There is also an interesting side matter to which I’ve alluded to and which, I think, relates directly to the subject matter.
This harmonization of mankind, I would say this homogenization and domestication of mankind, is structured around specific cultural ideals and moral frameworks.
Ideals, beliefs and morals that we take for granted and we unquestioningly consider reasonable and true, while forgetting their arbitrary and often delusional nature, and which result in particular modes of thinking, and as a consequence, of acting.
One such belief is the one concerning the inherit dignity of labour, for one. It is mostly used as a means of ensuring a disciplined slave/wage class in a culture which pretends to defend freedom.
We now misconstrue labour for creativity, and productivity for meaning when most jobs in our western world are devoid of any creative element and are only bureaucratic positions of control and efficiency and the only meaningful thing about production is that it enables the continuation of individual consciousness and it ensures some level of physical and mental health and social viability.
The relationship of self-worth and work is so intimate, in our capitalist civilization, that we often judge others and ourselves by the jobs we do or the careers we pursue. Our profession becomes integrated into our overall persona and we are associated with it to such a degree that it often becomes a substitute for our name.
This ‘dignity of labour’ coupled with the association of consuming with happiness and consumer choice with liberty are the driving forces behind capitalism and the foundations of our western Democratic ideals.
Another such cultural belief is that which pronounces the inherit dignity of human life, as a whole.
This is how Nietzsche, who spoke so eloquently about such matters, put it:
This sanctification of human life and of life in general, might appear to raise the value of the living and to promote respect for all living things, at first.
In fact it has the reverse effect, if one considers its long-term effects.
In environments where life hangs on a precarious balance and where death and misery are ubiquitous, respect for life, especially for ones own, is more prominent.
Within dangerous and uncertain circumstances one gains an appreciation for existence, not only of ones own but for ones companion and ally but also for ones adversary or prey or enemy.
In more primitive cultures where food, for example, was scarce, the act of taking nourishment included a thanksgiving to the unknown forces that made it possible and a deep respect for the very beast that died for our own survival.
If I’m not mistaken, Native Americans preyed to and honoured the spirit in the animal they killed and ate, as a way of acknowledging their own participation in the chain of life.
Today, when food is in such abundance that we must force ourselves to not eat it, disrespect for our privilege has replaced acknowledgment and the mystical in nourishment has been replaced by a ‘taking for granted’.
This same respect and spirituality has been expressed in other ways as well.
In past times of warfare and battle, it was not rare for a warrior to pay homage, not only to his fallen comrades but to his enemies also.
There was a reciprocal connection between victor and vanquished and honour and dignity were offered to both as an acknowledgment for their efforts, and pains and spirits.
Today, in this world of human rights and undiscriminating Christian compassion and love, the very concepts of dignity and of honour have been diminished and the ideas of love and compassion have been degraded due to their universal application.
What is the value of a thing that is offered to someone or something based entirely on a characteristic it is not wholly responsible for or offered without discrimination and selection?
Through the practice of offering a presumed dignity to all life, no matter the circumstances, and to all humans, no matter their character, we have, in actuality, taken away the essence of what this means.
There is nothing inherently dignified or noble about life or about labour.
What makes them so is how they are applied and used by each individual entity.