Before the Middle Ages, the means of knowledge dissemination were primarily oral transmission and written records. Egypt used "papyrus" made from reed leaves, which was brought to Europe through the Mediterranean. Central Asia and Europe used parchment for writing, while South Asia used palm leaves, and East Asia used bamboo slips or silk as writing materials. The dissemination of knowledge was expensive and not easily accessible to the majority of the population. Today, in the third decade of the 21st century, easily accessible apps and rapidly generated content through AI and CG seem to tell us how easy it is to acquire knowledge.
However, easy access to information does not necessarily mean an improvement in the quality of society. On the contrary, the overall quality of society is deteriorating.
Next, let's try to analyze what it means for society to lack interest.
Manifestations of a Lack of Interest#
We can divide the problem into different levels to analyze and understand it more effectively. In terms of analyzing this problem, we can discuss it from two levels: the individual level and the societal level. The individual is the basic unit of society, and analyzing individuals is the foundation for understanding the system. However, society is not simply the sum of individuals (it involves the structure of the system and the connections between individuals, which will be discussed in subsequent articles), so analyzing individuals alone cannot provide a complete understanding of the societal situation. We also need to understand it from a societal perspective in order to get closer to the problem.
First, let's analyze the manifestations and causes of a lack of interest at the individual and societal levels. We will try to outline the manifestations of a lack of interest and its reasons.
Individual Level#
At the individual level, interest is a term worth pondering. For some people, interest is optional, while for others, it is extremely important.
Monotonous Aesthetics#
Aesthetics, derived from accumulation, largely requires education. Whether it is initially influenced by others, systematic education in schools, or self-exploration, it requires some kind of opportunity for us to approach and understand what beauty is, gradually forming an aesthetic perspective.
For almost everyone, it is rare to find someone without aesthetics. Each person seems to have their own things or forms that they appreciate. The difference lies in whether our aesthetics are monotonous. Some people can appreciate various things and different styles, trying to experience and understand different things, while others can only see what they are familiar with and are indifferent to other things.
If someone only likes or appreciates one thing/style, it does not necessarily mean they have a monotonous aesthetic. The deeper issue is that the person may lack reflection on what they like: why do I like it, where is the beauty in the things I like, what is my aesthetic perspective... Obviously, these individuals with monotonous aesthetics are different from those with a rich aesthetic consciousness but adhere to one style. The former may have never thought about what aesthetics is or why they like something, it is just a feeling formed from limited exposure. The latter has deeply reflected on their aesthetics and the objects of aesthetics, and after careful consideration, they have made choices based on their own circumstances.
Rejection of Differences#
If an individual's lack of interest is only due to their monotonous aesthetics, there is nothing that others can criticize. However, this monotonous aesthetics leads to individuals only being able to see their own position and being indifferent to anything outside of it. They also develop narrow-minded emotions towards things and people outside of their own interests.
Taking appearance and dress as an example, we often see people who dress in American sportswear (which is the most common style in today's society), and when they see someone dressed in a style inspired by anime, classical, or science fiction, they will criticize and point fingers at them. This lack of basic respect and understanding for different things is a reflection of the narrow-mindedness of the person's own aesthetic. They can only accept what they recognize and firmly resist anything else, even going beyond boundaries to harm the rights of others in order to defend their own beliefs.
Societal Level#
While individuals are the basic elements of society, the macro-level society is not simply the result of adding up individuals, but has its own independent logic.
Fundamental Control#
Society is a complex system. If we look at it from the perspective of ordinary people, we are more concerned about our quality of life and happiness. However, at the societal level, whether it is social managers or ordinary members of society, they are subject to the entire system, which means they exist to ensure the effective operation of the entire system.
From the perspective of the effective operation of the entire system, the more consistent the elements that make up the system are, the higher the possibility of combining individuals to achieve the system goals set by the managers, and the stronger the stability of the system. The diversity of individual interests can lead to the diversity of individual behaviors and orientations. This diversity is seen as disorder at the system level, and disorder inevitably leads to a decline in the stability of the entire system, which is detrimental to the long-term stable operation of society.
Therefore, we can see that throughout history, humans have always implemented strict control over societal interests to maintain a monotonous aesthetic. This monotonous aesthetic is more conducive to the control of social managers over the entire social system.
Cost Considerations#
In order to achieve the goal of effectively operating the social system, social managers control the interests of the entire society, and this control incurs costs that can be controlled. As long as the diversity of interests in society does not evolve in a diversified direction, the entire society will form a self-reinforcing field. The individuals who have been educated by the field will consciously influence the later individuals, and the later individuals will unconsciously become what the system wants them to be in this field.
The control of societal interests by social managers requires a significant investment of resources. Once the cost exceeds the effective threshold that society can bear, the society will collapse. Therefore, considering the cost, maintaining a monotonous aesthetic for individuals is an extremely effective choice.
Advantages Brought by Interests#
After analyzing the manifestations of a lack of interest, we may wonder, "What are the benefits of interests? Why do I need them?" Understanding the beneficial effects of something can make us more willing to accept and use it.
