If we agree that one of the prime tenets of Modernism is rooted in individual freedom of expression and freedom of choice, I would posit that we have actually reached simultaneously the apex and nadir of our approximately 500-year journey. On the up side, in the so-called free world, we do have the freedom to pursue our individualism in pretty much any way we please, as long as we do not contravene the laws of the land. On the down side, in the so-called free world, we have the freedom to pursue our individualism in pretty much any way we please, as long as we do not contravene the laws of the land. Has Modernism reached its reductio ad absurdum? In other words, are we now so fettered by our "freedom" that we no longer have the capacity to know we are free? With an iPod bud in every ear, an LCD image in every eye, the pervasive redolence of plastic, a touch of silicon for good measure and a soupcon of individual pleasure, do we not have all the ingredients to pursue our desires in any way we see fit? We stand on Everest, our flag of individualism planted firmly by one hand and our cell phone in the other, broadcasting to the world that we have reached the summit of our heroic lives; we wallow in Silicon Valley, our Facebook page controlled by one hand and our cell phone in the other, texting (or even worse, Twittering) to the world the most banal bumf of our trivial lives. Of course, Jean-Jacques Rousseau's dictum comes to mind: "Man is born free, but [or and, depending on the translation] everywhere he is in chains." What is our current social contract and does it come with an extended warranty? or no money down until January 2011? Frankly, I think the fine print has to be more closely scrutinized because our current far-sightedness (ironic, isn't it?) does not enable us to see the essential truths of decent human conduct in a caring world of compassion. Cast aside the frills and we are all the same species, governed by the same general rules, headed for the same fate and no better or worse than the other six billion of us inhabiting our planet or the billions who have trod here before. Memento mori
