Query Thirteen: Order and Chaos in Society

Order and Chaos in Society

In very general terms, governments are a social contract of exalting order to fight chaos. While many cherish the sanctuary that order provides, too much order begins to become caustic. In this article I will examine how the fight of chaos versus order is quite prevalent in society at large. In addition I will examine how a society would be if either order or chaos did not exist. I'm not intending on examining which governmental system strikes the best balance of chaos and order because I believe that all governments are created with the best of intentions, yet human imperfection tends to corrupt all forms of government.

First I'll discuss the overabundance and lack of order and how it would affect a society. We know by studying history how an overabundance of order and control would be oppressive to citizen's lives. We know that with those sort of governmental systems that value an overarching hand, and an omniscient ear, it is only a matter of time for the people to gather and rebel. These sorts of governing bodies tend to be temporary at best due to the fact that most other governments who value human rights, try to not do any business with oppressive tyrannies. A lack of order in society rarely stems from governmental choice, but from a weak government. An example of this would be Somalia where recently the pirate activity has been noticed. If this was a governmental choice, Somalian officials would put a choke hold on the illegal activity immediately, but the world knows that they do not have this option. They don't have the capitol to fund technology that would track pirate ships, nor do they have battleships to attack this. So we know that a lack of order is not exactly the governments choice.

Chaos is the real main factor in this struggle. If we have too much chaos, we delve into lawlessness and savagery, if we have too little chaos, we find our lives tightly surrounded by censors and our bodies lead by those in power. The reason we require chaos is that we like to decide our fate, we like to monitor what we consume, mentally speaking. A basic human instinct is to strive for power and control, and ironically enough, we require chaos to strive for control. This is when I remind my readers of my previous article on Polarity and its importance.


I believe that all of my articles intertwine in their basic logic and I'd like to go back to my point that polarity is necessary to human existence and thus chaos and order are also required. No order? We live savage and ruthless lives. Too much order? We don't even live our lives as much as wade through a predestined path. So all the governing bodies strive to strike a balance of freedom and limitation, all have the same goal at making society as utopic as possible for its citizens. Which is the best form of government to accommodate this struggle? That specifically is subject to individual opinion.

Exeunt.

Query Twelve: Indulgence in the Media

Indulgence in the Media

Today I'd like to talk about Indulgence as a theme in today's media. Indulgence is known as a cardinal sin, a hedonism, and a theme that should be used sparingly. By its wayside are the themes of Idleness and Sloth. While actually indulging in the media could be considered indulgence, I will be delving a little more specifically into the sections. I've noticed Indulgence is a heavy theme in today's media, replacing things that could be intellectually stimulating.

The venue I noticed it the most in is Music. While earlier rap music focused on exposing how life really was for the artist, or how corrupt the politics were of the time, today the focus has shifted from the message the artist is trying to convey onto the actual lifestyle the artist exhibits. Indulgence and egocentrism is a main theme. I am not speaking in blanket terms because I know that there are rap artists and artists of other genres that have genuine messages, its simply that I've noticed society around me begins to surround themself with the latest brand of indulgence-centered music. The main theme is "Their life is extremely good", in their terms they sleep with a lot of women, have a lot of money, buy expensive things, and live the lavish life while people adore them. Every now and then the artist will releas a song or a lyric in the song attempting to regain street credibility, and to hardcore fans of the artist it will work. The songs aren't exactly meant to be taken seriously because in reality what straight male really wants to hear another straight male yell into a microphone about their sexual conquests and lavish lifestyle. I realize that it is moreso a fad because "everyone listens to it, it must be good." This however diminishes the amount of payoff an artist with a genuine message may make because the focus is solely on this theme.

On the Television this theme is prevalent as well. All of the shows that center around one person choosing another to "love forever" out of a group of hopeful contestants are wholly centered on the "choosers" full indulgence. It is doubtful that you will find a show like this where the main "chooser" doesn't make out with more than one of the contestants, or where the entire show doesn't fit the formula of the type of show it is. There will always be the bitch, there will always be the good girl. Why? No, not because we humans only have a few subsets of personalities, it is because the show is just that. A television show that relies on ratings and thusly the producers use a set formula that works. A formula that relies on inciting the same drama, seen season after season, with a different coat of paint. A formula that heavily relies on Indulgence. Take this theme from all of the "Reality" shows you can think of and you will have only the credits and possibly the theme song.

The printed media is no exception. With a plethora of tabloids glamorizing the indulgent lives of celebrities, and encouraging its readers to SPEND SPEND SPEND, it feeds on the peoples desire to see more and more about their favorite celebrities and the celebrities fabulous lives, and the only negative mentioned about their lives is their tragically sudden trip to rehab or their lack of undergarments. It would be a heavy loss if indulgence was eradicated as a theme from tabloids. All they would have left is a multitude of exclamation points

In general, I believe if a man from the 1800s popped up in today's world, he would literally think he was in hell due to all of the chaos we dole out in large doses. All of these examples are a poison when medicine could suffice. Intelligent programming blocked by the masses desire for the same formula of drivel year after year. But like all things I know this is cyclic and will pass. And a day will come when you can turn on the tv and an hour later, actually learn something.

Shocking isn't it?

Exeunt.