When society has lost the ability to recognize true value created through discipline, hard work, values, morals, principles and ethics and chooses rather to focus on value generated through instant dopamine rewards and group trends created through utilizing group psychology - to discard valuable works and creativity in vain for things made valuable through the use of smoke and mirrors - we're in for a collapse.
Come on folks, it's obvious.
The easy take of the cake or the bug to the light of training the dopamine reward system for instant gratification in society en masse - is a one way road to meaninglessness as a defended ritual of social structure - in worship of the animal self - which delves deeper and deeper into the ingratifiable pit of desire which is a perspective held by multiple value oriented societies (you don't need Christianity or Islam, you just need a rational head to come to these conclusions).
When society defends devices of social order that maintain the right to have equal footing for this impurious value with that of true survival and integrous value - it creates a black hole like a demon which feeds on society which at first claims to be kind, innocent and the victim but quickly grows into an overpowering behemoth if given the chance. It is not enough to give it a place and recognize it - by its very nature it will expand as a cancer. The inevitable outflow of this course of action is debasement and demoralisation of society - which to some motivations make the people easier to control via direct manipulation of their value spectrum. These things are not equal - and should not be recognized as such - we should not throw the baby of ethics and integrity out with the bathwater of religion. Leveraged via group dynamics, excessive repetition and advertisements and media aimed at instant appeasement of lust and desire lead to a cultureless society with no backbone - then defending that lack of integrity as if it is a valid equal alternative.
The dopamine reward system must be stretched out to slow release over time to create systems within the self of lasting contentment which then create systems of contentment which are the stronghold of a society with substance not ruled by desire and ambition.
This seems to be the greatest battle for the youth of our time. Recognizing the ability to focus and finding pathways to attain and maintain focus for long periods of time. Get off your phone, stop eating sugar - recognize the difference in the brain between walking straight to the reward system and dancing around it in order to maintain discipline and higher motivations. It takes a process to bring yourself back down to 'boring reality' the same way you might have to sit in the dark for a while before your eyes adjust from staring at a blinding light. You've got to stay in that 'boring' place for long enough that your mind's dopamine pathways slowly but surely shift into recognizing true rewards again. You've got to be persistent.
Putting 'snowflakism' on a pedestal has not helped this process either - as we are alone in this world and yes you will indeed need to face some pain. Infact, life is full of pain and painful lessons. You cannot avoid it. A greater quality of life will be had when we can face that pain consciously and meaningfully which allays the even greater pain later of not having taken responsibility of our dopamine circuit which then translates into the way we see ourselves, our place in society and our ability to achieve.
As a man who grew up in a Western society believing himself to be gay (I believe this is physical and not simply a preference as it was the only obvious preference for sexual desire growing up) - I find myself in a dilemma - by participating in 'camp' society - I engage with a level of hypersexualism that is unhealthy for anyone and promotes lack of self-control with this perspective seeking an equal footing to those that have the ability to control their urges and not be so 'sexually' oriented in their lifestyles. I am not seeking reformation by a christian group - I am seeking direct responsibility of my dopamine system from a purely rational and quality of life approach. By indulging in system approved 'gay behavour' leads only to the lack of self-esteem, inability to develop focus to the point of a master and depression.
We then get together as a community of dopamine addicts with no reserves and create an entire social grouping out of constantly low dopamine then defend it violently.
The state of society is that by representing integrity above that which appeals to the greater mass as a 'lifestyle choice' - by not giving it an equal footing of which it has fought so hard to achieve - I am labelled a bigot.
It is possible that empathy can go too far in trying to let every snowflake have a group and a label and allowing such a state of things. In the effort to create and allow what is good as a people - it must be asked - considering the collective state of its ability to have discipline in anything and take control of their own dopamine circuits - what have we done?
I'm sick of lying and pretending this is ok.
