There is a distinct problem with hierarchy that very few people talk about, and it is one of mental health. By that, I do not mean the insanity that it can be lonely at the top, because the only reason it can be lonely at the top is that no one should be there. For many, “good” mental health means knowing that someone else is beneath or that someone can be blamed, which externalizes the issue. Instead of managing emotions, people assumed there would always be someone beneath them to bully and release any pent up negative feelings. We will not able to claim good mental health until we all accept responsibility for who we are and that no one is required to validate anyone else, regardless of how many resources one hoards.
When going to work, if people are at the lowest end of the pyramid, they often have to deal with those who have managed to successfully navigate toxic workplaces, and the sad truth is that said “navigation” often involves becoming as toxic as those who manage such a place. Inevitably, one has to step on others, hide credit, spend unaffordable sums to socialize, or grit teeth in order to advance, and so many have learned to accept these humiliation rituals that anyone against it is seen as “soft.” Meanwhile, bosses are rarely called to carpet about how they engage with those entrusted to form the teams that accomplish the task. Many people have languished in stagnant careers because those who are emotionally unhinged could not successfully relinquish control and focus on the issues with which they were presented.
Having any kind of relationship is a challenge during the best of times, including with one’s self. So many individuals have sunk into depression or loneliness because rest and leisure are seen as things people should only have if they have “earned the rights,” and the ability to earn said rights is rapidly diminishing. Therefore, a bunch of people are walking around without knowing themselves due to an inability to self actualize, and they are inflicting their hampered and wounded psyches on everyone else. Rather than soothe, others have finally learned to disengage, which does not solve the problem, but forces those with poor emotional intelligence to confront themselves–which they can still avoid by distracting themselves. A traumatizing world leads to an emotionally bankrupt world, and self help will be impossible if people are not given the chance to self engage.
None of the mental health issues are new, but in a world where social networks need to start supplanting the dominant narrative, it will be difficult to organize emotionally stunted people. We need to start asking ourselves if nonstop consumption has removed our abilities to maintain good mental health, and begin the arduous task of creating a society that no longer requires such behavior. It is not a long term solution to externalize one’s value, and we need to stop teaching that “someone always has it worse.” No one should need to be better than others to feel good.
