can't even handle it

ouch! my worldview hurts!

i just finished reading christopher lasch's "the culture of narcissism: american life in an age of diminishing expectations". oh dear. just a bit overwhelming. most definitly worthy of sharing. i picked out a couple of characteristics of the culture of narcissism that lasch describes (keep in mind that these are all characteristics of american culture. it is hard to pinpoint a cause for the phenomena because all of these symptoms perpetuate the narcissistic pathology):

- hyper-self awareness which is perpetuated by technology. the idea that we are constantly being watched. everyone seems to develop a sort of stage presence
- people look to therapists rather than consulting religion when trying to cope with life circumstances
- people search for peace and purpose by pursuing fame and wealth
- there is a pervasive inabliity to connect with others. consumer captitalism tells us to avoid dependence on others which may create a lack of meaningful personal relationships and a neglect of public life
- common diagnosis of personality disorders, but this is only an extreme of the culture's pathology as a whole
- schools usurp authority, taking it away from parents
- selling yourself to succeed; soon interpersonal relations become only a means of self-advancement
- the "self" becomes merely an "image"-what others see us as
- apotheosis of the individual
- consumers can never be satisfied because corporations create needs (new forms of unhappiness) through advertising propaganda. celebrity becomes impossible to achieve
- politics become spectacle-complete with incomprehensible jargon. this (amongst many other things) can lead to a lack of trust in authority figures
- the degradation of the family: an absent father, a castrating wife, and unsubmissive children.

that's a pretty good analysis of our culture coming from someone who was writing in 1978. that was only a little taste of the book, but it is a must read. lasch makes some very important observations and links them together well. there are a number of excellent points in this book meshed in with a good bit of freudian nonsense. lasch explains this culture in psychoanalytic terms...and i am just not convinced. i have to believe there is a better explanation for the phenomena that lasch notices other than a freudian explanation. that being said...i learned a lot.

my reading list is pushing me even further into depression. but you know what? i welcome it. the saying "ignorance is bliss" may be true to a certain extent, but ignorance certainly won't help change the world. i guess i'd rather be depressed, and yet hold onto the hope of something better. that City on a Hill. i suppose now's the time to be Salt and Light...whilst we're stuck in this culture of narcissism.

God help us.