I believe it is possible to be gay and have integrity - it is unfortunate that by mentioning you are gay an entire spectrum of assumptions is created about you - a bunch of boxes you have to prove that you are not - because this type of reserved 'bigot' gay is not 'fabulous', is not constantly addicted to sex, is not constantly making lewd jokes or expected to respond with humour to any lewd comments made while in your company which people make in an effort to relate to you (one of those annoying boxes which you need to work your way out of), is not attracted to everything that moves (it's insane the assumptions of some), is not morally debased for simply being attracted to another male (Christian perspective goes here).. the list is quite extensive.
So we put in the hard work of being honest and direct as who we are and put a flag on this hill of integrity - we define integrity again and if we are not being integrous then we are honest with ourselves and say - I am not this thing. It doesn't have to incite a bunch of guilt or regret - it's just looking at things as they are, which if we don't do this thing and take responsiblity, we have no hope of moving forward and face the certainty of the pain of a collapse of a system that holds up millions and billions of lives. People with no ready way to survive on their own, with no real life skills - utterly dependent on this machine.
In all areas of life - if we run straight to the reward in our brains, whether it be sugar, sex or a dodgy job done at work in order to feel the feeling of accomplishment more quickly - we affirm this state and create more of it and create more experiences based on it in the future. Recognizing it and being honest with the self is the first step - never lose your capacity to be honest with yourself - if you don't do something right - don't change your ethics or integrity to suit your actions and lose your backbone - allow yourself to say - this is this and that is that.
If you're serious about life and want to find a way out of this 'pleasure oriented conditioned hell' from a non-christian perspective but from an ethical and quality of life perspective (the two don't have to stand apart either) then you have a considerable way to walk alone. No one can do it for you. Acceptance of you alone in this process and what you must do for yourself is also a massive part of healing and changing your behaviour.
You're working towards amazing quality of life you've never felt before because you never gave yourself the chance - maybe you never thought it was possible and looked everywhere else in life for it - but here it is staring starkly into your face saying - here's the dark corner you never shone a light in - if you're deeply serious about life - how about you explore this corner and learn a deep level of honest and appreciation for what you've become and where you would really like to go.
Stand and talk honestly and directly and you get persecuted by the group who champions freedom of speech and free thinking.
Who will stand for integrity outside of religion and put a flag on this hill and say - we fucking need this people - so let's be honest and direct to create a foundation that lasts into the future. I don't like the prospect of the outcome of this downward cycle into instant dopamine gratification society is falling into - it's an abyss that has no bottom - recognize what it is you are in, look at what is really happening, this isn't where you want to be.
Let's be sane and rational again.
In another area of society - energy utilized through group dynamics and control of media for public consumption to create astronimical levels of fame has no inherent value either. When we put these people on a pedestal we give up our own power. We say, "Look! there is that person there - I could never be there but they are there." Our own value is reduced to hold up someone that has provided no real intrinsic value to anyone. We then aspire to be the same valueless representative of vacuity for no effort - developing untold heights of self-entitlement collectively with a mass of people that think the same - competing for the same attention - focusing on instant gratification and appeasement of mass desire, making a science of it to get ahead and 'live the dream'.
In all layers of society instant gratification has worked its way in. Only the very conscious and dedicated are able to stand apart. Technology makes it too easy to not face the pain directly - a population of scrolling zombies hoping for the next reward, Pavlov's bell ringing again and again - the hope of true appreciation and attention - a slave of needing to be understood.
Can we start a conversation about this? Is there hope of change? Aside from living by example and purifying the definition of honesty - What are some real societal applications that individuals can do today that might assist in this transition to a deeper appreciation of life which remains aware of dopamine pitfalls in the human animal and maintains integrity above pleasure achievement? What is the ethical way forward? We need to ask these serious questions now. Even if society cannot be 'saved' from its fall - any shift on any level now will assist in cushioning the fall, allaying some of that astronomical pain that will be caused by the system's collapse - whether we like it or not, it's holding a lot up. My days of instant gratification anarchist, loathing the system and selfishly wanting instant collapse, are over.