As men become minuscule editions of their forefathers, they seem to feel the compulsion of self-expansion in the wrong way through self-advertisement. Trumpeting one's own glory is the hourly occupation these days when humility and self-effacement have become attributes near extinction whose last representatives need preservation in museums. This is the consequence of capitalism with its decadent mode of gripping the public mind by flooding it with specific images in order to bring it to buying the advertised product. And this advertising has now become rampant in human behaviour as well as men compete with fellow men to get a foothold in life's larger mart.
The old virtues of humility and self-effacement are now considered spiritual attributes alright but not quite fitted to the modern material requirements of pushing one's way through the thoroughfare of life which has been reduced to a veritable jungle of commodities and commoners. Men of exceptional merit are still there, and they often rise to exceptional levels of attainment and recognition as well. But the common herd of humanity are today raucous about recognition from all and sundry in their neighbourhood despite not being endowed with such virtues as would merit such a natural gaining of the spotlight.
This seems to be the unfortunate fallout of the commercial ways of the times when the copper coin rules the hearts and minds of men and the flimsy repute of the hour holds human attention. This is the present predicament of the people who are led into such exercises in self-proclamation, being compelled by the current corruption of culture, thanks largely to capitalist encroachment into the privacy of public psychology through the dubious means of constant advertisement.
The net result of all this is the lowering of cultural standards, the decline in academic excellence and the rise of mass mediocrity in every sphere of human activity. All this is a serious threat to the survival of our highly technical civilisation, for it is human ingenuity and excellence that raises civilisation and its absence fails to preserve it.
If this decadence of culture is not forthwith arrested, we have a problem at hand -- human extinction. And it is toward this end that we must focus all our attention. No more must we cater to false claims of excellence by accommodating mediocrity in the fold but we must consistently raise the bar of what is to be considered worthwhile and excellent. The standard of reference for such determination must be the work of the past masters in every sphere of human endeavour, for it their seminal achievements which have shaped civilisation and it is their creative work which we are trying to advance in our onward march through time.
We need to excel truly and not demand recognition of supposed excellence for our pronounced mediocrity. Let us cease to be raucous by way of self-blazoning and let us instead apply ourselves more to attaining heights of excellence through greater diligence and distinctive labour. In this lies the well-being of our individual selves and in this lies collective welfare as well.
Written by Sugata Bose
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