Metaconsciousness: Mythology for a Post-Civilized World
Chapter 4 | Contents | Chapter 6
The considerations in the preceding chapter bring to my mind the metaphorical image for the course of civilization as a river, broad and deep, curving its way through formidable canyons and impenetrable jungles – and headed over a cataract of bottomless depth; sort of like the pit Gandalf fell into in the Mines of Moria, if you happened to have watched The Fellowship of the Ring recently, or read the book. That is where civilization is headed – although above the cataract, the river is broad and smooth, and supports much coming and going by the many civilized people who navigate the "mainstream."
In considering these matters, Daniel Quinn has compared the many good-hearted measures aimed at solving the human predicament, such as lobbying for more ecologically sound practices, with "placing sticks in the stream bed" in a vain attempt to obstruct its flow over the cataract; and he has expressed the ambition of diverting the river altogether, so it takes a different and less catastrophic course. Quinn's metaphorical river embraces the entire human destiny upon planet Earth, while the the river of which I am writing here represents the course only of contemporary civilization. So I am not disagreeing with Quinn when I say that I do not believe the river can be diverted from its course. Civilization – not necessarily the entire human destiny – is headed over the cataract, no matter what anyone, or all of us together, think or wish about it – simply because civilization doesn't work, and cannot be repaired, or made to work.
The only solution, therefore, is for anyone with the vision and the will, to get out of the "mainstream" before it sweeps us all to oblivion! This is not easily done, for the "mainstream" is hedged in by jungles and canyons which are at best difficult, and maybe impossible to negotiate; not to mention the many and various "fences" artificially erected for the deliberate purpose of keeping civilized people hemmed into the "mainstream." Possibly the most difficult of these to deal with is the simple fact that we all share civilized mythologies here, because we have never been exposed to anything else; and all civilized mythologies lead back to civilization, not away from it. It is far, far easier, therefore, and far more inviting, to continue navigating the broad, smooth waters of the "mainstream" – above the cataract – and to keep our familiar mythologies. And so, this is exactly what most people are most likely to continue to do, until the "bitter end." Nevertheless, like it or not, the choices for individual humans are two, and only two: 1) Get out of the "mainstream" of civilization, and head for higher ground; or 2) Stay with the "mainstream" of civilization, and be swept, sooner or later, to oblivion.
Myself, I have "gotten out of the mainstream" and am now working my way along the bank, seeking a possible route to higher ground. I still feel exposed to high peril, though, as the "mainstream" may flood at any moment, sweeping away all upon or near it. It is essential to head for higher ground, and this is not easy, and may not even be possible for everyone who attempts it. The canyons are steep, and the jungles are dense, and every step forward requires enormous effort, and entails significant risk. It is often very tempting to return to the "mainstream," where one can at least navigate easily across the broad expanses of the still-accommodating waters. But the thunder of the cataract is clearly audible, and the quiet current sweeps all inexorably downstream to doom and oblivion. The "mainstream" is no longer a viable choice – at least for me.
Further, I do not believe that a single individual, or a traditional "nuclear family," is likely to find a way unaided to higher ground. It must be possible to unite one's efforts with others who have likewise discovered the futility, and the catastrophic destiny, of the "mainstream." Those who remain in the river, no matter how gracefully and effortlessly they are able to navigate now, and no matter how lavish and well-appointed their yachts and floating palaces, will sooner or later be swept over the cataract. Yet the alternative of breaking a path through trackless jungle, or over precipitous cliffs, is a formidable challenge. It is not an attractive prospect, and few there seem to be who are able even to entertain it as a concept – never mind actually undertaking it with determined persistence.
So, where does one begin? In my view, the perils of trackless jungles and overhanging canyons notwithstanding, the most difficult and formidable obstacle facing any would-be contemporary diversity generator is reaching the decision to desert the "mainstream," and face the hazards of seeking higher ground. Is civilization really such a hopeless and irredeemable mess as I have portrayed it to be? This is a question each individual must answer for her or himself, and choose accordingly.
For myself, I think Spooner, writing in the aftermath of the Civil War1 in America, summed up the prospects for civilization when he described "government" – the active agent by which civilizations have always advanced their agendas – like this:
It is with government, as Caesar said it was in war, that money and soldiers mutually supported each other; that with money he could hire soldiers, and with soldiers extort money. So these villains, who call themselves governments, well understand that their power rests primarily upon money. With money they can hire soldiers, and with soldiers extort money. And, when their authority is denied, the first use they always make of money, is to hire soldiers to kill or subdue all who refuse them more money.2
Is it not so? With the civil conformity enforcers in the driver's seat, and apoptosis in "fast forward," what destiny but the Abyss for civilization? Such, anyway, is my analysis, and it's ho! for higher ground, no matter what obstacles or hazards bar the way. If I perish in the attempt, so be it; I already know my destiny, if I remain in or near the "mainstream."
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1. I have often in the past mused over this term, "Civil War," wondering how war could possibly be linked with anything remotely civil. I have since concluded that the term is more appropriate than I could ever have imagined, for to be civil is, explicitly and uncompromisingly, to be at war with one's fellows, with all Life, with metaconsciousness, and with the very gods.
Metaconsciousness: Mythology for a Post-Civilized World
Chapter 4 | Contents | Chapter 6