Steven Pressfield, author of the best-selling book “The War of Art,” recently appeared on the popular Rich Roll podcast. When asked where we are today, culturally and politically, Pressfield said that we see a lot of people now who have abandoned honor and integrity.
Pressfield mentioned his father, who was part of the WWII generation, and how people in that era behaved in a certain way. There were standards of conduct and behavior. Certain things people just wouldn’t lower themselves to.
Today, Pressfield observes, people are allowing themselves to sink to new depths. Honor and integrity seem to be an afterthought.
We certainly see this on the nightly news. There are people still playing the abhorrent “knock out game,” which involves slapping, sucker punching, or knocking down an unsuspecting (often elderly) person on the street. Some victims have died from these random attacks, which are often recorded on the smartphones of accomplices.
Pressfield observed:
“The ancient Spartans were a shame-based culture. The Japanese Samurai were a shame-based culture. There were certain things that you just would not do.”
Roll went on to observe that such people have become “blind to living an examined life.” Somehow, in this information age of technological advancements, we seem drawn more than ever to superficial entertainment, and shameful behavior.
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