I’m going to try and break this down for some people—let’s go through Part 1 of this plan in simple, layman’s terms. The author is trying to explain why they think society is in trouble today and why building strong communities is the first step to fixing things. They cover a lot of ground, so I’ll focus on the main ideas and explain them as if we’re just chatting about it. Here we go!
What’s Part 1 About?
Part 1 is called “Modern Developments,” and it’s all about what the author thinks has gone wrong in the modern world. They believe we’ve lost balance in how we live, think, and organize society, and this is causing big problems—like environmental damage, health issues, political corruption, and weaker communities. They want to explain these problems before moving on to their solution (which comes in Parts 2 and 3).
The Big Picture: Left Brain vs. Right Brain
The author starts with a big idea about how our brains work, which might sound complicated, but it’s actually pretty straightforward when you break it down:
- Left Brain: This is the thinking, logical, planning part of your brain. It’s good at analyzing, making rules, and focusing on details—like doing math or writing a to-do list.
- Right Brain: This is the feeling, creative, instinctive part of your brain. It’s good at experiencing the world, being creative, and understanding the big picture—like enjoying music, feeling emotions, or playing without a plan.
The author says that in the modern world, we’ve gone overboard on the “left brain” stuff—too much focus on rules, technology, science, and structure—and we’ve neglected the “right brain” stuff—like community, creativity, and just living in the moment. They think this imbalance is causing a lot of our problems. For example:
- We’re so busy chasing knowledge, money, and technology (left brain) that we’re forgetting to connect with each other, enjoy life, and take care of our planet (right brain).
They mention some books and experts (like Iain McGilchrist) who agree that society has been “left-brain dominant” since the Scientific Revolution (when science and logic started taking over). This has given us a lot of cool stuff, like smartphones and medicine, but it’s also caused problems, like feeling disconnected, polluting the earth, and losing trust in each other.
The Problems of the Modern World
Now, the author gets into specific things they think are going wrong because of this imbalance. They break it down into a few big areas:
1. Our Bodies and the Earth Are Suffering
The author is worried about how modern life is hurting our health and the planet. Here’s what they’re upset about, in simple terms:
- Chemicals Everywhere: Big industries (like the chemical industry, worth trillions of dollars) are putting toxic stuff into our water, air, and food. Examples include “forever chemicals” (PFAS, which don’t break down), fracking waste (from drilling for oil and gas), and other harmful substances.
- Government Not Protecting Us: They think agencies like the FDA (food and drugs), EPA (environment), CDC (health), and FCC (communications) aren’t doing their jobs properly. For example, they mention the government ignoring studies about Wi-Fi radiation possibly being harmful.
- Food and Farming Issues: Modern farming practices, like using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and fish farms, are unsustainable and might be bad for our health and the planet. For instance, they worry we’re losing farmland and water because of these practices.
- Medical Problems: The author is skeptical of modern medicine, especially around COVID-19. They think the virus might have been man-made, and they’re upset about vaccines, claiming they’re dangerous and forced on people. They also say prescription drugs are causing more harm than good, becoming a leading cause of death, and that mental health drugs aren’t working well.
- Healthcare Costs: Healthcare spending in the U.S. has exploded (from $1.5 trillion in 2002 to $4.5 trillion in 2022), but the author thinks it’s not making us healthier. They quote an old book saying that things like better living conditions, nutrition, and personal habits (like not smoking) do more for our health than fancy medical treatments.
In Short: The author thinks modern industries and technology are poisoning us and the planet, and the government isn’t stopping it. They believe we’re spending tons of money on healthcare but not getting healthier, and we’re ignoring simpler, more natural ways to stay well.
2. Science adventure
The author is worried about how our focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) has made us rich in knowledge and stuff, but poor in other ways. Here’s what they’re saying:
- Too Much Focus on Knowledge: People are spending so much time learning and working in STEM fields (like tech and science) that they’re neglecting other important things, like building strong communities, getting involved in politics, or even spending time with family and friends.
- Trusting the Wrong Sources: The author thinks the more educated people are, the more they trust mainstream media, which they believe is full of misinformation. This makes people politically clueless, especially about how big corporations and special interests are controlling the system (like influencing COVID vaccine policies).
- Science Isn’t Perfect: They think science has problems, too, like lots of fraud in medical research (revealed by AI) and being out of touch with real-world problems. They mention a video by James Corbett called “Crisis of Science” to back this up.
- Missing the Big Picture: Scientists are so focused on tiny details (like lab experiments) that they miss the bigger problems in the world, like pollution or corruption.
In Short: The author thinks our obsession with science and knowledge is making us blind to bigger problems and disconnecting us from real-world issues.
3. Technology and Online Life
The author is concerned about how technology, especially the internet and smartphones, is changing how we live and connect. Here’s what they’re saying:
- TV Changed Us: Back in the 1950s, TV made everyone focus on national news and entertainment, not local issues. This made us less connected to our own communities and more focused on faraway problems.
