What do you think of this quote?

Question

"It is difficult to resist the conclusion that 20th century man is trying to abolish himself. Tired of the struggle to be himself, he has created boredom out of his own affluence, impotence out of his own erotomania, and vulnerability out of his own strength. He himself blows the trumpet that brings the walls of his own city crashing down until at last, having educated himself into imbecility, having drugged and polluted himself into stupefaction, he keels over a weary, battered old brontosaurus and becomes extint"

---Malcolm Muggeridge

Answer 1

Wow. I had never read that before and even though I don't agree with it completely, I certainly do like it and will consider it further.
I just haven't become a complete skeptic yet. I've just recently polished my sense of sarcasm to a fine finish.
Chances are the author also doesn't see HIMSELF as a part of the group he describes.
The view always seems better from on high.

Answer 2

Like most nihilistic statements, it is flawed because it is an incredibly broad generalization. In fact, the statement that is made could be attributed to any age of mankind. Take the early Roman Empire. The reign of Tiberius was just as decadent and self destructive as our society. In fact, the decadence that was seen during the reign of Caligula hasn't been seen, at least out in the open, now, and all of the statements that are made in the quote would apply. Some men were so "educated" that they could do nothing productive, people were given the bread and circuses to keep them passive, and the most powerful men either embraced decadence to the extreme or cowered within protected villas in fear of some rival toppling them. Ultimately, one of the things that we can draw from history is that mankind, as a species, has changed very little; however, in the end, no matter how decadent we become, how self involved and full of ennui we are, when society comes crashing down people survive, and then the cycle starts over again.

Answer 3

I can certainly understand the sentiment, and during certain moments I feel as though I agree, but that is only during the most jaded times. Realistically, the majority of the human population exists somewhere in between the extremes of saintliness and villainy.

Answer 4

Brings to mind one of the Major Arcana cards in the Tarot deck - The Tower.

Answer 5

At first it seems like he's a negative person, seeing through the glass darkly, but I think it's realism. The sad, sad truth.

Answer 6

It just goes to show you that no matter how much you try to accomplish, if you or anyone else has gotten nothing out of it, it is futile and all of the hard work you have done will eventually cave in on you if it has no meaning.

Answer 7

He is one who sees through the glass darkly.

Answer 8

Hehehe. Yeah, that sounds like someone who's been totally dissillusioned all right.

Life is all in what you make of it and how you see it.

Doug

Answer 9

He hit the nail on the head.

Answer 10

this describes the crumbling issue of the affluent, sad, but true