“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.”
King James Version (KJV)
Who knew that lying was so fashionable???
A couple weeks have elapsed since I began sketching out this latest blog post. And so much has happened since I was inspired to opine on this perplexing topic. Baffling even. As I could not ignore a very disturbing trend infesting (anti)social media like a virulent flesh eating bacteria. Two weeks later, as I apply my ability to think critically.
(an ability that sadly seems like a “super-power” in light of the declining state of societal affairs)
I can discern that the “root cause” is “forked.” Likened unto the tongue of a reptilian serpent. The ancient, mystic flying serpent known as “The Father of Lies.”
“Fashionable Dishonesty” (aka lying as a form of entertainment) would be the first tine of this two-pronged fork.
The second more foundational tine is the disturbingly sad phenomenon known as “Perpetual Adolescence.”
These two bellwethers of a “civilization in decline” were on full display as I saw dozens of (if not a hundred) people seemingly copy-paste the exact same post. More on this in a bit. But first, let’s “do the knowledge” and gain an educational foundation so we can collectively construct an proper analysis of this strangely interesting topic.
The legit Decline of Western Civilization…
Our parents were the first generation to “grow up with tell-lie-vision.” But it is their children, my generation (Generation X) who hold the unfortunate distinction of being the first generation of humans to actually be “raised” by the “tell-lie-vision.” Now, in order not to descend into a “rabbit hole” so deep it would requite me to write an entire book; I shall keep it moving. And simply say that we will indeed revisit this topic in a future post. Staying “on track” I continue my thought by also asserting that because my generation did indeed experience a true childhood, the devastating effects of children being raised by corporate media conglomerates would not be noticed (nor felt/experienced) until the next generation came into their “chronological” young adulthood stage of life.
“….During the Roman time period it was called moral decline, but in reality, that is just a small contributing factor.
By far it was the “bread and circuses” of the masses that help bring about its demise. Along with this was the lack of emphasis of education and training. During this time citizenry became more interested in being “happy” than to see what was going on around them. They became more involved in amusing themselves with the pleasure of the empire and becoming less connected to involvement in their duties as citizens of their country. They followed who ever gave them a sense of protection and safety and played into their pleasure and wants regardless of the consequences….”
– Ernest Richard Rugenstein, Ph.D. Cultural History
(excerpt cited from History The Seven Signs of an Empire’s End)
I was asserting that it is my very own “Generation X” who must shoulder the lion’s share of responsibility
(due to total lack of actual responsibility in this regard) for normalizing this completely abnormal societal aberration.
My generation where the last children to actually experience a true childhood. We were allowed (and sometimes forced) to go out and play. In the summer months, it was not at all uncommon for a four or five year old to be gone from just after lunch-time until the “street lights came on” as the day waxed into night.
Somewhere along the way, being an actual adult who conducts themselves as such seems to have fallen out of favor. Our “Boomer” parents lit the proverbial fuse by torpedoing the “nuclear family” structure. Creating the first generation of “ latch-key children.” A classification I, along with all of my friends growing up were unwillingly thrust into. As we were the first generation in modern history forced to come home from school to an empty house. No parental figure(s) there to greet or guide us, prepare our meals, nor to make sure we didn’t fall into an inordinate amount of mischief. But yes, I digress….
It is at this point in recent history that the astute among us began to discern that “something was amiss.” Yet no one could put a finger on it. As its ubiquity was already as such, that this virulent infection of the fabric of Western Civilization had already taken hold in such a manner that it can only be likened unto a terminal cancer of the bones.
By the time it could be properly diagnosed, we would all be doomed to endure the destructive “forgone conclusion” thereof. And this conclusion is the Decline of our (Western) Civilization.
