WhatFinger


Most of us have an inkling about where we might be at this moment in time . . . and may speculate about whether we are on the ascent or decline. Are we pointed toward X or nihilism?

Wordplay: Where Are We . . . and Where Are We Going?



An essay in the opinion section of the NY Times dated 4/28/17 and titled "America, From Exceptionalism to Nihilism", set me thinking and suggested the title I assigned to my essay in response, the one you are now reading. According to my admittedly feeble look-up, there is no precise antonym for the word nihilism. (Until dictionaries publish that currently unknown word let's use "X" as its substitute.) But I'm pretty sure it's not exceptionalism. There are many synonyms describing the extremes. At the favored end (in my opinion anyway) are: belief, optimism, faith, and hope. At the less desirable end (again, in my opinion) are: anarchy, atheism, lawlessness, terrorism, and mob rule. (Look it up! I didn't make up those descriptions of proposed opposites.)
Being a financial guy, it is easy for me to conceive of a chart or graph plotting the course of the various societal stages of man over time. (Chill out ladies . . . I include females.) Sans going back to cavemen (too far), and restricting my timeline to written history, I can picture a graph displaying the highs (Xs) and the lows, the latter being nearer to nihilism. The Xs reflect the notion that everyone believes in something, and ultimate nihilism reflects the notion that nobody believes in anything. Basically we are talking about the apogees and nadirs of humankind. I'm also pretty sure we have never achieved the apogee . . . probably not even close. After all, a murder occurred in the Garden of Eden. Since then, man has had ups and downs with respect to his position on the chart at any given point in time. And we have never "achieved" (funny word considering its usage) the nadir either. Thus, by definition, mankind has never been at its best or worst, yet. Clever researchers might be capable of plotting man's varying positions on my suggested scale of history. Sadly, it is beyond my pay grade. Clouding the issue, we must toss in the realities of demographics and the degree of belief practiced by disparate peoples. It is factual that the number of believers in Christian faiths is declining, not necessarily due to lower birth rates, but mostly due to a lessening in faith. It is also factual that the number of believers in Islamic faiths is rising, probably mostly due to higher birth rates. So, the notion that faith being one of the favored opposites to nihilism (an absence of faith) doesn't make us very comfortable. Faith in the belief that 72 virgins await true believers after death doesn't belong in the same plot point. Most of us have an inkling about where we might be at this moment in time . . . and may speculate about whether we are on the ascent or decline. Are we pointed toward X or nihilism? I'm assuming most folks reading this article see the world approximately the way I do. However, a few might turn the graph upside down and believe nihilism is the apogee. I don't.

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Bob Christie -- Bio and Archives

Bob was born in Toronto and began his financial career as a trader on the Toronto Stock Exchange. He relocated to California and became SVP and CFO of a $multi-billion diversified financial entity. He served on the board of many companies in Canada and US. An avid yachtsman, he owns a twin diesel ocean going vessel once featured in Architectural Digest magazine. He maintains a hockey web site. “slapshotreport.com” and currently resides in Sausalito, California.


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