- Internet and Social Media: Today, almost everyone in the U.S. (343 million) has internet access, and most (315 million) use social media. Smartphones are everywhere, too. But the author thinks this is causing problems, especially for young people, like more depression, loneliness, and anxiety (they mention a psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, who studies this).
- Fake Relationships: People are even turning to AI “companions” (like from a company called Replika) for friendship or romance, which the author finds sad. They think real, in-person relationships are way better than online ones.
- Less Creativity: Being online all the time is “left brain” stuff (thinking, analyzing), and it’s taking away from “right brain” stuff (creativity, art, play), which could help with loneliness and mental health.
In Short: The author thinks technology is making us more isolated, less creative, and less connected to our local communities, even though it’s supposed to bring us together.
4. Local Communities, Democracy, and Politics
The author looks back at history and compares it to today to show how we’ve lost our way. Here’s what they’re saying:
- Old-School Democracy: Back in the 1700s, when the U.S. was founded, people lived in small, tight-knit communities (mostly farms, not cities). They had to work together in person to solve problems, like holding town halls to make decisions. This led to big things, like writing the Constitution. The author thinks this was a great example of real democracy, where people were directly involved.
- Democracy Is Natural: The author even says democracy isn’t just a human idea—it’s something animals do, too (like herds or flocks deciding where to go). They also mention ancient societies that were fair and equal, without kings or huge gaps between rich and poor. They think if we know what’s really going on in our society, we can make it fairer, too.
- Kids and Play: They talk about how kids today are overprotected and don’t get to play freely like kids in hunter-gatherer societies. This is bad for their mental health and stops them from learning how to be adults. The author thinks modern schools push too much “left brain” learning (like math and reading) and not enough “right brain” play, which hurts kids.
- Modern Problems: Today, the author sees society as too focused on plans, rules, and structures (all “left brain” stuff), which can lead to bad ideas that don’t work in the real world. For example, they think big corporations and global organizations (like the World Health Organization or World Economic Forum) are pushing fake problems (like calling COVID a huge pandemic when they think it wasn’t) and fake solutions (like vaccines).
In Short: The author thinks we’ve lost the strong, local communities and real democracy we used to have, and now we’re stuck with bad systems run by corporations and global groups that don’t care about regular people.
5. Modern Structures Are Broken
The author lists examples of how modern society is controlled by the wrong people, not regular citizens. Here’s what they’re upset about:
- Corporations Run Everything: Big companies and rich people control the media (down to just 5 big owners from 50 in the past), colleges (run by administrators, not teachers), medical research (run by private interests), and even the money system (run by private banks, not the government).
- Global Groups: Organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and World Economic Forum (WEF) are pushing global agendas (like COVID policies) that the author thinks are fake or harmful, and regular people didn’t vote for these groups.
- Politicians Are Bought: Politicians are paid off by billions in corporate lobbying, so they don’t represent regular people. This is why Congress has super low approval ratings (around 20%).
- Local Stuff Is Taken Over: Even local things, like schools, are being controlled by outside forces (like “wokeness” in education), which the author thinks is wrong.
In Short: The author thinks our society is run by big corporations, global organizations, and corrupt politicians, not by regular people, and this is causing a lot of problems and making us feel powerless.
Why This Matters for the Author’s Plan
The author believes all these modern problems—pollution, bad health, corrupt politics, weak communities, and too much focus on technology and rules—are happening because we’ve lost balance. We’re too “left brain” (focused on logic, plans, and control) and not enough “right brain” (focused on community, creativity, and living in the moment). This is why they want to build strong, local communities as the first step to fixing things. In Parts 2 and 3, they’ll explain how to do this, but Part 1 is all about showing why it’s needed.
My Final Thoughts (in Layman’s Terms)
Think of the author as someone who’s looking around and saying, “Man, everything’s messed up!” They think we’re poisoning the planet, making ourselves sick, letting big corporations and global groups run the show, and forgetting how to connect with each other in real life. They blame this on society being too focused on science, technology, and rules, and not enough on community, creativity, and democracy. Their big idea is to bring back strong, local communities where people work together to fight back against all this bad stuff, but first, they wanted to explain why they think the world is in such a mess.
Note: All of part 2 has been moved from here to part 2.
I’m going to try and break this down for some people—let’s go through Part 1 of this plan in simple, layman’s terms. The author is trying to explain why they think society is in trouble today and why building strong communities is the first step to fixing things. They cover a lot of ground, so I’ll focus on the main ideas and explain them as if we’re just chatting about it. Here we go!
What’s Part 1 About?
Part 1 is called “Modern Developments,” and it’s all about what the author thinks has gone wrong in the modern world. They believe we’ve lost balance in how we live, think, and organize society, and this is causing big problems—like environmental damage, health issues, political corruption, and weaker communities. They want to explain these problems before moving on to their solution (which comes in Parts 2 and 3).
The Big Picture: Left Brain vs. Right Brain
The author starts with a big idea about how our brains work, which might sound complicated, but it’s actually pretty straightforward when you break it down:
- Left Brain: This is the thinking, logical, planning part of your brain. It’s good at analyzing, making rules, and focusing on details—like doing math or writing a to-do list.
