i can see why postmodernism's such an easy (and hence popular) way out. too many people have taken a close look at things and found that they have no idea what they're talking about. when it all comes down to it, that's what's at the bottom of it all - people can't figure out truth on their own. this didn't use to be a problem; however, we've added a new variable to the equation - independence. if everyone needs meaning, no one can find meaning, and no one's allowed to look outside of himself for meaning, then we're pretty much screwed, aren't we? enter postmodernism. the idea that truth is whatever we put our minds to lets everyone off the hook, lets everyone save face...and leads to a level of apathy heretofore unheard of. if everyone's right, no one needs any sense of authority to back up their ideas.

so everyone is accepted, no one is wrong, and no one is persecuted - utopia, right? oh, far from it. those are the upsides; the problem is that nothing would ever get done in a truly postmodernistic society. how are we supposed to form an effective sanitation budget if everyone's right and needs no backing for his or her opinion? seems like a small matter, but think about it. that goes for the rest of politics, business, et cetera. good thing we're selective postmodernists, agreeing that there are areas that do need rules.

oh, but just one more thing. if we're selective postmodernists, we're all filthy liars. we lie to ourselves (and, consequently, those we deal with) when we espouse a philosophy that we can't apply in all sectors of our life. come up with a cohesive, logical philosophy that justifies self-deception, and we'll talk. until then, i propose that the truth is out there (far be it from me to be unoriginal). maybe we can't find it on our own; maybe we have to admit that we don't have all the answers (horrors!); maybe we have to put our faith in something we can't pretend to understand in order to receive guidance that makes sense. don't ask me how that works - i just said i don't have all the answers.

speaking of me...where does that leave me? confident of my own abilities, yet utterly helpless to concretely determine most anything about my own psyche - wants, needs, ambitions. honestly, the more i try to systematize my own thought, the more confused i get. whenever i come up with a concise summary of myself, i come up with a way that it doesn't apply. it's amusing, really - i've always fancied myself quite the self-sufficient little bugger. turns out i'm just a misguided, hard-headed schmuck*. looks like i just might have to admit that i'm not always right. oh well, could be worse; i could be a postmodernist.

*educational note: apart from being a medical term, it appears that the word "schmuck" is also a Yiddish word that means something akin to "a male prostitute who sleeps with many ugly women." mother would be proud.

a brief and terribly undescriptive return - 10.28.04
- - 09.17.04
- - 08.16.04
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- - 07.30.04