2/23/2018 0 Comments Tragedy of the Modern ManTragedy is a much-anticipated genre of fiction, as well has it become a major feature in real life. It is something that has adapted to suit those of “high prosperity” and “worthy status” in addition to the “common man” – yet it is believed that the biggest tragedies come of those who have more to lose, but I strongly believe that it is not about what you lose, it’s about the fact you have lost. Well, I am a very big believer of fate and the common idea that everything happens for a reason – whether that’s through a genuine belief or the comforting thought that these mistakes we make throughout our life are merely minor stepping stones of failures that will lead to much greater success. However, many tragedies thrive on the idea that their protagonist had no other option to escape their fate. It is this idea I find fault in, for I believe there is always another path that we can take and that our destiny is just the most obvious path so we choose to take it. The most common flaws among our tragic heroes and heroines is naivety and impulsiveness; therefore, we choose this most obvious path because we are either too rash to consider the other paths or too inexperienced and fearful to go an alternate route. That is why the biggest tragedy is accepting your tragedy.
Or in other words, giving up. One of the most prominent tragedies of the modern man is illness, a tragedy that has always been common but not always well-known. All illness is misfortune, but it is the most critical ones that do a significant amount of damage – not just to one’s health, but to one’s faith. It is saddening to hear that people who have been diagnosed with these critical, or terminal, illnesses lose hope and, well, give up. When they put solemn faith in what the doctor says. When they give up on their former values. When they just wait to succumb to their tragedy. Unfortunately, yes – illness is not a tragic path we can always escape, but that certainly does not mean the chance is gone. Take Stephen Hawking for an example: an exceptional man famously known for not only managing to outlive motor-neurone disease (a disease known to defeat the modern man within a few years), but also for his outstanding work as a theoretical physicist despite his condition. So, this proves that a little perseverance has the ability to get you back on your feet, as well as a little ignorance to what people tell you is going to happen with your life, as no amount of certainty can ensure something is set in stone. It is unfortunate that the greatest fear and dismay in our society is inflicted on us by our own media. The news and new digital media has not just become something informative and entertaining, but it seems to be a kind of mind-numbing injection that exploits our passivity and controls the way we approach life. Take terrorism for example – a topic that is deemed to have a greater importance in our world than ever before. But has it? Or has it ALWAYS been there? I believe it is the media that has had a greater importance in our world than ever before – the more it advances, the more we rely on it. Therefore, through the news informing us of latest acts in terrorism is scaremongering us in a way that our fear compels us to want to not even set a foot outside our door. It’s stopping people from travelling, attending big events and visiting popular cities. This media fear has brought to our modern lives another tragedy. Because I cannot think of anything more tragic and miserable than reaching an admirable old age but looking back on your life and the things you stopped yourself from doing. So don’t let fear brought by our own media stop you from doing something courageous, something memorable, something daring. At the end of the day, a life wasted is just as bad as a life lost. The tragedy of the modern man. Giving up and giving in.
0 Comments
And it always will be. As products of the late 20th century or the 21st century, we thrive on the changes our world has experienced through time. What we see as some societal amelioration to be proud of and propagandise to kick-start further changes, while we explore a time in the mid-20th century where we discriminated a race and a religion different to ours for being destructive, so in response we acted destructively towards them. We entertain ourselves with 18th century literature which outlines sexual double standards that lay between the two genders and how an unmarried woman would receive condemnation for partaking in sexual interaction, by force or by will, while a man watches flourishing in his high status because he did the same thing as that woman but did not experience the same consequence. Or we study that time where we killed our king in fear he would force his beliefs on everyone else, but maybe if his beliefs were the same as ours, he would not have experienced the same fate. We look back on our history, and rightly so, we think we made those changes to ensure that all that inequality and hypocrisy will not remain in our society today. But were those changes really progress or was it just adaptations? Because after all, like the philosopher David Hull once said, “hypocrisy is the lubricant of our society” and in my opinion, it always will be.
In a modified education system, which is now accessible to all that make up our society, we ridicule students for “acting dumb” as it is unattractive and unprofessional to absent oneself from their knowledge and understanding. So why do we look down upon a student for “looking down upon us” because they think they are smarter than us and essentially try harder than us? Because it is seen as unattractive and unprofessional to embrace your knowledge and understanding just because it makes other people feel stupid. In an occupation, where men and women now have equal opportunities and ideals, why do we prioritise our respect towards a woman more than we would towards a man? Is it out of fear that we will be pointed out for “disrespecting a woman” or is it that some feminists are possibly taking it too far? Because if some were solemnly about equal rights for both genders, why is the fact that the term ‘feminism’ is marked by only the female gender not a disputed problem? In a media that idealises the exceptionalism of our country and confidence among our people, why do we frown upon people for appreciating or prioritising their appearance just because it must mean they love themselves and make others feel inadequate? Well, why can’t we love ourselves? As we tell people with broken confidence that they should love themselves and embrace themselves for who they are. Because “you must look good” and “you must remain confident” because otherwise “it reflects bad on the business”. In a new wave of fashion that sees the beauty in all different styles and people of all different shapes and sizes, why do we feel the need to point out the differences in a person? Because we tell ourselves that difference is okay and being unique is a good thing, yet we refer to the beautiful shape of a human being who does not quite match our interpretation of slim and petite as ‘plus size’? So, if difference is a natural and essentially an expected thing in our society, why do we distance people in the modelling and fashion industry because they are different to the expected? Hypocrisy will never be something we can avoid, because despite the advancements and changes we make in our society, or the amount we preach over inequality or change our mannerisms, we can never be a part of a totally equal society. Although history will always prove to us that those changes we made were necessary, it cannot allow us to be fair in all aspects. Because at the end of the day, it is out of our hands to change - hypocrisy is the lubricant of our society and it always will be. |
Jem DuttonStudent Blogger. Archives
April 2018
CategoriesAll Current Affairs Lifestyle Narrative Journalism Opinion Articles Personal |