Project Vision 21

Throughout human history, an innumerable number of people—including prophets, philosophers, artists, and activists—have voiced their concern and lament over the level of corruption and folly in their communities, regardless of the era, place, language, or beliefs of those expressing these grievances and warnings.

At times, these calls for sanity and mutual respect, largely ignored, are easy to find and read, like the messages of the prophets in the Hebrew scriptures, the early fragments of Heraclitus, Socrates’ dialogues, or Apuleius’ amusing tale of us being turned into donkeys.

Closer to our own time, we could mention Kant in What is Enlightenment? where he explores the immaturity of those who should already be mature but prefer to depend on others rather than assume their own responsibilities. And we must mention Kafka, who so accurately turns us into repulsive insects when we become useless to consumer society.

Yet, in some cases, warnings about corruption and folly are hidden in plain sight, in a text published worldwide in nearly every language but rarely read in depth. Here, it’s verse 10 of what’s known as the Epistle of Jude, a text without consensus on when, where, or by whom it was written.

This is what the text says (in my own translation): “There are people who disregard (disrespect, mock) those things they are unable to see (understand) and whatever they are able to perceive they grasp instinctively, like other living beings living unaware of their spiritual (cosmic) connection. Their actions and ignorance lead them to their inevitable downfall.”

Though written nearly two millennia ago, this text aptly reflects two tendencies in today’s world: the tendency to discard deeper knowledge, wisdom, or spiritual insight in favor of what is immediately practical or data-driven, and the tendency to act on instinct, reacting to reality impulsively and without critical thought or reflection.

Just as those two thousand years ago disregarded what they couldn’t understand, today we are content to passively receive information from social networks, discarding anything that requires a slower, more comprehensive reading that could lead us to rethink, discard, or expand ideas or experiences to deepen our connection with reality.

We live in such a complex era, flooded with information (not always reliable) and a constant avalanche of new and disruptive technologies, that our frustration with life reaches a level where we prefer to disconnect from a reality we perceive as lacking meaning or direction. But the solution isn’t always having a screen in front of our eyes.

The “inevitable downfall” mentioned in Jude 10 may or may not be so, but it seems to mirror the existential risks humanity faces today. Ignoring our spiritual or cosmic connection may lead us down a path that could result in ecological, social, and moral crises.

As Juan Ruiz de Alarcón wrote in the 17th century (The Suspicious Truth, Act One): “He who lives without being noticed, he who merely adds to the numbers and does what everyone else does, how does he differ from a beast?”