Lies rule the land. They have numbed us to the core.

~ Live & Learn

child-girl-womb-mother

“…We’re now trained to expect the worst. Lies rule the land…They have numbed us to the core. They are, as Engber says, “the ironic acid that corrodes our sense of wonder.” Ergo, we believe nothing. Everyone is suspect. The authentic thing is never really authentic. Society’s collective goodwill, the natural human instinct to trust you when you say this is legit and honest and true – no really it is I swear – this instinct has been molested. Perhaps beyond repair. You think?

Maybe. Maybe our collective Hoax Fatigue has gotten so bad that we’ll soon reach critical mass, and it will all flip around completely, so when another “First Kiss” comes along, instead of feeling a giddy thrill in the heart, we’ll instead feel bitter and disbelieving, waiting for the rug to be pulled at any second. What a fun way to live.

Nah.

The evidence certainly seems ample. It’s not just viral videos, after all: the interval between when any uplifting new offering – a video, a song, a movie, a romance, a president, a newborn puppy, you name it – is released, and when than thing is crushed by sarcasm or jadedness, this interval has been compressed in recent years to near-instantaneous, to the point of absurdity. To the point where nothing even matters and it’s almost useless to even try.

Almost. But not quite. Happily, “First Kiss”-style phenoms still light up the Internet, even in this bitter age. Thankfully, the authentic thing can still break through the ice of corrosive cynicism. Against seemingly impossible odds and for almost no budget, millions of people can still made just a little bit giddy in the heart. Amazing. And they didn’t even slip us the tongue.”

~ Mark Morford, A Kiss for the Hopelessly Jaded

 

25 thoughts on “Lies rule the land. They have numbed us to the core.”

  2. I’m not ready to give it all over to cynicism and jadedness…that picture forever – drawn by that little girl who had lost her mom…to crawl inside the figure for safety, assurance, love, hugs…one can’t look at that at not feel it’s raw pain, it’s innocent longing and love..

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. I see too many stories and images on the internet claiming to be authentic but then under closer examination they are a hoax. I at all times express the philosophy of “question everything.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Life I have found is far stranger in most cases than fiction. It follows no nicely plotted course with carefully thought out characters who spring miraculously into being fully formed. Each day we right the story of our life and learn more about those around us and about our own character. Fiction for fiction’s sake is a wonderful thing, stories that can take us to so many different places.

    However fiction masked as truth is strangely hollow – it has no depth or life as it is a pre constructed edited version designed to impress rather than share life’s messy journey. It can make us jaded if we focus too much on those who would shape lies and call them truth.

    But for all that when we see, hear or read of something true the beauty and purity of a life shared it has the ability to outshine the storm clouds of cynicism, for at heart we all really want to believe.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Jenni, I read your comment this morning and it stuck with me all day. And your close, so powerful. “For at heart we all really want to believe.” Yes. Full stop. Thank you.

      Like

      Reply

  7. It’s true that ‘the rug is pulled out from under us’ all too frequently these days, yet I find myself clinging tenaciously to the idea of wonder, of innocence, of love. My initial reflex is still to believe, to give the benefit of the doubt, and as a result I’ve been burned more than once. But that’s OK. As Jenni said, “at heart we all really want to believe.”

    Emerson said, “Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.” Works for me….

    Like

    Reply

  8. The world is truly so different now…my children and their children seemingly have to fight for innocence, when at one time it all came so naturally. We can’t give up though, never give up…and in this very special community of wonderful people, I see all the time the fight to preserve what is good in life. You certainly do your part, my friend. Every time I look at this photo, it gets to me. Thank you for this post, David.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Thank you Carol. I locked in our your words “children” and “innocence.” They are exposed with too much, too early. Stuck inside in front of video screens hour after hour. I hope they awaken to see and find the miracles. I didn’t know that’s what I was seeing and experiencing as a child, but I did. Most of it – outdoors.

      Like

      Reply

      1. It makes me want to cry…for the sadness of it all. I wish there was an easy way to get it all back, but we keep rushing forward in our quest for faster ways to do things, advances in technology which make us all feel even more separated, and makes it so much easier for the young ones to fail in experiencing feelings of compassion and love. I just don’t know. 😦

        Like

        Reply

          1. A little bit scary and tough to imagine. I have no idea where this is all headed. It was a bit funny to read that “after many years’ work, Berkeley researchers have built a robot that can fold a towel — it takes 24 minutes.” Guess we can all be towel folders, if nothing else. What a world we live in….and what a world we have created for our children.

            Like

  9. I keep coming back to this – it’s open in a tab on my browser – I keep thinking I will find the right comment. I can’t. I just need to keep looking at it.

    Hoax fatigue – fascinating that we even have such a concept…that in and of itself is something to ponder. Great post DK.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to Jenni Cancel reply