Maarten,

In general, what you are saying is how it works, but the current situation, where so many social, economic, political, national, environmental, and even, I would argue, philosophic, religious and physical assumptions are breaking down, cracking open, wheels coming off, heading for the cliff, Towers of Babel and houses of cards crumbling, it opens an entirely different situation, than the incrementalism you describe.

For many, if not most people, they will cling even tighter to their beliefs, communities and paychecks, yet many will be open to serious change in the overall paradigm. That opens up the situation to really pushing the reset button as far as possible.

One of the reasons we do cling to our beliefs is that society confuses the ideal with the absolute. This is implicit to the concept of monotheism; That of this all-knowing father figure lawgiver as a spiritual absolute. Yet a spiritual absolute would be the essence of sentience, from which we rise, not an ideal of knowledge and judgement, from which we fell. The new born, than the wise old man. Consciousness seeking knowledge, than any formulation or brand of it. The light shining through the film, than any images on it.

The premise of the ideal is that there is some ultimate form, model, paradigm, goal toward which we are destined, yet forms rise and fall from processes, the underlaying dynamic.

So when the whole of society confuses the ideal and the absolute, it does promulgate a social and cultural narcissism, as the assumption is built in that our thoughts, feelings and the cultural milieu they are formed in, are expressions of some universal code, than unique expressions of our time and place. We place ourselves and our community in the role of God and loose sight of the network, in which we are a node.

For as much as the literal premise of monotheism is dismissed, or relegated to a cultural icon, the larger western culture is still very much in the clutches of this monist idealism. It has just been transferred to other desires and impulses, such as wealth, fame, power, etc. For example, the mantra of the modern culture is efficiency, which is to do more with less. So the ideal of efficiency would be to do everything with nothing. Obviously the feedback will bring that up short, yet the same absolutist, linear focus on the end goal permeates life. Such as wealth, where more is always better, but we really are reaching the point where society can’t afford to continue cheating on its foundations, in order to store more gold in the penthouse.

The fact is that nature is more of that yin/yang duality, aka feedback loops/thermodynamic convection cycles, than our more western idealism.

Even materialism is a form of monism, in the sense that everything is ultimately one physical state, yet what we experience is the balance and tension of opposing elements. It is that friction and tension which makes reality real. The ups and downs keep it from being a flatline.

Galaxies are the dichotomy of energy radiating out, as mass/form coalesces in. Even the absolute is in contrast to the infinite.

So, yes, most people are more concerned with their financial resources, or sexual preferences, or any number of ideas and impluses flowing through the crowds, but the fact is that the ground is starting to shake and rumble in ways we can irrevocably feel, but barely imagine and try to ignore, because it doesn’t fit in our window of beliefs.

Which leaves open the opportunity to really sit back and ask what is what and not be too concerned with getting the attention of the crowds. The time is coming when those frames and windows really do break down.

Future generations need a more solid intellectual foundation, in order not to fall victim to the whims of the moment.