Chesterton's Fence

I recognize the difficulty in the journey typed out below. You and I likely want to find some sense of order in the world. The world doesn't seem to have the same concerns....We could throw up our hands and let the tides push us where they will. Or we can attempt to create a place of sanctity that permits us to explore ideas and take a shot at figuring it all out. If at the end you question what the heck I am going on about, great. Please do question, have a go at aligning your thoughts and views to the concepts and maybe you can get us collectively one step closer to an outcome you might like to be a part of. Or not. If not please don't tear anything down just yet.

I first heard of Chesterton's Fence when I read "A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century: Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life" by evolutionary biologists Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein.

I found the content insightful and gave me a lot to think on. I have no doubt that some, perhaps many will disagree with the book or portions of it. That is perfectly ok. Well done for reading it, in particular if it is not something you would typically have read. A line from the write up that stands out for me is:

The cognitive dissonance spawned by trying to live in a society we are not built for is killing us.

We will explore this idea as it relates in my mind to Chesterton's Fence and our modern way of living.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English writer, philosopher, Christian apologist, and literary and art critic. From Chesterton’s 1929 book, The Thing, in the chapter entitled, “The Drift from Domesticity”

Chesterton’s Fence is:

In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don’t see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don’t see the use of it, I certainly won’t let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.

Or as I think of it - Do not remove, delete, destroy, disagree with or scrub from the histories that which you have not first thoroughly examined from all sides. If the person or persons that first built, imagined, created, wrote, conceived of said things is available to you in some format. Then do your best to discuss, learn from, read about and talk directly to (when possible) that person. It is vital to try and understand the reason for existence of the "thing" you see little to no value for.

Because I am still hard at work using ten words where one might suffice, we can go even tighter to its core with:

Do not remove a fence until you know why it was put up in the first place.

You may have heard the phrase - "Out with the old and in with the new". All very exciting don't you think? That rush for novelty can lead us to some unfortunate endings we did not foresee. Is that because we could not foresee them or we simply didn't afford the time to do so? I believe we are caught in a trap where we seek to and I use the word loosely here - improve - what came before. We exist, a deliberate choice of word (at least in the developed societies) in an environment that financially and socially rewards first over the finish line and novelty. It requires us to adapt to this environment to stay relevant and compete for as much of the reward as possible.

Some argue that it is critical to improvement, without that mindset and drive to greater heights we would not have all the wonderful improvements and luxuries that now abound in many ways. I do not disagree. What I have been wrestling with lately though is these two seemingly complimentary yet potentially at odds concepts - progression and adaptation.

If we (as Humans) are the ones that built the society we now live in how could it be that we are living in a society we are not built for? Get yourself comfortable and perhaps take a break to brew your favourite hot drink as this next bit might take a while.

Progression is typically thought of as a positive enhancement of the previous version of something. Adaptation is the process required for change to occur when we are no longer suited to the environment we operate in or the task required of us, due to or a symptom of progression. Those of us not directly involved with the progression process are rarely aware of the difficulties that shadow the path of progression or the adaptation required of those progressing . All most of us see is an outcome. This is why I think the majority are no longer well adapted to the society we are part of. I believe myself and most of you have simply modified ourselves without realizing it to the environment we inhabit . We can include the physical environments around us but more specifically the societal environment that has been progressing and adapting with little input from you or I.

An easy example to go with and that has been explored many times these last few years would be the use of smart phones. I use this as a reference to help readers gain a similar basis of understanding. I am at the time of writing 2022 now 44 years old. I was born into a world where cell (mobile) phones did not exist. Landlines did exist and were all pay as you go where I live. Every time you dialed it cost money. Instead of calling my friends to see if they wanted to play, I would walk, run or bike to their house, sometimes crossing town to see if they were around. I saw the comings and goings of others in the area, I had a sense of the changes of the landscapes, the buildings over time. When we did play we were mostly outdoors solving issues together, developing a sense of independence and learning resilience and our place in the societal hierarchies around us. About age 14, technology and video games were becoming a significant part of our lives, I recall my friends and I talking about how cool it would be to have a device to watch tv, play video games and talk to our friends on, like the walkie talkies we had but it would work no matter how far apart we were. Little did I know within 6 years I would hold in my hand a cell phone. It only made calls and texts but wow was that useful.

