Humanity’s tangible problems have grown deeper and more entangled over time, resulting in what many now call the polycrisis.
At the same time, a significant shift in cultural values has occurred.
According to philosopher Byung-Chul Han, in Western culture, the dominant cultural pressure for centuries has been toward repression and self-denial. We have been taught to deny our desires and give ourselves to God, country, and community.
The dominant societal message has been “you may not.“
But in the last century, this whole paradigm has been flipped on its head. Today, we are relentlessly encouraged to do more: to make more money, to achieve more status, to be more productive. The script has flipped from “you may not” to “you can,” and perhaps even “you must.”
Our disciplinary society has transformed into an achievement society. And because of it, we are now swimming in a sea of inadequacy. If we can — and should — achieve whatever we put our minds to, what we actually do always falls short.
It is never quite enough. We are never quite enough.
And so we must always strive for more. Ironically, to belong, we must somehow set ourselves apart and above. We must somehow achieve greatness.
This is an excerpt from my upcoming book The Antihero’s Journey: From Burnout to Real Contribution in Polycrisis Times. To read other excerpts, go here.