Next, let's explore the advantages of interests from both the individual and societal perspectives. This will help us discover the strengths of interests and become more interesting individuals.
Individual Level#
For individuals, I have always hoped to become an "interesting and appropriate" person. Human life is so small, and in the limited time we have, we should explore the unknown, understand the world, and become an interesting person. This has infinite appeal to me.
Diverse Personal Life#
Having interests gives us a broad perspective and attitude towards life. We become curious about the wind, rain, sunshine, morning dew, evening glow, people, objects... We are more willing to experience the richness of life and the diversity of life.
As interests accumulate and develop in individuals, our aesthetics become more diverse. Driven by this aesthetic, we are more willing to try fields we have never explored before, learn knowledge we have not paid attention to before, and meet more interesting friends. Our lives break free from the previous monotonous and boring state.
The Beginning of a Happy Life#
Interests bring diversity to life. Diversity does not mean a chaotic collection of things, but rather a sense of identity that arises from our appreciation and deep understanding of each thing. This sense of identity varies depending on the nature of the thing, forming a rich and diverse personal life experience. These experiences make us feel fulfilled and satisfied, bringing happiness to our lives.
Societal Level#
For the societal system, maintaining a low level of variability in individual interests is an easy method for controlling system stability and managing costs. However, this does not mean that individual interest variability cannot be increased from a societal perspective. Perhaps an increase in individual interest variability is actually beneficial to the societal system.
Emergence of Creativity#
From a societal perspective, an increase in individual interest variability in the social system makes individuals more active. This activity may include chaos, but if the sources of interest are filtered, the interests individuals receive will be beneficial to the social system. The development of individuals will drive the renewal of the entire social system. The mutual influence between different individuals in the large field of society will result in a more diverse and interesting society. In this situation, unpredictable and fresh creativity will emerge, leading society to develop at a higher level.
Comprehensive Progress#
As mentioned above, the motivation and energy of individuals with diverse interests will make the social system more active. This creativity and the energized individuals will collectively reshape the societal system. This strengthens the vitality of the social system, and all industries in society, including culture, business, politics, art, and people's livelihoods, will make comprehensive progress. This is beneficial for both the societal system and the individuals within the system. The improvement in the vitality of the system will also lead to unpredictable effects on the development of the entire system.
How to Be Interesting as an Individual#
We have explored the topic of societal interests and analyzed the manifestations and reasons for a lack of interest at the individual and societal levels. Next, let's discuss how individuals, who live in the present, can be interesting. Although we may not be able to influence the variables of the societal system, we can play an active role within the system and make changes within the limited areas we can operate in. I will mainly discuss three aspects:
Interests
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Love life and stay curious
Feel the beauty and rarity of life, and don't let yourself become numb to the things around you. Stay curious and explore.
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Don't confine yourself to one area
When you encounter something you don't understand, don't ignore it. It's okay not to know, but you can research, read, and try to understand things you haven't encountered before. The world is vast and we are small. What we know is like a grain of sand in the desert. So don't be afraid, explore the unknown.
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Try new things
Try, learn, and then choose. If something suits you, delve deeper into it. If it doesn't suit you, look for the next unknown thing. The process of trying things you haven't known before is also wonderful. In this process, we can understand the world and, more importantly, reflect on ourselves and understand ourselves.
Social Connections
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Seek differences
Interact with interesting people from various fields and learn from them.
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Seek guidance from masters
Learn from the masters. "Learn from the best, and you will become the best." Many people say they can't afford to hire a master, or they didn't get into a good university, or there are no masters in this era. However, the simplest, lowest-cost, and most effective method is to buy books written by the most accomplished individuals in the field you want to learn about and read them slowly. Ponder the things they ponder.
Overall Attitude
Regardless of life or work, they are the places where we express ourselves or our environments for expression. Who we are is demonstrated by what we like, what we dislike, and who we have good relationships with. In a more macroscopic perspective, what attitude do we need as individuals in the development of interests? The attitude I can think of is:
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Respect others' choices
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Do not harm the interests of others
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Be curious, explore, and invest
Alright, the lack of interest in societal interests has led to this contemplation. I hope this lack of interest will decrease, which would be wonderful.
And let's make ourselves more interesting in terms of interests. 🌞
Warm winter sunshine, sometimes shining on the windowsill. Wishing you peace. 🧸
Reading List
Books:
"Winning in Top-Level Design" by Gao Jianhua
"Reading, Cognition, and Investment" by Xueqiu.com
"Web3 Open Source Tutorial" by Peking University Blockchain Community
"The Monk and the Philosopher"
"In-depth Understanding of Ethereum" by Wang Xin
"2022 H1 Blockchain Security and Anti-Money Laundering Analysis Report" by Manwu Technology
"The Cathedral and the Bazaar"
"In-depth Understanding of Ethereum"
"Invisible Women"
"100 Types of Hangzhou" by Xiao Quan
"Taste: Social Hierarchy and Lifestyle"
"Web3.0: The Transformation and Challenges of the Next Generation Internet" by Yao Qian, et al.
Courses:
"Global History Starting from China" on Ideal
You can also find me on:
Mirror: Hoodrh
Twitter: Hoodrh