# Fear, Frustration, and Violence: Societal Implications for America - Response By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2025-09-16 An argument could be made that we are living in the most peaceful time in recorded history (the last 10,000 years or so). This has undoubtedly been the most extended period of recorded history where there hasn't been a war within the "heart" of Europe. As far as we can see, the risk of a violent death is as low as it's ever been; even in America. However, that doesn't mean fear and frustration are never present, and that there isn't something fundamentally wrong with society. How our minds define the meaning of events over time makes it difficult to grasp the entirety of the situation. Both things can be true: America has a fear, frustration, and violence problem AND this is the most peaceful time in recorded human history. One can argue whether this is a genuine paradox or merely a misaligned analytical comparison, but the internal and external conflicts of our time have emerged. We are beyond the age where we can easily make progress by simply accepting or rejecting an idea or belief. Is freedom good? Is science good? Is capitalism good? Is bread good? Is the family good? To some, the answer to these questions is obvious. However, to an increasing number, these questions evoke anxiety, uncertainty, and unease when considered in relation to human flourishing. The emergent recognition of this multiplicity, of 'and' instead of 'or,' is at least one source of the fear and frustration in America. This is especially true when the ideal of American Individualism becomes a paradox itself. Those looking for progress from basic binary questions are seeing exactly what happens when individualism lacks a coherent acceptance of collective solidarity. Instead of embracing both perspectives simultaneously, they jump between states and choose to ignore the contradiction that festers inside them. One minute, they fight for their individual rights. The next minute, they band together to fight the power as a collective hive mind where little individual thought is given, even to the point of impeding upon the individual rights they are fighting for. This isn't just a left or right-leaning political issue. Both are deep within the pit of binary despair and love to point it out when they see it in the other. This creates a negative feedback loop into oblivion. To establish trust and progress in this emergent age, we need to install a new code base that accepts the paradox of facts as just a way of being in the world that has always existed, so that we can get back to progress. We need to patch the bug that came with modernity, which was only identified but never fixed with postmodernity. This represents a significant development challenge for society, which may be our greatest hurdle yet. #### Related Items [[American]] [[Post-modern]] [[Modernity]] [[Society]] [[Fear]] [[Violence]] [[Uncertainty]] [[Metamodernism]]