Before the Middle Ages, the dissemination of knowledge relied on oral transmission and written records. At that time, Egypt used "papyrus" made from reed leaves, which was brought to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. Central Asia and Europe used sheepskin for writing, 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, readily available apps, AI-generated content, and more seem to tell us how easily accessible knowledge is.
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 becoming worse.
Next, let's try to analyze what it means for society to lack interest.
Manifestations of Lack of Interest#
We can divide the problem into different levels to analyze and understand it more effectively. In terms of analyzing this issue, 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 a subsequent article). Therefore, analyzing individuals alone cannot provide insight into the state of society. We also need to understand it from a societal perspective in order to get closer to the problem.
First, let's try to analyze the manifestations and causes of lack of interest at the individual and societal levels. We will try to outline the manifestations of lack of interest and its reasons.
Individual Level#
At the individual level, interest is a term worth pondering. For some people, interest is optional; for others, it is extremely important.
Singular Aesthetics#
Aesthetics, derived from accumulation, largely requires education. Whether it is initially influenced by others, systematic education in schools, or self-exploration, it requires a certain opportunity for us to approach and understand what beauty is, gradually forming a sense of aesthetics.
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 singular. 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 ignore everything else.
If someone only likes or appreciates one thing/style, it does not necessarily mean their aesthetics are singular. The deeper issue is that the person may lack reflection on the things they like: why do I like it, where is the beauty in the things I like, what is my aesthetic view... Clearly, these individuals with singular 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 chosen to adhere to a certain style based on their own circumstances.
Exclusion of Differences#
If the lack of interest at the individual level is only due to singular aesthetics, it may not invite interference from others. However, this singular aesthetics leads individuals to only see their own position and be indifferent to areas beyond their own, while also harboring narrow-minded emotions towards things and people outside 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) pointing fingers at people dressed in anime, classical, or science fiction styles. This lack of basic respect and understanding for different things is a manifestation of the narrow aesthetics of the person's behavior. 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 the managers of society or the ordinary members of society, they are subject to the constraints of the entire system, which also means that they exist for 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, the higher the possibility of combining individuals to achieve the system goals desired 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, seen at the system level, is perceived as disorder, 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 singular interest. This singularity is more conducive to the control of social managers over the entire social system.
Cost Considerations#
In order to achieve the goal of effective operation of the social system, it is the main method for social managers to control the singularity of interests in the entire society. The cost of this method is controllable. 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. Individuals who have been educated by the field will consciously influence subsequent individuals, and the later individuals will unconsciously become the desired shape 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 the singularity of individual interests seems to be an effective choice.
Advantages of Interest#
After analyzing the manifestations of lack of interest, we may wonder, "What are the benefits of interest? Why do I need it?" Understanding the beneficial impact of something can make us more willing to accept and use it.
Next, let's explore the benefits of interest from both the individual and societal perspectives. This will help us discover the advantages of interest and help us become 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, I want to explore the unknown, understand the world, and become an interesting person. This has infinite appeal to me.
Diversification of Personal Life#
Interest allows us to have a broad perspective and attitude towards life. We become curious about the wind, rain, sunshine, morning dew, evening glow, people, things... We are more willing to experience the richness of life and the diversity of life.
As interest accumulates and develops in individuals, our aesthetics become more diverse. Driven by this aesthetics, we are more willing to explore areas we have never ventured into before, learn knowledge we have not paid attention to before, and meet more interesting friends. Our lives will break free from the previous monotonous and boring state.
Beginning of a Happy Life#
Interest brings diversity to life. Diversity does not mean a chaotic pile of things, but rather a sense of identity that arises from our appreciation and deep understanding of each thing. This sense of identity derived from different things varies depending on the nature of the things, thus 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 interest variables is an easy method for controlling system stability and managing costs. However, this does not mean that individual interest variables cannot be increased from a societal perspective. Perhaps increasing individual interest variables is actually beneficial to the societal system.
Emergence of Creativity#
From a societal perspective, increasing the interest variables of individuals in the social system makes individuals more active. This activity may include elements of chaos, but if the sources of interest are filtered, the interests that 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 higher levels of development.
Comprehensive Progress#
As mentioned above, the motivation and energy of individuals with diverse interests will lead to the emergence of more fresh creativity. These creative individuals, full of energy, will collectively reshape the societal system and its structure. This strengthens the vitality of the societal system, and all industries in society, including culture, business, politics, art, and people's livelihoods, will experience comprehensive progress. This is beneficial for both the societal system and the individuals within the system. The enhancement of the system's vitality will also produce unpredictable effects on the overall development of the system.
How to Be Interesting as an Individual#
We have explored the topic of societal interest and analyzed the manifestations and reasons for the lack of interest at the individual and societal levels. Next, let's explore the advantages of interest and the changes it can bring from both the individual and societal perspectives. For us as individuals living in the present, each of us can make changes within the limited areas where we can operate, even if we cannot influence the variables of the societal system. The following are some methods I can think of from three aspects:
In terms of interests:
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Love life and maintain curiosity
Feel the beauty and rarity of life, do not let ourselves become numb to the things around us, and maintain curiosity and a desire to explore.
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Do not confine yourself to one area
When encountering something we don't understand, instead of ignoring it with the thought of "I don't know about this," we should embrace the unknown. It's okay not to know, but we can try to search for information, learn, and understand things we have never paid attention to 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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Be open to trying new things
Try, learn, and then choose. If something suits us, we can delve deeper into it. If it doesn't suit us, we can move on to the next unknown thing. The process of trying things we have never understood before is also wonderful. In this process, we can understand the world and, more importantly, reflect on ourselves and understand ourselves.
In terms of social connections:
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Seek diversity
Interact with interesting people from various fields and learn from them.
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Seek guidance from masters
"Learn from the best." If we want to learn, the simplest, lowest-cost, and most effective method is to read the works of the most accomplished individuals in the field we are interested in. Read slowly and contemplate, pondering the things they have pondered.
Overall Attitude:
Regardless of life or work, they are the arenas or environments where we express ourselves. Who we are is demonstrated by what we like, 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 will decrease, which would be wonderful.
And let's make ourselves less boring in terms of interests:》
Warm winter sunshine, sometimes shining on the windowsill. Wishing you peace 🧸
Reading List
Books:
"Winning at 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
"Cathedral and 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 from the Perspective of China"
You can also find me on:
Mirror: Hoodrh
Twitter: Hoodrh