LOST ORIENTATION

“Some social philosophers (Bauman, Sloterdijk) focus attention to the fact that in modern society the continuous state of change has its toll. The fickle character of this age implies that individuals lose their sense of orientation. While improvising his way through the manifold changes modern man loses every sense of direction.”

“What people need is an anchor point. Tradition, art and nature provide these anchor points. These three contribute to the feeling of being rooted in the world. In modern culture it is permanent consumption that substitutes for the need for an anchor. There is nothing wrong with this trend, but it is built on cultural quicksand.”

From a recent editorial by Erwin Puts.