Apperceptive Mess #10: Meditations on Changing Economic and Ideological Environments
Hello friends,
I have been busy trying to keep my head above the water articulating the profound effects that Ways of Seeing is bringing to my understanding of the world.
Armed with more knowledge than ever about the European Renaissance and the golden age of oil paintings, the book has given me a new perspective on the relationship between human behaviour, social norms, and the struggle between traditions and “good work”.
As a matter of fact, reading the book has produced visceral effects to my being and I have struggled to untangle the internal commentary that has overshadowed my consciousness over the last month. Seeing societies throughout the globe go through different versions of an existential crisis under the same stressor of a pandemic has been eye-opening, and I am trying to make a teacher out of this crisis of a generation as a 22-year-old.
This week’s newsletter will not retain its the standard format, but below I will share my most candid thoughts as always. They are definitely half-baked, and you should take my words like how you will listening to a friend at a dinner table.
Here are some Spring flowers to brighten up this rather desolate mood I have set up.
The world is on a value exchange holiday. In our "socially distanced" environment, we are now bearing witness to evidence that markets are social institutions, not just "embeddings" within our social fabrics. Without markets, there can be no visits to restaurants and bars, workout classes, travel, museums, and theatres.
The labour of money is not just the function of exchanging goods for money, it also serves as our means to facilitate sustained social contact with each other. For the first time in my adult life, I am bearing witness in direct exposure the true brunt of not just an economic crisis, but also an existential one that I suspect will shift society's way of seeing in a manner that makes the European Renaissance look like child's play.
Like any person with an ounce of humanity in them, I live and read in fear and paranoia for the people who found themselves in these times of uncertainty with limited or no means of navigating it. But there is much to be learn in this great school of experience where worthwhile experiences can be redeemed.
As we navigate around determining which services in our society are "essential", we find ourselves confronted with the phenomena of fading of boundaries of charity and markets. Capitalist societies have started to acknowledge across political spectrums that we have been under-appreciating our childcare workers and grocery store check-out assistants.
The distinction between these jobs and bullshit paper-pusher ones now appear plain as ever. It is somewhat heartening to notice today that it is becoming universally uncontroversial to be sympathetic to our teachers, postmen, care-takers, front-line healthcare workers, and all the other professions to keep our world moving.
I am anxious for the world and it's people, but am even more anxious to learn the lessons this great crisis has to teach me.
That is all we have for the week! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. If you have any questions, suggestions, complaints, or feedback, please feel free to reach out by replying directly to this email!
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See you next week 👋