Hi all,
I've come to some new realizations after observing people in America. The other day, as I was buying a sandwich, I noticed how the cashier had empty eyes with no soul and a plastic smile. Then a realization suddenly hit me and a light bulb went on.
I suddenly realized that the social isolation and alienation I've always felt in America wasn't just due to a lack of friends or social contact (though those are factors too). It was more due to the lack of soul and authenticity in America. Let me explain.
You see, if you are soulful, deep and authentic, and you are surrounded by soulless people who are shallow, repressed, fake, plastic and inauthentic, then you will definitely feel isolated and alienated. This will be the case even if you are socializing with people or at a party, because you will not feel any real connection with anybody. It will also seem as though people are not "alive" to you.
In contrast, in Europe, Russia or Latin America, where people have a lot more soul, and are more deep and authentic, you will NOT feel isolated and alienated, even if you are sitting alone at a cafe or park and not talking to anyone. This is because you are surrounded by people with real souls, like yourself, who are more deep and authentic than in America and seem more "alive" as well.
I know this because I've personally experienced both scenarios and now I can pinpoint the real cause. But of course, if you are a shallow person with no soul yourself, you may not notice any of these things, since they will not be a part of your reality. After all, people with no souls do not suffer around other people with no souls. This brings to mind a great quote from the freethinking Swiss psychologist Eric Fromm:
"The sick individual finds himself at home with all other similarly sick individuals. The whole culture is geared to this kind of pathology. The result is that the average individual does not experience the separateness and isolation the fully schizophrenic person feels. He feels at ease among those who suffer from the same deformation; in fact, it is the fully sane person who feels isolated in the insane society - and he may suffer so much from the incapacity to communicate that it is he who may become psychotic."
- Eric Fromm, Swiss Psychologist (The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness)
That is one of the most brilliant observations and analyses I've ever read. It's so true and explains my new realization and insight as well.
See also:
8 Reasons Why Americans Have No Soul
Good News: Why freethinkers will be happier in Europe than in America
Wow what an idiot you are. You buy a sandwich from someone making minimum wage, see that she is giving you the (mandatory customer service smile) and assume that all America is suffering from having no soul or depth. Then you admit you have a significant lack of friends and social contact, but the problem is with a whole country, not you. Next time you feel the urge to point the finger, take notice, 3 other fingers are pointing back to you.
ReplyDeleteLol, what a joke. Since when is authenticity and soulfulness something that can be quantified in a person. I've lived in Europe and the US and if anything I found Europeans to be more "inauthentic", although I wouldn't use that ridiculous word, I would say instead that they just had more rigid/formal social conventions. When everyone else is wrong, you might want to try looking in ward.
ReplyDeleteHe is totally correct--
ReplyDeleteIt's the flouride in our water
ReplyDeletesadly you will find that very few people even smile anymore for customer service....even waiters in america.....they view themselves as slaves which they are and on the lowest economical tier.....i was a cashier at walmart and it was the worst job i've ever had......another interesting thing is Facebook that claims to be the social network, discourages people from meeting stranggeers....what a horrible idea! lets see...who ever met their spouse without meeting a strangerrrr.....no one.....i just ignore it and the people i enjoy talking to the most on facebook are people i either met overseas or are from another country who ive never met
ReplyDeleteYou' re totally right.That is the social isolation portrayed in the character of Marlon Brando in Last Tango in Paris.That movie is not about sex,it is about the deformation of an American expat overseas and his social isolation that he tries to compensate
ReplyDeletewith a casual sex relationships with a stranger girl and his mother in law.Seems odd that people are not
more aware of this.
I am very conscious of this problem on a daily basis. This matters. It matters when people are not good people. It makes life not fun.
ReplyDeleteEveryone is rushing around and always pursuing something in the future, rather than focusing on the person in front of them, as in a Subway employee making your sandwich.
Retail workers are tired because they are uneducated. Their mind is not focused. They lack confidence. They lack a belief in the law of compensation, that providing great service will produce rewards.
They are probably surrounded by other poor family members: alcoholic family members, mentally ill family members, etc. These people cause them massive stress.
They don't exercise. If they did, their energy would increase, and they could go the distance - work an 8-hour shift without getting tired at all.
They probably eat poorly. They probably don't drink enough water. They do not eat nutient-dense foods.
Their mind is not inspired; they are not thinking big.
They are afraid to connect with people, so they may avoid smiling because they don't want a man to become attached to them.
They may feel like a victim, and that their job is just "what you have to do to survive."
They may be eating high-glycemic foods, which put them into a fight or flight response and prevent them from feeling relaxed.
They may regard the general public as inferior to men they can meet online, so they have no interest in the people who shop at their store.
The quality of the food is not good, so it is depressing to work there. There is no pride in working for a company that does not use high-quality ingredients.
The public is fat and ignorant and cowardly, which is depressing.
I am passionate about creating a community which has no zombie-like people, but rather, good, alive people everywhere.
LTBLP.com
The big cities … you'll see fluoridation in water, but you'll see most public schools require vaccinations. Vaccinations are trivial, however it is always a sign the school is well there are many analogies, like "owned by the crown" or "big brother" or any of the dystopia books (I read 1984, brave new world, and Fahrenheit 451) could give you a necessary home base to make your comparisons with.
ReplyDelete