3 January 2008 - 13:36Two Warring Camps in Society

I’ve started a philosophical tangent from my last post. If my random walk does not interest you, a blog called “Random Stuff” should have warned you off.

Here goes: Society has within it two constantly warring camps- the camps of Agree and Disagree.

The Agree camp wants everyone to get along, do the “right thing”, obey moral codes, etc. This is championed by the corporations (get a job, work 9-5, be stable), the religions (go to church, be faithful, don’t sin), and the family life (settle down, raise kids, be a good parent).

The Disagree camp wants to throw the bird to all the people that are keeping them down. This camp is best represented by artists and rebels of all flavors, the rockers, the actors, the start-up programmer in his garage, the writers typing furiously on lonely hilltops, national geographic photographers spending 5 years tracking down that elusive parrot, etc. They are going to do what they love and damn the man, damn the money, damn the consequences. This camp (sadly) is also represented by the criminals, the drug addicts, the promiscuous, who also say damn the man and damn the consequences but don’t do much useful with all that spare time they’ve freed up.

Both camps have something to say for them. They also have something going against them. The conflict comes about because single decisions (get a job, go on safari, raise kids, join a rock band) have good aspects as well as bad aspects. You can either agree with the decision, or disagree, but there is good and bad in any single decision.

This is what makes life so interesting. “What shall I do today? Shall I go to work and be a good husband? Or am I going to stay home and do what I think I should do, what I want?”

I think this post coming in at 10:35am on a workday should answer that question, but then again, I do work for “The Man”…