The Myth of Progress

Howdy from New Bern, NC,

I’m currently checking out river towns on the Carolina coast.

There are some nice palm trees here. It’s hard not to feel tropical in the presence of a proper palm tree.

Now to today’s piece.

Do things always get better?

Edwin Friedman, ordained Rabbi, therapist, and leadership consultant, wrote a book called A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of Quick Fix.

In it, he discusses the myth of progress - faith in the idea that, as time goes on, society is always progressing towards a more advanced state.

So, is that true? Is our 21st century society becoming more advanced?

Well, some things have definitely gotten better over time.

GDP, life expectancy, literacy rates, and technology innovation have all objectively advanced in the past half century.

Can we assume that, because we are advancing economically and technologically, we are “better” off as a society? Friedman says no.

He argues that we need to instead evaluate a society’s health by it’s ability to lead effectively - namely through emotional regulation in the face of disagreement or conflict.

With respect to social and emotional health in the 21st century, the West is experiencing increases in insecurity, lack of purpose, anxiety, isolation, and depression.

Friedman passed away in 1996, but I don’t think it’s out of line to extend his viewpoint into present day.

If we’re defining progress by our ability to be calm in the midst of anxiety-inducing times, then Friedman’s conclusion would likely be that things have not gotten better in the West in the early 21st century.

Luckily, he didn’t just define the myth of progress. He gave us a framework to overcome fear and pursue true societal progress.

Friedman gave us a guide to how society becomes more anxious.

According to Friedman, societal anxiety is a 5-step cycle.

• Step 1: Reactivity - you develop thin skin with respect to opposing views

  • Example: you feel as though a different opinion is a personal attack on you

• Step 2: Herding Instinct - you surround yourself around folks who only hold your beliefs

  • Example: you insulate yourself to feel more comfortable. You agree with whatever your faction (the left, the right, the church, secular society) says without questioning it

• Step 3: Blame Displacement - you retreat into victim status

  • Example: you swear that your side is perfectly fine. It’s the other side causing all of our collective issues

• Step 4: Quick Fix Mentality - a low threshold for pain makes you search for immediate solutions instead of long-lasting, sustainable change

  • Example: you tell yourself that, if you could just get the leader you want into office, then everything will instantly get better across all aspects of life

• Step 5: Lack of Well-Differentiated Leadership - we don’t empower leaders who are resilient and calm. We empower those that feed into our anxieties

  • Example: you support the leader who speaks into your heart because they too blame the other side (Step 3) and promise to take care of what makes you anxious (Step 4)…but it’s a false promise

A condensed breakdown of Friedman’s cycle and how we can break it.

Step 1: Reactivity => increased anxiety

Step 2: Herding Instinct => death of critical thinking and increased isolation

Step 3: Blame Displacement => victim mentality develops

Step 4: Quick Fix Mentality => increased desire for instant gratification

Step 5: Lack of Well-Differentiated Leadership => wrong people in power who induce reactivity (Step 1)

The cycle repeats.

This entire cycle can be summarized with one word: anxiety.

Insulating ourselves, decreasing critical thinking, developing victim mentality, increasing the need for instant gratification, and empowering inadequate leaders are all downstream effects of anxiety.

So, how do we rid of anxiety and break the cycle?

Friedman’s advice: be calm and resilient as a leader. No name calling, blaming the other side, or high expectations that things get better overnight. Progress - particularly emotional and social progress - takes time. Be patient but committed, steady, and accountable. It’s a boring but radical solution because of it’s rarity when society is in the throes of the anxiety cycle.

Bottom line: you can’t force other people to rid of their anxieties. You can only show them what steady leadership looks like by exemplifying it yourself.

What I’m Paying Attention To:

Today’s topic was quite heavy, so please enjoy this wholesome 40-second video of a fan making the final out for the most fun team in baseball, The Savannah Bananas.

Photo of The Week

Thanks for reading

How do you define societal progress?

Reply and let me know,

Josh

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