provided the thing. Oh, I got it on Amazon, or maybe mention the store we bought it from.
00:03:29
Speaker
It would take an incredible amount of investigation and forensic powers to track down the actual people who harvested, designed, and manufactured something. For those making things, it's possible to outsource a lot of the undesirable or dangerous elements of material sourcing and production to places and populations who have less choice in how to make a living.
00:03:52
Speaker
And because of all these layers of complexity, many of us have become far removed from the means of production. Many of our local communities lack the knowledge and equipment to manufacture many of the products that we rely on daily. Many of our basic needs get met with very little effort.
00:04:09
Speaker
which can lead to people feeling entitled, alienated, or privileged. And there's also a widening of the economic divide between the rich and the poor. People have become reliant on the decisions and whims of major economic and political powers.
00:04:24
Speaker
It's also become a lot easier for bad actors to hide behind these layers of abstraction. It's easier to hide abuses and unethical behavior in order to maximize profits rather than human flourishing. This can lead to massive accumulations of wealth by individuals that get utilized for their individual betterment rather than support and improve broader society.
00:04:46
Speaker
Those who are creating the actual value for companies tend to be the furthest from the money generated from their efforts. Consider the Amazon delivery driver in comparison to Jeff Bezos. This creates powerful lobbies that lead to the alignment of laws and policies to the interests of corporations and the ultra rich, rather than on what's best for the greater population.
Impact of Algorithms and Corporations
00:05:06
Speaker
That's the definition of an oligarchy. Corporate interests are driven by the demands of investors, who benefit personally only when the company profits.
00:05:14
Speaker
This can lead to disinterest in the means by which those profits are generated, or the social benefits of the corporation itself. All the company's operations become abstracted down to a bottom-line profit calculation or stock price. The more complex civilization has become, the harder it is to pivot and react, since it requires far more momentum to change.
00:05:38
Speaker
access to global news can decrease our focus on what's important locally, yet it's impossible to worry about everything that happens everywhere. Our complex communication systems and algorithms have created a wide diversity of thoughts and opinions, but it also creates echo chambers that lead to entrenchment of opinions and attitudes.
00:05:58
Speaker
It's become harder to agree on common goals or common myths, to build meaningful coalitions or inspire the masses towards policies and actions that can lead to better conditions overall for as many people as possible.
00:06:12
Speaker
So let's consider if your world were condensed to a hypothetical village of 1,000 people. In this hypothetical situation, it's feasible that you would know the majority of people in that village, and you'd understand the connections and reliance that you had on them for the continued flourishing of your village.
00:06:28
Speaker
It would be very difficult for an individual or a small group of people to have the time, energy, and resources to create enough on their own to build a successful a village. We really are reliant on our civilization. Great things can be created through that collaboration. And there are many viable forms that that collaboration can take and the methods that you would use to achieve success.
00:06:51
Speaker
Now conflicts and disagreements have occurred throughout human civilization, and that would be no different in this hypothetical village. But it would be really challenging to stay anonymous, to hide behind a corporation or a policy that mandated you act in a certain way. There's just a much more direct correlation between cause and effect. Your actions would be held on account by the village. Knowledge of this reality would require us to be more aware of the potential impacts on our actions, not just on ourselves, but on the entire village.
00:07:21
Speaker
There would be actions and behaviors detrimental enough that they would lead to condemnation or even banishment from the village. Every member of the village would better understand the reliance that they have on the majority of their fellow villagers. That pushes them to work towards the success of the tribe rather than individual gain. Would it be possible for a Jeff Bezos to rise within such a village? Someone who ends up controlling nearly all of the transactions within it?
00:07:49
Speaker
The village would then become reliant on that singular person, becoming an extension of their goals, theories, and personality. That would make it difficult for anyone outside this person's inner circle to resist or disagree with the way things were happening in the village. There is an argument that this person would become the actual or de facto village chief or leader. You can refer back to my oligarchy comment earlier.
