Ha! (re: the houseplant metaphor). I bought a plant today: a fern. One of the Biosphere 2 scientists told me that ferns clean the air even better than other plants.
And totally agree about getting out into the sunlight if nothing else.
You're so right! Why on earth does society give us that expectation? And I feel like that's a fairly modern-age expectation as well – somehow I don't picture people in the 1800s expecting to always be happy (though I could be wrong). It's not super obvious (to me) when in the 20th century that evolved – the roaring 20s? The post-WWII era of progress? Hmm...
Historical musings aside, thank you for the insightful laugh. I think that may be one of my favorite things in the world, and it was lovely to start my day with that bit of sunshine. ☀️
Hey glad to hear it landed with you! Yes, I'm also always so curious about how this kind of stuff worked (or didn't) in previous generations. And how it works in other cultures and countries today, I'm definitely only writing from the perspectives I've gathered over my lifetime.
Good point, Nick, advertising definitely plays a huge part in it. I also came across a reference to a sociologist in the 50s noting the rise of "other-directedness" (the keeping up with the Joneses of it all) that equated prosperity with fulfillment (and connection - it was actually an article about the roots of the loneliness epidemic).
Nice, know his name? I will try to look up who it could be if not (maybe the "Bowling Alone" guy). I also had in mind Chomsky's writing about the story of early modern advertising in Manufacturing Consent.
Ha! (re: the houseplant metaphor). I bought a plant today: a fern. One of the Biosphere 2 scientists told me that ferns clean the air even better than other plants.
And totally agree about getting out into the sunlight if nothing else.
Just DON'T PUT IT IN THE CLOSET.
hahaha
You're so right! Why on earth does society give us that expectation? And I feel like that's a fairly modern-age expectation as well – somehow I don't picture people in the 1800s expecting to always be happy (though I could be wrong). It's not super obvious (to me) when in the 20th century that evolved – the roaring 20s? The post-WWII era of progress? Hmm...
Historical musings aside, thank you for the insightful laugh. I think that may be one of my favorite things in the world, and it was lovely to start my day with that bit of sunshine. ☀️
Hey glad to hear it landed with you! Yes, I'm also always so curious about how this kind of stuff worked (or didn't) in previous generations. And how it works in other cultures and countries today, I'm definitely only writing from the perspectives I've gathered over my lifetime.
> It's not super obvious (to me) when in the 20th century that evolved
Started in the early part when the cancer that is modern advertising was developed...
Good point, Nick, advertising definitely plays a huge part in it. I also came across a reference to a sociologist in the 50s noting the rise of "other-directedness" (the keeping up with the Joneses of it all) that equated prosperity with fulfillment (and connection - it was actually an article about the roots of the loneliness epidemic).
Nice, know his name? I will try to look up who it could be if not (maybe the "Bowling Alone" guy). I also had in mind Chomsky's writing about the story of early modern advertising in Manufacturing Consent.
Yeah, it was David Riesman who wrote “The Lonely Crowd” in the 50s. The article also mentioned "Bowling Alone," but I think that was later. Here's the link if you'd like to dig in more (it's fairly long): https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/27/magazine/loneliness-epidemic-cure.html