Part 3: Across the Classic-verse

While most of us weren’t looking, the Western world transitioned from a postmodern age to a metamodern age. If you’ve been fanboying over the latest big franchise multiverse storylines, I’m afraid you’ve inadvertently been accepting the “New Normal.”

In the context that term is being used, I think it qualifies as an oxymoron. It is, of course, anything but normal.

True normalcy cannot be had without some commonalities shared between its people, such as a unified culture or moral code timeless enough that it can’t be legislated upon ever-changing Current Year whims.

We’re divided as a society. Our differences are constantly being pointed out in both the political sphere and in pop culture. If you live in the West, you can’t escape it. The propaganda bombards us with imagery of fingers pointed at specific cultures or subcultures as the bad guy, the cause for all our ills. Self-accountability is discouraged and entitlement is exacerbated whenever and wherever it can be.

Allow me to paint a picture.

An Empire, Born

Against all odds, there’s a sudden spark in the world. A bustling port explodes into a city, then a country. Few regulations exist, if any. There’s a power struggle. (There always is.) But the people thrive none-the-less and enjoy an explosion of commerce and growth.

There are no taxes. Anyone can build, invent, innovate, create, trade, and sell without jumping through unreasonable loopholes. Overhead is so low, extra effort is almost always rewarded.

Meanwhile, speech enjoys its own free market, in that people are allowed to think and share opinions, be it regarding the physical realm, the spiritual realm, the abstract realm, or a mixture of the three. And people are welcomed to debate those points in a public forum.

The combination of the physical, spiritual, and abstract allows us to more easily invent new ideas and philosophies, which extends into inventing new stories and styles. Since life is treated as a great mystery, many of these ideas are thought-provoking, inspiring, and truly novel, such as the idea that everyone should have the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

And so, society has a shared purpose and goal, a shared heritage with shared holidays, pastimes, and values. Sure, there’s always a few folks who aren’t with the program yet, but so long as they (or their future kin) either join the cultural melting pot (or are part of a fairly compatible culture), there should be no problems.

Since citizens have enough freedom to hold their government accountable, they allow an initial infrastructure to be built, providing society with what is truly necessary to function such as bridges, roads, hospitals, and churches. (Unfortunately, this is what introduces the tax, if not a war.)

Good and evil have a clear delineation that comes from a higher calling somewhere outside of ourselves. A new, unique, and interesting culture emerges, typically using religion as its backbone.

People are kind, neighborly, modest, and willing to volunteer for the good of others rather than for the selfie opportunities. This is due to a strong sense of Nationality and Civility.

Since we agreed we all have the inalienable right to live, life is celebrated, the core family unit is placed on a pedestal, and policies that support life are preferred over policies that support death. Facts and reality rule the day and are allowed to co-exist with religion to help answer the mysteries of what lies beyond.

People are allowed to use a priori to extrapolate ideas and formulate theories. Wisdom counts for something and is even celebrated, and every person who is a part of the community is recognized as a truly unique individual.

People strive for goodness, purity, and beauty, and the virtues can be observed being put into action in our daily lives.

These virtues, heroics, and this new culture are reflected in the stories born of it, teaching a strong sense of justice. A rush of art and creativity bursts onto the scene, and in the world of writing, Science Fiction can include anything from journeys to the center of the Earth to engaging Low Fantasy yarns. There’s a strong sense of adventure and exploration of the unknown.

Journalistic integrity is strong, with journalists actually risking their lives for a career-making scoop.

You are allowed to talk about the science of anything, such as the science of fiction, or the science of metaphysics. While some views may cause ridicule from your peers, people still engage in conversation with you with respect for having your own opinions formed from your uniquely lived life.

There is an understanding that debate is a mechanism to help “hammer down loose nails”. It’s there to keep society on-track with its virtues. Even bullying is recognized as a natural mechanism to help maintain societal norms.

And so, people are humbled, wowed, and fascinated by the might and breadth of the world, and understand that they do not–and can never–understand everything. Space, the ocean, the untamed lands, they hold a magic that cannot be easily replicated outside of a classic-era society.