Airplane windows are metaphors for life. Fully occupied by the curated, dopamine directed content, the neurotransmitter responsible for curiosity is nearing extinction even if it has yet to be discovered. A trend progressing from entirely open, open until uncomfortable, closed for a portion of the journey, closed for the majority, and never contemplated opening the window shade is evident.
The dark ages lasted 1000 years or an unfathomable 40 generations. Most individuals cannot identify beyond 3 generations from the present. Curiosity in the age of classical Roman antiquity transitioned rapidly from seeking knowledge and understanding to ignorance and errors. Current secular and religious dichotomies could be viscerally rooted in the centuries old lament that the enlightenment of classical antiquity gave way to the forced, often violent, adoption of religious extremes resulting in the dark ages as we know it today. It was a near instantaneous transition from fluidity of thought to rigidity of dogmatic doctrine.
What if dogmatic concepts were universally voluntary and desirable at the height of the enlightenment? Near constant photonic devotion, engagement, and reliance can only result in a progressive atrophy of the structures so essential to progress. Namely, curiosity, personal relationships, geospatial awareness, engaging in nature, and knowledge accountability. Predictive text eliminates the need to learn to spell, avoidance of handwriting leads to tactile degradation, blue light emanating devices claims night vision and promotes early onset myopia, knowledge transfer thus leaves the realm of permanent inscription in favor of transient electrons subject to coronal mass ejections and X-class solar flares.
Given the proclivity toward the decay of generational historical recollection, an unwavering optimism toward an improved future remains in contrast to those who believe humans are on an inevitable path to self-destruction if interplanetary colonization is not achieved. Said differently, certainly another dark age is implausible because the human lot, and the stock market in kind, has only ever improved. In my opinion, fissures in this logic form through nuanced and subtle changes in society. Complicating this concept is the inconsistent nature of disparate groups, where the ascendancy of one more groups is balanced by the fall of others.
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