Substack is such an interesting platform. I am starting to wrestle with its realities. This post today is exactly what I try to do with Rational Sheep and I also appreciate the fine, probing comments. But six people dropped their subscriptions after I posted this. Interesting?
In the 1960's we went to the park and hung out "to be seen". In the 1980's kids walked around the mall in groups "to be seen". Perhaps this is the same kind of thing, but the "new parking lot/mall" with the rules of its culture.
I see this as fear of death. Arthur C. Clarke had it figured out before it happened. People would relentlessly document their lives and back it all up to some promised permanent system, to prove that they lived. They took the attitude that only what they preserved in pictures or film would count.
If this is all pride, of refusing to acknowledge that we have been created, or shame, of refusing to admit death, the mean would be confidence in being an image bearer of God and a child of God.
FOMO is all about fear of death too. Referencing confidence again, Christians can have the guts to leave things undone, say, when the 10 commandments contradicts or there is a greater calling, because we can say this world is not our home, and life is about more than a bucket list.
This aimless status seeking of Instagram is a reflection of not knowing how to live. From philosophy the non-Christian can realize that one needs to know how to die so that one can live.
Walker Percy suggested people go on The Search. I suggest that is what these Instagram folks need.
I'd never thought about it that way before, but I suspect you're correct about FOMO being based in the fear of death and the emptiness of naturalistic materialism. If this is all there is, documenting (Instragram) and extending (transhumanism) your life is the most important thing you can do.
Your comment about learning how to die in order to know how to live reminded me of a quote from John Taylor Gatto's Underground history of American Education:
"Nothing in this world is more than illusion. This is only a stage on some longer journey we do not fully understand. A 94 year-old aunt of mine with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, said to me tearfully after the death of her husband, 'They don’t let you win. There is no way to win.' She had lived her life in the camp of science, honorably observing all its rules of rationality, but at his passing, science was useless to her. The Western spiritual tradition would reply, 'Of course you can win. Everyone can win. And if you think you can’t, then you’re playing the wrong game.' The only thing that gives our time on earth any deep significance is that none of this will last. If you were indestructible, what a curse! How could it possibly matter whether you did anything today or next year or in the next hundred years, learned anything, loved anybody? There would always be time for anything and everything."
Substack is such an interesting platform. I am starting to wrestle with its realities. This post today is exactly what I try to do with Rational Sheep and I also appreciate the fine, probing comments. But six people dropped their subscriptions after I posted this. Interesting?
In the 1960's we went to the park and hung out "to be seen". In the 1980's kids walked around the mall in groups "to be seen". Perhaps this is the same kind of thing, but the "new parking lot/mall" with the rules of its culture.
In other words, social media is now the real world. Is that your point and, if so, is that basically, uh, gnostic?
No, definitely not "the real world". Same motivation (perhaps?) but a different "world" for sure.
Social media is now the real world was supposed to be in IRONIC FONT.
Someone needs to invent that font!!! HAHA!
"For me, the central theological question is whether the driving force here is the sin of pride or the flipside of that coin, anxiety or shame."
Being an Aristotle fan, I like this framing. So what is the Aristotelian virtue between those two? Self confidence?
Great question. Is American cyber culture, at this point, showing signs of a tsunami of self confidence?
I see this as fear of death. Arthur C. Clarke had it figured out before it happened. People would relentlessly document their lives and back it all up to some promised permanent system, to prove that they lived. They took the attitude that only what they preserved in pictures or film would count.
If this is all pride, of refusing to acknowledge that we have been created, or shame, of refusing to admit death, the mean would be confidence in being an image bearer of God and a child of God.
That would certainly be a unique interpretation of the motive seen on Instagram. ;-)
FOMO is all about fear of death too. Referencing confidence again, Christians can have the guts to leave things undone, say, when the 10 commandments contradicts or there is a greater calling, because we can say this world is not our home, and life is about more than a bucket list.
This aimless status seeking of Instagram is a reflection of not knowing how to live. From philosophy the non-Christian can realize that one needs to know how to die so that one can live.
Walker Percy suggested people go on The Search. I suggest that is what these Instagram folks need.
I would say that if these couples are real, they need to go on some long, long walks and talk. With their phones turned off.
I'd never thought about it that way before, but I suspect you're correct about FOMO being based in the fear of death and the emptiness of naturalistic materialism. If this is all there is, documenting (Instragram) and extending (transhumanism) your life is the most important thing you can do.
Your comment about learning how to die in order to know how to live reminded me of a quote from John Taylor Gatto's Underground history of American Education:
"Nothing in this world is more than illusion. This is only a stage on some longer journey we do not fully understand. A 94 year-old aunt of mine with a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, said to me tearfully after the death of her husband, 'They don’t let you win. There is no way to win.' She had lived her life in the camp of science, honorably observing all its rules of rationality, but at his passing, science was useless to her. The Western spiritual tradition would reply, 'Of course you can win. Everyone can win. And if you think you can’t, then you’re playing the wrong game.' The only thing that gives our time on earth any deep significance is that none of this will last. If you were indestructible, what a curse! How could it possibly matter whether you did anything today or next year or in the next hundred years, learned anything, loved anybody? There would always be time for anything and everything."