Jan 3, 2007

Old cabinets, they wanted. They were an upper middle class family, obviously well off, and they needed new cabinets for their bathroom. But not "new" cabinets. History, even if it is made up, is important, and it is odd how such a simple desire as some cabinets can illustrate our society as a whole.

We are entering a new age. No big surprise here, we delve further into the future each and every day; hop, skipping and jumping from day to day, iPod in hand and computer sitting at home waiting to broadcast that day unto the whole world. Think of how out of place, nearly unimaginable this would have been ten years ago, to have a massive music library literally in one's hand and an endlessly connected life style with technology and other people. But, we look back. It seems that somewhere within our social consciousness, we realize that as everything become easier, life becomes harder.

Social facades must now be maintained, else the status quo isn't being met. We are now much more welcome to differences as compared to the white picket fenced 50s, but with that understanding comes expectation, the expectation to be different, but only just like everyone else. As social creatures, we expect others to fit into groups. Its only natural, coming from the tribes of old, except then tribes were more than just a collection of acquaintances. Friendship, while not lost, has become diminish. The lack of traditional threats eases our willingness to fight for that which we love, be it people or merely ideals.

Today, threats to life and limb still exist, but in a completely different manner. The faceless enemy is forever watching, plotting, but we don't know who it is. Is it the foreigner, the one who supposedly hates our ideals, or is it us? Do we create our own problems, and drag others with us as we take the plunge? This blazing connection has been created between vastly different cultures, but has this connection only increased the schism? Enemies require a face, and we have revealed ours to the world.

So, what is the answer? There isn't one. New ages bring new problems, and new problems bring the desire to go back face the problems of yesteryear, the ones to which we already have the answers, or at least a vague clue to what is going on. The light of knowledge, while growing every day, saturating us in everyday life, has not removed the shadow of doubt, of the fear that something lurks just around the corner. We don't know if we can reach that corner in the first place.
So, we sink back, searching for a basis, looking for something to counter act the mixed blessing of progress, replacing its sheen with something that has been mechanically worn, if only to comfort us and convince us that we won't have to face this problem, at least not yet...