00:08:12
Speaker
What if 1%, so about 10 people in this example, contain more wealth than the bottom 500 combined? Would such a social dynamic be tolerated for long in this hypothetical village? Because that's a situation we are here in the United States, and it's probably even worse than that. I believe you'd start to quickly see layers of complexity and protection start to arise in this situation between the village elites and the rest of the village. They're fearful that that imbalance will erode their power and control.
Strengthening Community and Individual Purpose
00:08:40
Speaker
With these thoughts in mind, how can we translate all this into concrete actions? So I want to consider six attitudes that can help us better connect to our local communities. One, volunteer. This contributes towards the betterment of your local community. It improves your sense of place, purpose, and belonging. Reinforces your sense of reliance on the community and respect for the shared infrastructure that you all rely on for your personal livelihood.
00:09:07
Speaker
Volunteering can take many forms, firefighting, EMS, soup kitchens, donating time and money to locally focused charities, working at the local animal shelter, providing financial and material aid during weather or infrastructure disasters, and generally exerting your expertise, resources, and or muscle to improve the lives of fellow community members when opportunities arise.
00:09:30
Speaker
The second attitude, look out for your neighbors. Get to know them, understand their needs, desires, and perspective on things. Respect their differences and how that creates a diversity of experience and outlooks within your community.
00:09:43
Speaker
This will help improve your perspective on the health of your village. Understanding how a policy that you may personally believe in and or benefit from could be hurting others in your community. This might lead to shifts in your perspective regarding the overall benefit and perhaps even your support for that policy.
00:10:02
Speaker
These relationships can lead to more flexible mindsets within a community and individually, ultimately strengthening it by improving its connectivity and resiliency. Be mindful that in a true crisis, the circle of people in a position to help you will shrink dramatically.
00:10:18
Speaker
often it's only your neighbors and local volunteers that you'll be able to rely on until outside assistance or civilization at large can return to some sort of equilibrium. Consider the shifts in community focus that occur during the initial COVID lockdowns or how communities come together during environmental disasters like Hurricane Sandy here in New Jersey or the current LA wildfires. Attitude 3. Be conscious of the media you consume.
00:10:43
Speaker
How many layers of abstraction lie between yourself and the creators of the content that you enjoy? If possible, directly support creators whose work inspires you. Buy directly from them if possible, sign up for their newsletter, contribute towards their crowdfunding campaigns, ah attend their events that they tour or visit locally, a spread of word of mouth about their work. Just as a personal example here, if you buy one of my physical books on Amazon, I'm gonna make less than 50 cents profit. If you buy directly from me via my website, I net about $3.
00:11:14
Speaker
You want to try to avoid distributors and middlemen who insist on DRM, Digital Rights Management. These are digital locks on content. By insisting on these tools, distributors, I'll use Audible from Amazon as an example here, they take control of the art and businesses of creators and their investors. This results in creators becoming commodity suppliers for a distribution channel that calls all the shots.
00:11:39
Speaker
When we consume media, we're spending time and energy on it. If we insist on consuming much of that for free, or through subscription models, we push creators toward something similar to the broadcast television model where ads fund everything.
00:11:54
Speaker
Speaking of television, and this includes streaming, it's better at broadcasting a sports game from across the country than it is at highlighting the achievements of your neighbors. Our media is built around creating simulations and approximations of human interaction from great distances rather than fostering interactions between people in the same community. And be wary of algorithmic media, which can drive you towards narrowing perspectives or towards activities that distract from the challenges that are facing your community.
00:12:23
Speaker
rather than activities that encourage us to find common ground and take action towards improving the potential outcome of those challenges. Attitude four, get outside and away from screens. No matter how detailed or interactive our maps and tools get, they can't replace the territory itself. It's vital that we have honest, real world interactions in our community. There's a big difference between interacting via video conferencing and social media versus being in person, having to look people in the eye, being fully present with people.
00:12:56
Speaker
Reduce the layers of abstraction that exist between you and the world as it is, across all the context of your life. That's work, family, spirituality, play, and of course, community. Try to avoid anonymity. Wherever possible, own your words and actions. Stand behind your convictions, but also have an open mind to the convictions of others.
