crackpot theory # 1

I call it a crackpot theory. You might call it a belief.

It is a way to see the world. I have a number of them.

This one is my theory of escalation.

I will not claim that it is original to me. Someone else must have noticed this before.

The theory is that whatever is acceptable today will be pushed to new limits tomorrow.

Listen to popular music. In appearance alone the early rockers were pushing the envelope of acceptability. The lyrics were mostly tame with a few probing the limits of what was acceptable at the time. Listen to some Gene Vincent to get the idea.

Then along came The Beatles, pushing appearance again and right on their heels came The Rolling Stones. Now the Stones pushed on the limits for lyrics right away. It was great fun to be young and to shock your parents with those songs.

Well the limits kept escalating, pushed by each new band who had to top the music they heard while growing up. All those kids from the 60’s lost contact with popular music along the way, they stopped listening to new music and found comfort in oldies. These baby boomers were shocked to hear what their own kids listened to.

The limits continue to escalate. That is just the way it is and it is our fault. We allow limits to be pushed when we are young and can’t complain about the way things turn out.

There comes a time when a person needs to stop and ask where is this all going?

Of course I am not just talking about music. Escalation happens in everything. You can see it through all of popular culture. You can see it in simple things that you now find acceptable for yourself. From the size of your next meal to the amount of clothing you own.

You can see it in the behavior of people. A gun is used now to settle a minor dispute when a fight would have been the limit in the past.

More, more, more!

Start asking yourself if you need as much as you’re able to get. Start asking where it’s all taking you. Start asking if it will be a better world because of this. Start asking what it teaches your children.

Remember, because all limits will be broken, it will not be the same world that you are comfortable with now.

You get to decide what the world will be like every time you accept some new limit on what is acceptable to you.