Over time new features were added, most did not have any major change on my comings and goings, but the unaware adaptions caused by this progression had begun. I no longer left my house prior to finding out if a meeting with friends would occur so I became less aware of the comings and goings of the local community. Just a small and seemingly minor thing at first which I had no consciousness awareness of. Soon the phones became smartphones and the novelty of games meant I would spend hours playing with it, a ride on the bus or train no longer had me watching the comings and goings of people, seeing the world out the window, saying hello to the micro community of people that often exist on public transit commutes. The same people typically take the same bus or train at the same time every day. In times past we would have smiled, maybe said hello, perhaps had a chat with the person next to us or those around us and in a way build a temporary but daily community on the bus. I was barely aware if someone got on or off. A few times I even missed my stop I was so engrossed in the screen. Slowly the "fence" of community was being taken down and dismantled with almost no one considering (granted they likely had never heard it either) the question posed by Chesterton so many years ago. Why had community come to exist and what might occur if we let it be destroyed? How can you review a potential problem you are not aware is occurring? Most of us have simply adapted without realizing it to the environment we find ourselves in.

Lets consider the word adapted. In its purest sense it would suggest that a being is now capable of surviving within a new environment, be it a change that occurred around it or by moving into a new unfamiliar environment. Surviving is not the same as thriving. Thriving would mean the being is able to live a fully expressed life.

If you use a sliding scale with surviving on one end and thriving on the other, where would you be?

We have broken Chesterton's fence, we dismantled it without realizing we were doing so and in so doing we gave no thought to the reasons the fence of community was built in the first place. Most of us are closer to the surviving end of the scale as we attempt to navigate a world that is not familiar to us in any meaningful way. We have been able to get by, to adapt in some sense to these changes but in the broader sense of adaption to thrive we are no where close. I suspect that is why so many (myself included) seek to attach their identities to one thing or another to find a common bond somewhere in this world that we can attempt to be a part of.

I would offer these closing thoughts for you to consider. If you suspect or know you are closer to the surviving side of the scale it might be time to build or maybe just repair the proverbial fence. Take every single possible opportunity you have to be in the world and not apart from it. I do mean literally be in the world, be present and open. If driving has become your default to get anywhere, put aside the time to walk whenever practical. It has nothing to do with exercise (although that is a side benefit) it is about slowing down your pace, giving yourself time to see and experience your community. If you travel by public transport, resist the urge to touch a phone or even a book or newspaper. Instead observe the world outside as you travel, see the people around you, strike up a conversation. It might just be a short hello to start with. But tomorrow if that same person is there again, perhaps it could extend to, "Hi, I remember you from yesterday, my name is David, what's yours?". Day three it could now be "Good Morning Phil, good to see you. Did you see that show on Netflix about...."

I could pick so many entry points as to the benefits of slowing down a bit and taking time to engage with community. For now that might be your own personal inner community. We all have one, it spends a lot of time talking at us and taking up our thoughts. Is there something that has been tapping away at you for some time. "Pay attention, stop ignoring me, why are you not listening?"...you know that same inner voice that can hurt and distract us can also be trying so hard to help us. Spend time with it, get to know it and it might be worth listening to. I have come to believe that our inner self actually has our best interests at heart we just have a fascinating capacity to get in our own way.

Effort is hard, but effort equals experience. Experience develops you and often the most difficult and challenging times are how we earn the most powerful lessons and develop skills to become a better more fulfilled part of a community.

Before we break down another fence, maybe just maybe we should all consider repairing it, adding a coat of paint, installing a gate so we can leave when we need. Yet invite others in for conversation and debate to permit space for countering ideas to our own to flow and laughter to bubble forth.

All the best on your journey,

David.