Most people today are empty vessels.
They have no strict or well-defined moral code to guide them.
Without a clear idea about who they are or what they value - they are extremely vulnerable to having their mind hijacked.
That's why someone like Andrew Tate can come along and a few months later this app is full of Tate wannabes renting supercars in Dubai and flaunting money earned from OnlyFans.
It's also why a government can make people terrified to leave their homes one day, and happy to protest in droves the next day.
Wasn't it weird how a rally for the opposition party was a superspreader event, but a protest for the establishment cause was deemed essential?
Without a strong set of values through which to filter reality, people are easily fooled.
And ultimately it means their quality of life is determined by whoever is best able to get their message in front of them.
Back when people went to church every Sunday, what they were really doing was downloading a shared operating system.
A shared set of assumptions about how people behave, which lubricated cooperation and helped maintain functioning societies.
But what happens when everyone is running around with different operating systems?
What happens when a culture is seeded with contradictory ideas:
- Some think private property is evil
- Others think taxation is theft
- Some think that "pimpin hoes" is the ideal way to live
- Others believe in building a strong nuclear family
It's a recipe for societal discord.
But the pendulum swings back and forth.
And we've probably already reached peak relativism.
If you look closely, you'll see a revival of religion as the pendulum heads back the other way.
People want a well-defined moral code to guide them.
Some recognize that religions and ancient philosophies contain wisdom that survived thousands of years for a reason.
Many have realized that it's hard to live well when you're inventing a moral code on the fly.
As a father, my most important job is to give my son clear guiding principles for living well.
He will not grow up to be an empty vessel vulnerable to unhelpful life philosophies.
I will provide him with a strong moral code and timeless principles to successfully navigate the world.
To do that, I've been forced to audit my own values and beliefs to make sure they are worth passing on.
And I now believe this is one of the most valuable exercises anyone could do.
Do your beliefs help you navigate this world in a way that ultimately makes you healthy, happy, and prosperous?
Are the people whose gave you these beliefs living well?
What do you truly value in the first place?
We're heading into strange times with the rise of AI and robotics, the failure of the fiat monetary system, and perhaps even the destruction of the nation state as we know it.
Taking the time to answer these questions can be the difference between living well, and being buffeted about by the gale-force winds of change.
