The Murder of "Modern Developments"

Katy Pelchy
The Murder of “Modern Developments”
Outside reading

“When we turn our eyes from the leaders to the led and consider the fashion of modern work and possession, don’t we find that modern developments have expunged almost every trace of a life in which human beings confront each other and have meaningful relationships?”

This quote that I read in the packet “Experiencing Others: Martin Buber and Neil LaBute’s In the Company of Men caused me to think about the present state of American culture as compared to the hunters and gatherers in the wilderness. In answer to the question: yes, I believe we do find that modern developments have expunged meaningful relationships in terms of work and possession. More and more, people are becoming absorbed in their life at work and ignore their home life and hobbies. Things that bring people joy are put off for a sense of “duty” to be doing work, and so socialization and pleasure are given less priority in the factors of life. It seems to me that while, granted, ancient peoples were absorbed in their own “bubble” of the world, they were also fully a part of it.

In the ancient times, people HAD to depend on each other in order to survive. Hunters had to rely on group efforts at bringing down meat; the group had to rely on each other to give extra food when needed; the entire “tribe” had to depend on one another for information on danger, shelter, and simple need-to-knows. The social world was much different then than now, where even at work one often works alone and only confronts others in a group meeting. And at the home, it is becoming rarer that people actually KNOW their neighbors. It is simply not seen as important anymore. People want their solitude and secrecy. America is becoming less of a social country with more development, as opposed to ancient times, when life was dependent upon human relationships and interactions. It is saddening to see how far we, as a country, have fallen in terms of our community.