Book Review: ‘What is Wrong with the World’ by GK Chesterton
The
book begins with an analysis of a mistake we continue to make in
life. Following the lessons we have learned from medicine, we look
for a cure, wherever we find an issue. Whereas, in sociology, for
whatever cure we are able to come across, we must look for an issue
from a long list of social ills, to which it can be applied. We are
not able to recognize this, since we are constantly under the
influence of biological metaphors on all aspects of life. For
example, we talk about young nations, or dying states.
Then
the author comes to the title of the book. What is wrong with the
world is that we do not ask what is right. And dissect our social
mores and variants over the ages. For example, take hypocrisy. The
hypocrite of the old was a man whose aims were really worldly, while
he pretended that he was religious. The new hypocrite is one whose
aims are really religious, or parochial, while he pretends that he is
worldly and practical. Or look at the way one misunderstands totally,
every past event.
Come
another chapter, and the talk is about our romance with the future,
leaving the past and the present to the hands of the unthinking. We
strengthen this by our nature, especially of the dread of the past
and the present. And in our society, one who thinks ahead of his
times is revered very high.
The
book then examines why, the modern world is so uncomfortable with
ideals that they take up new ideals at every opportunity. An ideal,
the book says, is like the sun. Just as it is hurting to look
directly at the sun, it will be startling, if one is to be fully true
to one’s ideal.
A
few chapters are devoted to a discussion about the female point of
view. How and why such matters need to be in our society, and what
can come out of it.
These
are only a few of the issues covered in this book. I feel this is a
great read, though the language is a bit tough. It supports much of
what I have written in my book, The Unsure Male.
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