Redtree Times

“They are all in the same category, both those who are afflicted with fickleness, boredom and a ceaseless change of purpose, and who always yearn for what they left behind, and those who just yawn from apathy. There are those too who toss around like insomniacs, and keep changing their position until they find rest through sheer weariness. They keep altering the condition of their lives, and eventually stick to that one in which they are trapped not by weariness with further change but by old age which is too sluggish for novelty. There are those too who suffer not from moral steadfastness but from inertia, and so lack the fickleness to live as they wish, and just live as they have begun. In fact there are innumerable characteristics of the malady, but one effect – dissatisfaction with oneself. This arises from mental instability and from fearful and unfulfilled desires, when men do not dare or do not achieve all they long for, and all they grasp at is hope: they are always unbalanced and fickle, an inevitable consequence of living in suspense. They struggle to gain their prayers by every path, and they teach and force themselves to do dishonourable and difficult things; and when their efforts are unrewarded the fruitless disgrace tortures them, and they regret not the wickedness but the frustration of their desires. Then they are gripped by repentance for their attempt and fear of trying again, and they are undermined by the restlessness of a mind that can discover no outlet, because they can neither control nor obey their desires, by the dithering of life that cannot see its way ahead, and by the lethargy of a soul stagnating amid its abandoned hopes.”

― Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

I haven’t written any kind of diatribe in recent months. Still feeling under the weather but felt that I needed to let this one out, some of it written several months ago, before the 2024 election, and some in the months after the January 6 riot in 2021. I have not shared it here and know that it’s out of my normal lane, but I needed to have my say this morning. Like we all do once in a while.

I was reading an article that referenced the essay De Brevitate Vitae (On the Shortness of Life) from the Stoic philosopher Seneca that written sometime around 49 AD. The passage above really struck me because it seemed to describe the dissatisfaction so many people have with their lives and the actions that result from this.

I can’t quite put my finger on it, but it feels like the underlying current of what we’re seeing take place these days in this country. There is a lot of dissatisfaction that has morphed into anger among predominantly white middle-class men, which has been nurtured and encouraged by right-wing billionaires who seek to ride this angry tide to power.

But the question remains: Why are they so angry and what do they want?

They are, by and large, not the downtrodden nor poor. They are not without voice or political power. There’s a high probability that most of them have good livelihoods and assets that place them well above that of the average American.

They are not trying to gain rights for themselves. And certainly not fighting for the rights of others whose rights have been denied. If anything, they are angry because they believe that the others are attempting to get same rights that these guys have enjoyed for their entire lives.

They are not fighting true injustice or inequality. Far from it. If anything, they are fighting against justice and equality for all.

And if they succeed with their crusades of anger, they have no plans for a future. Certainly not a future that will be in any way better for most people.

All they have is anger and dissatisfaction with their lot in life. As entitled and privileged as they are in relation to most others, their lives lack purpose and meaning. It is a spoiled and bored existence, devoid of real consequences for bad behavior and fortified by the highs and unreality of video games, reality television, and action flicks that develops into their undeserved bravado, cosplay costuming, and an absolute trust in conspiracy over evidence so long as it suits their needs.

And that’s a recipe for disaster. Lacking meaning and purpose in life makes them susceptible to those who appeal to their sense of grievance, serving it up as a substitute for hope. As the Longshoreman Philosopher Eric Hoffer put it in his 1955 book, The Passionate State of Mind:

To have a grievance is to have a purpose in life. A grievance can almost serve as a substitute for hope; it not infrequently happens that those who hunger for hope give their allegiance to him who offers them a grievance.

This echoes a similar thought Hoffer put forth is his 1951 book on cults and mass movements, The True Believer, which was primarily written in reference to the Nazi and Fascist movements of WWII:

Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life. Thus people haunted by the purposelessness of their lives try to find a new content not only by dedicating themselves to a holy cause but also by nursing a fanatical grievance. A mass movement offers them unlimited opportunities for both.

This appeal to grievance in place of hope has been the obvious gameplan of the GOP and its totalitarian loving leader for years now.

I could be wrong here, but don’t think so. I wrote some of the above a few years back just after the January 6 riot., referring to the insurrectionists who descended upon the Capitol Building. I don’t think much of what I wrote then has been disproven in any way. I still have no idea why they are so angry or what they really want, outside of the freedom to be openly hateful and cruel. And they still have not exhibited a single plan that would work for a better future for anybody, themselves included.

Well, the billionaire class would be even better off and that is all that really matters once you sworn your allegiance to it.

It feels like they want to revel in their anger and dissatisfaction, using it as an engine for retribution against the others, those people on whom they seek to place responsibility for their own shortcomings. To use their sense of grievance as a rationale for the release and satisfaction they find in their cruelty.

Here’s a topical song, Unsatisfied, a favorite of mine from The Replacements and their very satisfying 1984 album Let It Be.

Be careful out there and have a good day.