we spend a lot of time, money and energy on coordination-problems. society-would-save-time-and-money-if-not-cohabitating.
In fact, it’s almost as if a society exists for keeping the society together. That’s weird and stupid. Shouldn’t a collection of people have a grand project and the pursuit of that project is the reason to do some occassional annoying bookkeeping and overhead and coordinating? When 100% of the society’s time is spent on keeping the society together, what is it even for?
That’s like a cancer or a zombie-wasp or something, an ouroboros. A host that only keeps itself alive so that it can continue to eat itself. it by definition doesn’t aspire - it devours its own aspiration.
I had previously only considered the economic implications of that coordination structure, like “what a waste of time and money” - but it’s really the opportunity cost that’s worse than anything else. And the resultant nihilism that must develop in a society that doesn’t stand for anything.
there’s something deeply disturbing about this. it’s like an individual’s meaning crisis, but on a massive, planetary scale. and i suspect that there is maybe some kind of #egregore that wants to prevent society from having a purpose, because that might get in the way of the self-perpetuation machine, worried that it might redirect it’s energy and resources.
America may be the worst offender: america-as-the-global-coordination-problem-virus-vector. unsurprising that america’s social media system is slowly suffocating the globe. Social media prime directive is to grow and maintain dominance - it mirrors this concept.