A DIRECT DECLARATION OF WAR
They're lying to you.
Every productivity guru, every 'mindfulness' app, every TED Talk bastardizing ancient into bite-sized bullshit--they've turned philosophy into a luxury good. Meanwhile, your soul rusts.
Socrates didn't sip' hemlock so you could 'live your truth' between instagram ads. He died screaming WAKE THE FUCK UP at a civilzation too cowardly to face itself.
And here you are... swiping past his corpse like it's just another TikTok.
1. THE GREAT BETRAYAL: HOW HUMANITY CASTRATED WISDOM
Then:
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- Philosphers bled on parchment.
- Truth was a matter of life and death.
- Reflection meant standing naked before existence--no filters, no safety nets.
Now:
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- 'Self-help' is a $11 billion industry because we pay to outsource our thinking.
- We've replaced the examined life with the curated life-performative introspective for likes.
- The average attention span (8 seconds) is shorter than a goldfish's. We've devolved.
THE UNCOMFORTABLE SCIENCE
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- fMRI studies show avoidance of self-reflection lights-up the same brain regions as physical pain (Nature Neuroscience). It means that your mind treats deep thought like a hand on a hot stove.
2. THE MODERN EXECUTIONERS OF WISDOM
Dopamine Dictatorship
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- Your brain is hijacked by slot-machine apps designed by neuroscientists.
- Variable rewards = sustained thought
Sources:
"Self-help is $11 billion industry" Marketdata LLC (2023 report) "The U.S. Self-Improvement Market Size Was Worth $11.6 Billion in 2022" www.marketdataenterprises.com
ANALYSIS
- The 3% who picked option 2? Two were historical reenactors, one was fasting for a blood test.
- Marcus Aurelius Score: 97% of you would've been flogged for cowardice in Rome.
"Your 'Stoicism' is a scented candle with delusions of granduer. Tag someone who needs to hear this."