Social Dementia

We are falling, yet we remain unaware until we hit the ground. Each step taken while climbing the stairs marks the beginning of a new universe in one’s mind. Every step is an ascent, and with each ascent, the stakes of what can be lost grow. Every rise carries within it the weight of an even greater fall. But what does it mean to take a step forward while simultaneously stepping back? This is a phenomenon exclusive to democratic societies, for those in power never think of tomorrow; they never cease lying to maintain their position. In a world built on lies, relying on deception to uphold order is both vile and utterly normal.

Distorted laws, dysfunctional institutions filled with loyalists, rising votes fueled by the decline of education, rules imposed through the ignorance of the people. The people are so foolish that they always believe a savior will come to rescue them and transform their world completely—but that savior never arrives. The savior has always existed within us, but we lack the courage to bring it forth. Perhaps it is the inevitable result of our acceptance, which was born from rebellion.

We forget—we forget everything. We forget what has happened. We forget right and wrong. Those who were our enemies yesterday become our friends today; those we despised turn into the ones we love most. Our memory is limited, and we live in a palliative society. We no longer know what pain truly is. We are eager to numb our mental suffering with our phones, our physical pain with anesthesia. What we fail to realize is that this constant societal anesthesia has erased our already fragile memory. We have all become dementia—only we are unaware of it…