Observations From Hadleyville: THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

THE SPIRIT OF THE AGE

The "Spirit of the Age" is a German intellectual concept from a century ago. It is a term for the prevailing consensus of opinion of the current generation. Each generation tweaks and changes it to fit their beliefs; witness the radical difference in values between the 1950's and 1960's.

Each current generation is largely blind to the Spirit of their own age, while often displaying contempt for that of previous generations.

IF WE ARE BLIND TO IT, HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY THE SPIRIT OF OUR OWN AGE?

1. The Spirit of the Age is never defended or demonstrated by rational argument, it is assumed to be the only right way.

2. Anyone who speaks against the Spirit of the Age is not simply wrong, misguided or mistaken, they are BAD; as in EVIL.

3. Anyone who speaks against the Spirit of the Age must be vigorously defamed and their reputation publicly attacked.

4. It never occurs to the masses who blindly follow the Spirit of the Age that they use a hypocritical double-standard for judging the world.

For a practical demonstration, watch the news and see how anyone who disagrees with the status quo is treated.

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WORDS OF WISDOM FOR WRITERS

The secret of becoming a writer is that you have to write. You have to write a lot. You also have to finish what you write, even though no one wants it yet. If you don't learn to finish your work, no one will ever want to see it. The biggest mistake new writers make is carrying around copies of unfinished work to inflict on their friends.

I am sure it has been done with less, but you should be prepared to write and throw away a million words of finished material. By finished, I mean completed, done, ready to submit, and written as well as you know how at the time you wrote it.
-Jerry Pournelle

WHAT'S THIS HADLEYVILLE THING?

Those of you familiar with Mark Twain’s works might recognize my blog title. As Samuel Clemons grew older, he became increasingly disillusioned with humanity. Towards the end he began referring to the Damned Human Race; employing the secular and religious epithet at one stroke.

I find I’ve not reached that level of despair myself. I still believe in redemption and I still see signs of nobility even among we fallen, damned creatures. So, I could not bring myself to call this blog “On the Damned Human Race.” I do however, resonate with another of Clemmons stories; “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg.” And viola, there you have it. “Observations From Hadleyville.”