00:13:19
Speaker
You want to provide yourself with deeper, real-world context for your thoughts and decisions. If you rely on facts filtered or cherry-picked by others, devoid of personal context, it's possible to support falsely constructed arguments and social, political, or economic policies that cause greater harm to your community, or in some cases greater harm to yourself.
00:13:41
Speaker
Number five, make wrong things right. You want to try to call out the wrongdoings by encouraging those who erred to make right. But don't just complain. Try to identify the problem and potential solutions. This attitude can help keep us future focused. If this wrong action or situation were allowed to continue, how might it negatively impact our ourselves and others?
00:14:03
Speaker
Small acts of right-making can encourage others in your community to take similar actions. Over time, this attitude can lead to large improvements within your village. This also helps us realize our personal agency, that it is possible for our skills, energy, and resources to be put to work in bettering our communities. This can lead to a greater sense of pride and belonging within that community.
00:14:27
Speaker
And it can also help us realize the differences in our value systems compared to others in our community. What feels wrong to us may feel justified by the majority. We do become more aware of the distances between perspectives. This can potentially help us align to the shared cultural values and norms of our community. This is how things are done here. Or strengthen our resolve to change those norms.
00:14:51
Speaker
And the last attitude, shop local rather than through massive corporations. Now, I know I'm picking on Amazon a lot here and that's by design, but if you buy a toy on Amazon, you'll likely save a few bucks, but you'll lose some of the personal curated touch that your local retailer can provide. That local retailer relies less on a massive distribution infrastructure and the exploitation of the workforce to deliver that small savings.
00:15:16
Speaker
Local retailers certainly rely on distribution, but a local retailer has put down roots in your community. They stay in business by getting to know their customers better. They can save you time and energy by sifting through all of that globally available variety, curating products and solutions that are tailored to your needs or the needs of your local community. That local retailer offers opportunities to get a better feel for the products and services that you're interested in.
00:15:44
Speaker
Their expertise can provide you with a better fit, alternative options, and a more confident purchase. I think that's well worth the extra money that you might spend on an item. And these local relationships honor our shared humanity. They make us feel like actual people rather than database records.
00:16:00
Speaker
Remember, with these massive multinational corporations, the architecture of those databases require programmers to pick the categories that matter at a granularity that matters only to their employer's purpose, which as I mentioned before, is maximizing profit and return for their shareholders.
00:16:17
Speaker
And lastly, by doing this, more of the money that you spend is gonna stay within your community. The local store owner can buy goods and services with their profits from other local businesses, possibly even yours. Their kids may go to the same schools as yours or be members of the same spiritual or cultural organizations or participate in similar activities. They're gonna pay similar local, state, and federal taxes that support the maintenance and improvement of the infrastructure that you mutually benefit from.
00:16:47
Speaker
They're far more likely to support local artists, manufacturers, organizations, and charities. And they also provide community spaces that become sources of information, inspiration, civic pride, and local culture.
Digital Tools vs. Reality
00:17:00
Speaker
So we'll end today's episode with a quote, which is courtesy of Douglas Rushkoff, from his book Program or Be Programmed.
00:17:08
Speaker
We lose sight of the fact that our digital tools are modeling reality, not substituting for it, and mistake its oversimplified contours for the way things should be. By acknowledging the bias of the digital towards a reduction of complexity, we regain the ability to treat its simulations as models occurring in a vacuum rather than accurate depictions of our world. And with that, have a great day.
00:17:39
Speaker
If you feel that Chris dealt with it, I'd appreciate your support of the show by sharing it with someone who might benefit. Ratings on your favorite podcast player are also helpful in growing the audience. Visit chriscroiter dot.com for free downloadable PDFs with notes and resources from today's episode, sign up for the CDWY mailing list, or to send in your problems or requests for future shows. That's C-H-R-I-S-K-R-E-U-T-E-R dot.com or use the link in the show notes.