Free Ride to Anywhere
The hitchhiker’s sign was iconic. Alone on the shoulder of the Trans-Canada highway north of Duncan, BC, a man held up his thumb while clutching a sign that read “Anywhere”.
One could take the positive view that this was a fellow eager to meet a new challenge, certain that whatever his next destination it would bring benefits. A less sanguine interpretation might be that Duncan had been so unkind to him that anywhere would be an improvement. Or the more nihilistic view might be that it really didn’t matter one way or the other where he ended up, he just wanted to be on the move. One thing was certain he had no cause to complain no matter where his next ride deposited him. Whatever his intent, his sign brought a sardonic smile to my face and provided inspiration to break the long silence since my last essay.
More and more it has become apparent to me that Canada’s is an “anywhere” society and we live in an “anywhere” world. Anywhere, anyway, anyhow form the trilogy to describe the complacency of our times. French philosopher Chantal Delsol captures the spirit of our times in her book Icarus Fallen – The Search for Meaning in an Uncertain World. She writes of the modern phenomenon of the “sacralization of rights”. “Eclipsing all other values, they (rights) have come to represent a kind of absolute. No one would dare contest an existing right or a newly acquired right, for against which standard could this materialized holiness possibly be measured?”
The concept of a man or woman’s honour has been replaced by the concept of dignity. In the past honour was earned. An individual strove to achieve an image of himself that he believed to be enviable. There were objective, externally defined measures for this image such as honesty, being true to oneself, or honouring one’s commitments. These were based on a belief in the inherent dignity of man as a spiritual being. As our society abandons the spiritual and ontological in favour of the secular, the modern individual now finds both dignity and respect by claiming his rights.
As Delsol puts it “ the concrete way in which human dignity is to be expressed has gravitated from living an ethical life in conformity with an external standard, to being provided with all the rights that can be expected from a society”.
The modern phenomenon of crafting an ever-expanding list of “rights” seems endless as rights have themselves become the ultimate criteria. Marching in lock-step with the rights advocates are the promoters of the modernized version of tolerance. No longer is tolerance founded on the belief in the equal dignity of each human being, but rather on the idea that all lifestyles are of equal value. Anywhere will do as a destination for the planners of this parade so long as accomodations are made for all along the way.
The proliferation of rights is built on the chimerical belief that progress will ensure that every generation is capable of making life better for its cohort, than it was for its predecessors. One is reminded of the trenchant wisdom of Philip Larkin when asked by an interviewer, "Do you feel you could have had a much happier life?" And Larkin answered, "Not without being someone else."
One could take the positive view that this was a fellow eager to meet a new challenge, certain that whatever his next destination it would bring benefits. A less sanguine interpretation might be that Duncan had been so unkind to him that anywhere would be an improvement. Or the more nihilistic view might be that it really didn’t matter one way or the other where he ended up, he just wanted to be on the move. One thing was certain he had no cause to complain no matter where his next ride deposited him. Whatever his intent, his sign brought a sardonic smile to my face and provided inspiration to break the long silence since my last essay.
More and more it has become apparent to me that Canada’s is an “anywhere” society and we live in an “anywhere” world. Anywhere, anyway, anyhow form the trilogy to describe the complacency of our times. French philosopher Chantal Delsol captures the spirit of our times in her book Icarus Fallen – The Search for Meaning in an Uncertain World. She writes of the modern phenomenon of the “sacralization of rights”. “Eclipsing all other values, they (rights) have come to represent a kind of absolute. No one would dare contest an existing right or a newly acquired right, for against which standard could this materialized holiness possibly be measured?”
The concept of a man or woman’s honour has been replaced by the concept of dignity. In the past honour was earned. An individual strove to achieve an image of himself that he believed to be enviable. There were objective, externally defined measures for this image such as honesty, being true to oneself, or honouring one’s commitments. These were based on a belief in the inherent dignity of man as a spiritual being. As our society abandons the spiritual and ontological in favour of the secular, the modern individual now finds both dignity and respect by claiming his rights.
As Delsol puts it “ the concrete way in which human dignity is to be expressed has gravitated from living an ethical life in conformity with an external standard, to being provided with all the rights that can be expected from a society”.
The modern phenomenon of crafting an ever-expanding list of “rights” seems endless as rights have themselves become the ultimate criteria. Marching in lock-step with the rights advocates are the promoters of the modernized version of tolerance. No longer is tolerance founded on the belief in the equal dignity of each human being, but rather on the idea that all lifestyles are of equal value. Anywhere will do as a destination for the planners of this parade so long as accomodations are made for all along the way.
The proliferation of rights is built on the chimerical belief that progress will ensure that every generation is capable of making life better for its cohort, than it was for its predecessors. One is reminded of the trenchant wisdom of Philip Larkin when asked by an interviewer, "Do you feel you could have had a much happier life?" And Larkin answered, "Not without being someone else."
posted by Ben Buan | 9:06 p.m.
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