Philosophy Corner: Manifest Destiny or Escape From Reality

Like most Americans, I used to get high off the idea of manifesting my destiny or whatever Christopher Columbus and his friends liked to call it.

But recently, with all these celebrities wanting to manifest their destiny and inspire future generations, I'm starting to wonder...

Are we truly manifesting destiny or trying to escape reality?

Christopher Columbus's 1492 pilgrimage to this promised land called America wasn't exactly all peaches and rainbows. Killing the natives and writing in his book about his dream for his future people and the glory of gold from his conquest almost seems like the philosophy of many Americans today.

Columbus landing or Genocide day- whatever you wanna call it

Gen Alpha

I was reading an article from Fortune that said almost 50% of Gen Alpha have plans to become influencers. I personally see nothing wrong with that. Hell—when I was a kid, I wanted to be a writer myself. (Still do.)

What does seem a little concerning, though, is the mindset that it harbors.

The get-rich-quick gimmick is getting a little out of hand.

The discipline, present in previous generations, has seemed to dwindle over the years due to the rapid comfort and sense of gratification that stems from social media and exaggerated cartoons. It all begs the question...

How many people can truly be celebrities until the system crashes?

Super What?

I understand this is a serious topic, but to be honest, this situation kind of reminds me of my favorite Pixar movie.

A redhead dealing with abandonment issues once remarked:

"When I'm old and I've had my fun, I'll sell my inventions so that everyone can be super, and when everyone is super... no one will be." - Syndrome

With this logic, I find it a bit futile to heavily emphasize the media and its core role in kids' lives. Don't get me wrong, I don't want them to be stripped away from all their technology and forced to play outside with sticks; rather, they should be micromanaged in the media they consume and not base their character on films and movies, but rather on their own hobbies and interests while having a sense of community to look up to.

I believe efforts like that would make future generations more innovative and motivated to play a role in their community rather than wrestling with the ideas of idols telling them they can be better than most while never truly being satisfied with the conditions of their areas, in turn building hopelessness in an already self-consuming world of influence.

Conclusion

If we, as a Nation, don't want the working conditions or economic downfall of future generations to be worse, we should start instilling more respect for the average worker, whether in customer service or as a trash collector. Without them, dilemmas like waste and starvation are only going to get worse. The next time you see a sanitation worker or someone being criticized online for having a 9-5 job, take a moment to consider the time and effort that comes from serving every member of society, regardless of their status.

That's the true mindset of a superhero.

Citations

Fortune Article - https://fortune.com/article/gen-alpha-dream-careers-youtuber-influencer-social-media/