“Our American educational ideal is being molded more and more to that image. We now place special emphasis upon training the dropouts, upon making the curriculum so soft that no one can flunk. Thus, we are caught up in one of the fundamental “democratic” dilemmas of our age. It is no longer merely enough to provide schools for all; today we must determine what purpose those schools are to serve. If we make our schools sufficiently mindless to accommodate those least able, we run the grave risk of turning out a totally mindless graduate…”
Written in 1969 by – George Charles Roche III (1935 – 2006) President of Hillsdale College in
Education in America: 6. The Perpetual Adolescent
These words have proven to be chillingly prophetic.
Some of you may be saying to yourselves; “yeah, ok. This is an interesting (and dismal) topic, but what’s the point?
I am glad you ask. As to do so means that “you’ve donned your thinking cap.” And thus are now ready and able to dive into the “deep end.” So let us now proceed to examine the evidence by which I plea my case.
And with that, “on with the show.”
April Fools…
Everyone else, please ask your French friends about the fish with regard to April 1?
Or click the photo to link to a brief overview.
As the title suggests, this week’s blog post finds us putting this (low-key) weird topic under the proverbial “microscope” as a means to first over-stand why it is even a thing. And subsequently, what compels seemingly rational adults to engage in this particular iteration of childish folly introduced to us somewhere around age four or five years old. An age where we tend to take what we are told at face value. Because this tender age, our faculties of critical thinking have not yet began to develop. Thus our overs-standing of a topic is barely an understanding.
So now…a bit of a “digress tangent” to get us all up to speed regarding my frequent utilization of this term.
This is my own personal definition of what “Overstanding” versus “Understanding” is…
Understanding is “to comprehend, grasp the idea of, receive from a word or words or from a sign the idea it is intended to convey; to view in a certain way,” probably literally “stand in the midst of,” from under + standan “to stand.
Thus, one “stands under” the knowledge of a topic. ” On the contrary;
Overstanding is “to fully synthesize the knowledge of a topic, idea, and or situation into a level of wisdom thereof. Resulting in a situation thereby which one “stands over” the topic. Thus having said topic stand under the subjection of the one “standing over” said knowledge in full wisdom thereof…
Ok. Now that we’re on the same page with this, let us now return back to the main topic.
Idiot Savant levels of logic (sometimes to a fault)….
At All!
So…
like many of you, I saw hella posts on my fakebook timeline whereby seemingly credible people felt compelled to “cry wolf” for reasons I can scarcely comprehend. But of course, my need for logic rivals that of the fictional “Star Trek” character “Mr. Spock” the Vulcan. Expertly played by Mr. Leonard Nimoy. And what I mean by this comparison is that in my “literal minded” brain, wherein my word is my bond, it would never occur to me that grown adults (other than “poli-trick’tians,” that is) would ever get on a public forum and broadcast blatant lies in the name of fun, and or entertainment. As to do so makes (to me at least) no (logical) sense.
That said, perhaps this is due to the fact that I am “on the spectrum” and certain aspects of “people and their ways” escape me. Or…. well. LOL! Some things are better left unsaid. Correct?
Admittedly so, the first blatant lie I saw elicited my innate (hyper)sense of true empathy. But then I saw the exact same post. Almost unaltered by person after person after person to the exact word in many cases. And in seeing these “cookie-cutter” posts, I was struck by two thoughts… Why is this still a thing? Do people not know what April Fools really is, and or where it originated? Secondly, and even more striking/perplexing (troubling) is how so many people felt the desire to to “copy/paste” and then share someone else’s (un)original thoughts. (and I use that term quite loosely).
The phrase “like lemmings” came to mind. But this was a “gut reaction.” Mere “stimulus response” that warranted proper examination via “critical thought” being applied to it. And so I did just that. Exactly as those reading this are doing now.
“Lies” – Chuck Schuldiner (from the song lack of Comprehension)
The True (and convoluted surface level) Origins….
