Parasite Singles Night

Tonight was a movie night and I wasn't able to take the bus home as I had to go directly to the theater for the 7pm movie :( . Chalk one up for personal transportation. I saw the film Step Brothers and although it was a sad commentary on our maturity levels in this country and what has become an alarming trend in Japan (the adult children are being dubbed "Parasite Singles") it was hilarious and provided the standard "happily ever after" ending we've all become accustomed to from Will Ferrell. To say we've raised a generation of kids who are ill-prepared to care for themselves or others is an understatement and really, who would want to leave home with all the cool stuff that we have at our fingertips these days??? The implications of living such a cush lifestyle is destined to catch up with us very, very soon.

With all this thought of the inevitable change that raising perpetually spoiled children might cause, I decided to do some research on what's been called the "Decline of the Roman Empire." And although decadence is mentioned, it seems that there are more prevalent theories. Take for example the theory from Joseph Tainter, anthropologist and historian. Joseph Tainter's book (written in 1988), The Collapse of Complex Societies has some excellent views on what led to the downfall.

His ultimate take on it was that the ultimate cause was diminishing returns on investments in social complexity. I guess you could say the same thing about computer operating systems. As they get more and more complex, at times it would seem that it just takes more horsepower to do what we used to be able to do in 128k of RAM. What was especially interesting was his observation that, "Archaeological evidence from human bones indicates that average nutrition actually improved after the collapse in many parts of the former Roman Empire. Average individuals may have benefited because they no longer had to invest in the burdensome complexity of empire." Perhaps they had a bunch of bureaucrats quit the rat race and go dig ditches instead. They were probably happier, much like the main character in the film "Office Space" after his extended exposure to the corporate lifestyle and got a job in construction. After all, money isn't everything. You have to have a sense of accomplishment in whatever you do. You have to feel like you're contributing and even if you could care less about what your company or government does, many contribute to the community by using their means to a greater end. Keep in mind that government is an organism that seeks to feed itself and reward the interests that finance their campaigns and always remember that any organization that can effectively vote for its own pay raise is doing it with money they collect from the tax payer.

It would seem that the best way to reduce social complexity is to be a pillar of strength to those you love and care about. Don't sit around and wait for the government to do it. Perhaps there's a lesson to be learned from Tainter's observations in that by having to work for a living, the populous became stronger and more self-sufficient as a result. And much like the moral of the story in Ferrell's movie, it's only when the baby bird is thrown from the nest that it learns to fly.

Disclaimer: If you'd like to learn more about these theories, click on the links above or visit a library with actual books in it for more accurate information. As much as I'd like to believe that the information on Wikipedia is true, it never hurts to corroborate the information at your local library.