Generational Progress

In managing society, the true test of whether we have done a good job is the extent to which the next generation is judged to be in a better place than the previous one.

Genetically, such considerations are impossible to assess. Any changes would be too small, too complex and too ill-defined. We do not have the knowledge or analytical ability to discern such a marginal genetic change. Never mind trying to equate any changes to the demands of the prevailing environment and working out whether our relative position has improved.

This may be why, when seeking to judge generational progress, we tend to assess how the next generation is faring in society. Are they financially better off? Do they enjoy a better lifestyle? Are they better educated? Do they have better jobs? Their homes, their holidays, their cars…. how do they compare?

Our generational success is measured by our societal success.

Society is, after all, the bedrock of our ongoing existence. If individuals are doing well in society – their Living Environment – then they must also be genetically attuned to that environment. As our society progresses, if individuals continue to thrive in it, then there must also be some genetic advancement.

The trouble is that by measuring this generational progress through society, we have become diverted from our genetic focus as the primary driver of human action. Too often now, we are driven by a desire for societal progress, and so that’s what we concentrate on. Our Genetic Priority has become a secondary consideration. Societal progress in its own right has become more valued and more sought after.

This is because our demands and expectations of society have changed.

Initially, humanity formed society to help protect itself from the savage forces of Nature. By living together and supporting one another, we could overcome the survival-of-the-fittest regime that existed in Nature. It was an evolutionary master stroke.

And there’s no denying that as a species we have flourished. Our strategy has seemingly worked. So much so that, all too often, we take the protectionist role of society for granted. Society has fulfilled its mission – it has secured our survival.

Accordingly, our requirements have moved on. We now want society to do more for us – to drive living standards and to help us acquire a better quality of life. In fact, society’s role has become one of adding value to our existence rather than merely securing our continued existence.

We now look to society to make our lives better, easier, and more fulfilling.

That is why, driven by a desire for betterment, we increasingly strive for societal progress – a better work/life balance, better healthcare, more consumer choice, more entertainment. We want and demand greater personal fulfilment. And so far, in achieving these aims, society has done a pretty good job.

Of course, there will always be odd times when things aren’t quite as good, but these isolated years rarely coalesce into a generational downturn.

There have certainly been periods of societal regression, when society seemed to take a backward step. Such regressive moves are usually instigated by some political change or by war. Examples would include Eastern Europe after the Second World War or life under the Khmer Rouge in Communist Cambodia. These are both societies that failed to advance; they failed to advance their people.

Similarly, a regressive move could be triggered by a natural disaster or environmental catastrophe.

On a micro level, we have seen these happen: volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, nuclear disasters (Chernobyl). Local societies can be destroyed. It can take a generation to recover from such events.

On the whole, though, society’s progress has been incessant, the rate of change dramatic.

It would be very easy to become complacent about such progress and to assume that things will always work out for the best.

Perhaps we do, at times, put too much faith and trust in society and in our own ability to manage this world. After all, things have been going our way for so long now. Yet it only needs one substantive error, one spectacular occurrence for the whole thing to collapse.

And as our technology improves and our powers increase, the danger grows. The threat we – rather than Nature – pose to our own existence increases. We have it within ourselves to do far more damage to ourselves and the planet than we ever previously could.

That danger may arise from a single cataclysmic event (a nuclear incident), from the corrosive effects of our accumulated activities (environmental pollution), or even from the overwhelming pace of change.

We should therefore be mindful that our knowledge and technological advances may not continue to underwrite the damage we do to our environment, our health and our community. There are threats out there that could destabilize or destroy our society, threats we may not be able to overcome.

Aware of this danger, we regularly need to assess our direction of travel. We need to be sure that society is taking us where we want to go and that we are not confusing societal progress for generational progress.

Having to travel an hour a day on a crowded train to get to work may be necessary from a societal point of view, but it would not seem to be a great step forward for the generations. Yet many people do this, accepting the compromise in order to attain other societal benefits.

Sending a baby to nursery rather than having it spend time with its parents may offer some societal benefits, but from a genetic perspective, it may have negative consequences.

Too easily, we can perceive societal progress as being good for us when it may not be. It may be beneficial for us as individuals and for society, but it may also represent a loss of our Genetic Priority. We are increasingly living for society rather than living for our genes.

Similarly, some people do refer to the old days with a nostalgic reverence, that things used to be better in the past… the way children played; the amount of traffic on the roads; the stability of employment; the levels of respect between people…. It may well be that, when considering these qualities, our generational progress isn’t so certain, that society isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, and that it’s not actually delivering on all that we should expect of it.

Perhaps, ideally, in order to try and quantify our relative position with bygone days, there ought to be a mathematical measure to determine generational progress. How would life today score in comparison with the 1980s, the 1950s or the 1900s? One of the difficulties with doing this would be that our species’ strength should always be judged in relation to our standing in the prevailing environment – but which environment do we measure ourselves against, that of society or that of Nature?

In calculating such a figure, we would also need to use a scoring system, which would involve assigning values to different aspects of our lives. These values would be difficult to agree upon – for some, being affluent may not necessarily be a measure of progress; for others, having a large, close family may not be so appealing. There may be little agreement on the ideals we should be striving for.

That is perhaps why, when considering generational progress, we tend to be very generalizing.

By gauging it against our societal progress, we can at least get a measure of it. We can satisfy ourselves that we are doing the right thing and doing a good job. Our offspring are benefiting from society’s ongoing development. Their health, prosperity and quality of life confirm that we are on the right track.

Of course, the overshadowing watch-out is that society is a world of our own making. This means that we will be genetically adapting to our own creation. We make society, society, as our Living environment, and it makes us as we adopt those genetic qualities which thrive in that societal environment. And so this reciprocal relationship is fuelled and perpetuated.

As such, it would be very easy to lose sight of our genetic impact and instead prioritize society’s needs over our own. That is why we should be clear to distinguish generational progress from societal progress; that is why we should never assume that generational progress is guaranteed; that the societal progress we make is good for us or that it is, in fact, the progress we want.

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