April Fools’ origins can be traced back to the discrepancies and transition away from the Julian (calendar) to the Gregorian calendar in the sixteenth century. For the sake of time, I recommend that those interested to dig into the “often conflicting” accounts of the actual factuals and “nerdy stuff” behind it all. As we only need a bit of a “fly over” for context before we continue on. With that said;
The calendar change was slow to take hold and there was resistance to it, but those who continued celebrating the new year at the beginning of April, old style, were ultimately shamed as “fools.”
The True (and hidden) Origins… (Logic and Critical Thought Anyone)???
Which caused many to reject the new calendar off-top. As these people were “critical thinkers” of their day. Once ridiculed as the first April Fools. But history is indeed “on their side.”
Hearkening back to a time before Julius Caesar, or Pope Gregory sought to “change the times.”
the New Year was always (and logically so generally recognized to occur some time near the end of the of March.
Or at the “Vernal” (Spring) Equinox. The reasons being quite obvious to anyone whose ever taken the time to actually think (logically) about it.
Spring is the season wild and domestic animals give birth to their young. It is also the time when the flowers and foliage return to the fields and forests of the world. A time of natural renewal.
A time when the entirety of (hu)mankind plants their crops. (Are you beginning to see a pattern?)
Logic, common sense, and critical thought. These are three aspects of humanity that defined and delineated the difference(s) between man and beast. All now in short supply due to what is known as “social engineering.” A topic well covered here on this blog. For years! One that speaks to the “Perpetual Adolescence” briefly touched on earlier in the post. At any rate, in the Northern hemisphere, March is the beginning of spring, a very fitting time to begin a new year of life. So then; if we apply logic and critical thought to what exactly a (re)New(al) (of the) Year would be (function as), what it is (in a practical sense), and what it could never truly be (occurring in the middle of winter); the question must then be posed….
I shall leave you to ponder this. Applying logic and critical thought as your “guide-rails.” And as you do, please consider these blatantly obvious facts (a proverbial “trail of breadcrumbs”) leading directly to the truth hiding in plain sight for anyone with the “eyes to see, and ears to hear.” In doing so, one will gain true “overstanding” thereof as they discern these facts.
I, along with my son are born in late September. The “root-word” of which is “Sept.”
As in “septuplets.” Or the most revered number seven. Follow?
“Cogito, ergo sum”
“I think, therefore I am“ – René Descartes
“So who exactly, are the fools???”
Ok.
Septem = Seven (the seventh month of the year) “September”
Octo variant of Octa = Eight (the eighth month of the year) “October”
Novem = Nine (the ninth month of the year) “November”
Decem = Ten (the tenth month of the year) “December”
This leaves two months unaccounted for. The last two months of the year
(when we apply logic and critical thought thereto).
January (Januarius) – was named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions..
February (Februarius) – is believed to stem from Februa, an ancient festival dedicated to ritual springtime cleaning and washing.
Quite befitting of a month that directly precedes the subsequent month of March. The actual end of the year as marked by the Vernal Equinox.
Case Closed!
Monkey See. Monkey Do…..😔
But once again, this post could (and most certainly would) be twice as long as it already is if I really dug deep down all the rabbit holes staring us squarely in the face as we take but a cursory glance thereto.
The one what will most certainly require a “deeper dive” into is the whole “Perpetual Adolescence” phenomenon. As I was only able to utilize the concept as a framework, and or a backdrop with which to set the stage as we explored the terribly archaic and woefully outdated April Fools jammy that needs to “die the death.”
And the other sub-textual inference is without a doubt the whole “Monkey see Monkey do” aspect which just may be the most troubling. But alas….
This will also most definitely be covered in an “Appendix” to this “Philosophical Thought Exercise.”
And so, in closing. None of this was intended to shame, insult, and or provoke any type of “butt-hurt” in anyone who might enjoy a bit of the “April Fool(ery)/Folly” etc. As always, I be on some “Live and let die.”
To each, their own. Agreeing to disagree is a a thing in my world. Hopefully yours as well.
So…..
Until next time.
Be well. And be happy. God loves you. (And so do I)
R.A. Alexander Jr.