Oct 11, 2023·edited Oct 11, 2023Liked by Steve Skojec
Years ago, probably over a decade ago, I followed the writings of Nicole Foss at the website Automatic Earth. One her posts struck me deeply at the time. It has come to mind over and over in the passing years. In the post she described a concept called the “trust horizon”. Her thesis was that the post World War II west had created an unusual social construct where people were able to trust larger and larger, more and more removed institutions. The social, political and economic order had created a situation, not found often in history, where people could rely on supply chains and systems from the other side of the world to provide basic needs for food, raw materials, manufactured goods, military security and a number of other of the benefits of civilization.
The advent of the internet reinforced this for a time. Platforms like Ebay created a world where an individual in Biloxi, could personally order something from a person in rural China with confidence that goods and money would successfully change hands. Foss claimed that this only worked because people placed their individual trust in institutions that had global reach and power.
She correctly predicted that western society was beginning to unravel. Part of this unravelling would be a progressively shrinking trust horizon.
We are now at the point where the “trust horizon” is completely collapsing. We are swimming in an ocean of lies, half-truths, misinformation, spin and confusion. It is increasingly difficult to trust the media, government, corporations, financial institutions, organized medicine, religious organizations and even supposed charitable and educational institutions.
Watching the events of last weekend from my cabin in the north woods of New England (yes, the internet reaches even there) filled me with both horror and dread. What was being beamed around the world were live re-enactments of the Viking raids of the dark ages, or of the ravages of Genghis Khan and Atila the Hun across the steps of Asia and Eastern Europe.
As the week has progressed the narratives from both sides (all sides?) have begun to solidify. My sense is that the “news” is being highly edited to produce specific emotional responses. My inner alarm bells are becoming louder. I have a growing sense that, even if there was no initial conspiracy to create certain outcomes, multiple parties have now seized the opportunity to push their particular perspective on events in order to optimize their positions. In this rush to gain the emotional high ground the truth is increasingly trampled and buried.
I have no answer to this. Events seem to be overtaking even the most powerful and entrenched institutions’ ability to respond and deal with them. I can only control what is in my immediate present. My own life, thoughts, family and work. The larger world is becoming more obviously dangerous but there seems to be little I can do other than to watch and try to be aware.
As a Christian, I do believe that there is a supernatural aspect to all of this. But even there, it seems that, beyond trying to live out my beliefs in my own life, there is little I can do. I try to focus my trust on the belief that God is in control and that there is a plan, even when I cannot see it.
Carry on Steve. Your post was right on about the craziness and uncertainty of our present situation.
Years ago, probably over a decade ago, I followed the writings of Nicole Foss at the website Automatic Earth. One her posts struck me deeply at the time. It has come to mind over and over in the passing years. In the post she described a concept called the “trust horizon”. Her thesis was that the post World War II west had created an unusual social construct where people were able to trust larger and larger, more and more removed institutions. The social, political and economic order had created a situation, not found often in history, where people could rely on supply chains and systems from the other side of the world to provide basic needs for food, raw materials, manufactured goods, military security and a number of other of the benefits of civilization.
The advent of the internet reinforced this for a time. Platforms like Ebay created a world where an individual in Biloxi, could personally order something from a person in rural China with confidence that goods and money would successfully change hands. Foss claimed that this only worked because people placed their individual trust in institutions that had global reach and power.
She correctly predicted that western society was beginning to unravel. Part of this unravelling would be a progressively shrinking trust horizon.
We are now at the point where the “trust horizon” is completely collapsing. We are swimming in an ocean of lies, half-truths, misinformation, spin and confusion. It is increasingly difficult to trust the media, government, corporations, financial institutions, organized medicine, religious organizations and even supposed charitable and educational institutions.
Watching the events of last weekend from my cabin in the north woods of New England (yes, the internet reaches even there) filled me with both horror and dread. What was being beamed around the world were live re-enactments of the Viking raids of the dark ages, or of the ravages of Genghis Khan and Atila the Hun across the steps of Asia and Eastern Europe.
As the week has progressed the narratives from both sides (all sides?) have begun to solidify. My sense is that the “news” is being highly edited to produce specific emotional responses. My inner alarm bells are becoming louder. I have a growing sense that, even if there was no initial conspiracy to create certain outcomes, multiple parties have now seized the opportunity to push their particular perspective on events in order to optimize their positions. In this rush to gain the emotional high ground the truth is increasingly trampled and buried.
I have no answer to this. Events seem to be overtaking even the most powerful and entrenched institutions’ ability to respond and deal with them. I can only control what is in my immediate present. My own life, thoughts, family and work. The larger world is becoming more obviously dangerous but there seems to be little I can do other than to watch and try to be aware.
As a Christian, I do believe that there is a supernatural aspect to all of this. But even there, it seems that, beyond trying to live out my beliefs in my own life, there is little I can do. I try to focus my trust on the belief that God is in control and that there is a plan, even when I cannot see it.
Carry on Steve. Your post was right on about the craziness and uncertainty of our present situation.
JT
Awesome comment, JT. Thank you for taking the time to write it.