"Can't stay here anymore;
We're turning into fiends.If I stay here, trouble will find me.
If I stay here, I'll never leave.
If I stay here, trouble will find me ...
I believe!"
— The National (Aaron Dessner & Matt Berninger); Sea of Love; Trouble Will Find Me (2013)
In this day and age (post-truth society), who the fuck knows what is true, any more? Even if one does know, that no longer seems to matter to the average person. True vs false, fake vs real, right vs wrong; these concepts are seemingly no longer relevant to one's conduct or world view, at least where doing business or politics are concerned. What matters is what one believes (particularly if one can convince another person to believe it).
"Telling the truth is bad for business. Do and say whatever you deem necessary to attain and maintain power and wealth. Hang the consequences."
As far as I can tell, that seems to be the motto, the zeitgeist, of our current age (the "morally blank world"), both championed and exemplified by "successful" businessmen like Bezos, Murdoch and Trump (whom also dabbled in politics). Hell, even Steve Jobs, for all his pursuit of enlightenment and spirituality, wasn't above lying and manipulation (particularly of the people supposedly close to him) to get his way and push Apple forward. (At least, that's the impression I get from reading his biography, written with his cooperation.) I thought Bill Gates' approach to doing business (treat it as a demolition derby; steal from and destroy the competition) was bad, but Jobs' doesn't seem any better or different. (After all, Apple stole ideas from Xerox PARC, only to have Microsoft steal from them in turn. Jobs was allegedly just as abusive to his employees, if not more, than Bezos, Gates, Balmer and Zuckerberg were/are.)
Since I do care for truth and ethics (which those involved in the "big business, big government" complex clearly don't), I find myself in a minority and I don't like it. It is what it is and I can't win any fights against it, so I must abandon my principles and adapt to it if I wish to get by and make a living.
Thumbnail image: Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels
