Give me books, philosophy and fiction and mathematics and science, give me unadulterated nature, give me the freedom to explore these things, and express my wonder for truth and life and the human condition, and the ability to have community with others who revel in these things, and I will be a happy man.
I think society is mostly a charade. Once you figure that out, you can do anything. All you need to do is march in step, dance with the rest, do whatever tricks are expected, and you will rise. It’s not rocket science. Just be a parrot. Be the best parrot.
The problem is when you reflect.
It’s mostly a joke. Most people are a shiny shell, a mirror reflecting back what everyone else expects from them, never inquiring into the authenticity of their desires.
Once you realize there is no substance, that it is rare when others are interested in depth and substance, that pausing to probe deeper into others or the world and these narratives is the last thing people want to do, mostly because of fear, of finding out that there is nothing substantive within them, that there is no foundation or floor anchoring these charades, then the dog and pony show is up, the theatrics lose their luster, and existential vapidity of being an empty shell begins to crush you from the inside out, and opting out doesn’t seem such a drastic choice.
William Dare 