THE AILMENTS OF MODERNITY

Our societies are going through a long historical process of transformation between traditional societies to modern ones. A few centuries ago, life was generally guided by agriculture, families, religions, and traditions. But since the First Industrial Revolution, our societies have been constantly shaken by new technological disruptions and political orders.

Whereas our ancestors used to work in fields, surrounded by numerous family members, we tend now to live in small households and spend a lot of time in front of computers. Further technological revolutions will surely disrupt our world again, bringing innovations, and adding more complexity to a world we hardly understand.

In the face of invasive algorithms, growing interconnection, and complexity, our political values and moral goals seem to be more and more overruled by the invisible rules of the global markets.

In the face of this modernity, in the vacuum left by the regression of traditional religions, we could feel lost. We would like to understand our place in this liberal capitalist world, but we cannot see where all this is heading to. The ailments of modernity can be expressed in several of the paradoxes we encounter. We can be connected to anyone on the Internet but we can still feel isolated. We can be surrounded by material objects and busy with to-do-lists, be we still feel that something is missing.

Our soul is hungry for something modern life took from us. This thing can be just the basic connection to the Earth, to our bodies, and to our loved ones. Many of the imperatives and gadgets of modernity pulled us away from those basics, and that can explain a lot of our modern anxieties and psychopathologies.