The ability to adapt is a survival trait. In the old world, one of the main distinctions between the social elite and slave classes was the ability to read. Those that knew how to read also were able to explore ideas and debate them with other members of their elite class; which obviously proved to be more valuable than it did fruitless as evidenced by generations of ruling classes were handing over their status, and control, to the next generation of ruling class until one of those generations got lazy (by not exploring ideas) and fucked it up.
Not much has really change in that regard—those with more knowledge, and the ability to acquire more of it, are in a different social class altogether than those with less knowledge (and their inability to acquire it.) More perplexing than that is that information (knowledge) is more accessible now than it ever has been; and the ability to acquire it is possible without even having to leave your home. But yet, there are still some of us living paycheck to paycheck, resting hard on laziness, choosing to absorb mindless content over gaining knowledge to better their position. We’re all guilty of that. Similarly, I’m sure you—like me—also follow pages that do produce valuable content, but then just hammer that Like button and keep it moving without ever really digesting that information. It happens to the best of us. I’d also be willing to wager more kids today have a smartphone than they do a library card. Maybe adults too.
“To live the best life you should have conversation with the dead.”
What the oracle was saying there (in her stereotypical, cryptic, oracle-way) was: if you want a good life then you must read and study from the writings of authors who are long gone, but their words were good enough to live on long past their death. For us too it should be no different than it was for Zeno; that is to say that we should be looking back to characters of historical and cultural importance to inspire us and lead us. By virtue of that then we can begin to have intellectual discourse with each other, explore ideas, gain wisdom, and most importantly: acquire knowledge. We need to make conversing with the dead our duty. Then we must make teaching that wisdom to future generations our responsibility.
Zeno, of Kition
As adults, we know that this world can be cold and heartless. If we’re going to survive then we need to have that ability to adapt. We need to be able to assess our current situation and improve it. We need to know where we can go to acquire what it is that we need to make those improvements. Otherwise we’re going to be a culture—a generation—of people who preferred to spend more time on Facebook arguing about something with someone we don’t know rather than learning how to make the changes that we want to see and then taking the better platform to engage for change. (Actions matching words.)
When Saul—a historical figure known for intensely persecuting the followers of Jesus—was on the road to Damascus, he was suddenly struck by a light and heard the voice of Christ who asked him why he was persecuting Him. The exchange left Saul blind for three days and changed for life… to the extend that he went on to become known as Paul, the Apostle. (You can read the whole account in the book of Acts, chapter 9, versus 3-9 (I’d link it here, but you should really go converse with the dead.)) That story is known as the Conversion of Paul, the Apostle. Now I’m not Christ, nor am I the Second Coming, but I am delivering you a wake-up call. This is your road to Damascus. Put the phone down and read something, get better, adapt of die. Let’s not be the generation that fucked it up.