- Right Brain: This is the feeling, creative, instinctive part of your brain. It’s good at experiencing the world, being creative, and understanding the big picture—like enjoying music, feeling emotions, or playing without a plan.
The author says that in the modern world, we’ve gone overboard on the “left brain” stuff—too much focus on rules, technology, science, and structure—and we’ve neglected the “right brain” stuff—like community, creativity, and just living in the moment. They think this imbalance is causing a lot of our problems. For example:
- We’re so busy chasing knowledge, money, and technology (left brain) that we’re forgetting to connect with each other, enjoy life, and take care of our planet (right brain).
They mention some books and experts (like Iain McGilchrist) who agree that society has been “left-brain dominant” since the Scientific Revolution (when science and logic started taking over). This has given us a lot of cool stuff, like smartphones and medicine, but it’s also caused problems, like feeling disconnected, polluting the earth, and losing trust in each other.
The Problems of the Modern World
Now, the author gets into specific things they think are going wrong because of this imbalance. They break it down into a few big areas:
1. Our Bodies and the Earth Are Suffering
The author is worried about how modern life is hurting our health and the planet. Here’s what they’re upset about, in simple terms:
- Chemicals Everywhere: Big industries (like the chemical industry, worth trillions of dollars) are putting toxic stuff into our water, air, and food. Examples include “forever chemicals” (PFAS, which don’t break down), fracking waste (from drilling for oil and gas), and other harmful substances.
- Government Not Protecting Us: They think agencies like the FDA (food and drugs), EPA (environment), CDC (health), and FCC (communications) aren’t doing their jobs properly. For example, they mention the government ignoring studies about Wi-Fi radiation possibly being harmful.
- Food and Farming Issues: Modern farming practices, like using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and fish farms, are unsustainable and might be bad for our health and the planet. For instance, they worry we’re losing farmland and water because of these practices.
- Medical Problems: The author is skeptical of modern medicine, especially around COVID-19. They think the virus might have been man-made, and they’re upset about vaccines, claiming they’re dangerous and forced on people. They also say prescription drugs are causing more harm than good, becoming a leading cause of death, and that mental health drugs aren’t working well.
- Healthcare Costs: Healthcare spending in the U.S. has exploded (from $1.5 trillion in 2002 to $4.5 trillion in 2022), but the author thinks it’s not making us healthier. They quote an old book saying that things like better living conditions, nutrition, and personal habits (like not smoking) do more for our health than fancy medical treatments.
In Short: The author thinks modern industries and technology are poisoning us and the planet, and the government isn’t stopping it. They believe we’re spending tons of money on healthcare but not getting healthier, and we’re ignoring simpler, more natural ways to stay well.
2. Science adventure
The author is worried about how our focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) has made us rich in knowledge and stuff, but poor in other ways. Here’s what they’re saying:
- Too Much Focus on Knowledge: People are spending so much time learning and working in STEM fields (like tech and science) that they’re neglecting other important things, like building strong communities, getting involved in politics, or even spending time with family and friends.
- Trusting the Wrong Sources: The author thinks the more educated people are, the more they trust mainstream media, which they believe is full of misinformation. This makes people politically clueless, especially about how big corporations and special interests are controlling the system (like influencing COVID vaccine policies).
- Science Isn’t Perfect: They think science has problems, too, like lots of fraud in medical research (revealed by AI) and being out of touch with real-world problems. They mention a video by James Corbett called “Crisis of Science” to back this up.
- Missing the Big Picture: Scientists are so focused on tiny details (like lab experiments) that they miss the bigger problems in the world, like pollution or corruption.
In Short: The author thinks our obsession with science and knowledge is making us blind to bigger problems and disconnecting us from real-world issues.
3. Technology and Online Life
The author is concerned about how technology, especially the internet and smartphones, is changing how we live and connect. Here’s what they’re saying:
- TV Changed Us: Back in the 1950s, TV made everyone focus on national news and entertainment, not local issues. This made us less connected to our own communities and more focused on faraway problems.
- Internet and Social Media: Today, almost everyone in the U.S. (343 million) has internet access, and most (315 million) use social media. Smartphones are everywhere, too. But the author thinks this is causing problems, especially for young people, like more depression, loneliness, and anxiety (they mention a psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, who studies this).
- Fake Relationships: People are even turning to AI “companions” (like from a company called Replika) for friendship or romance, which the author finds sad. They think real, in-person relationships are way better than online ones.
- Less Creativity: Being online all the time is “left brain” stuff (thinking, analyzing), and it’s taking away from “right brain” stuff (creativity, art, play), which could help with loneliness and mental health.
In Short: The author thinks technology is making us more isolated, less creative, and less connected to our local communities, even though it’s supposed to bring us together.
4. Local Communities, Democracy, and Politics
The author looks back at history and compares it to today to show how we’ve lost our way. Here’s what they’re saying:
- Old-School Democracy: Back in the 1700s, when the U.S. was founded, people lived in small, tight-knit communities (mostly farms, not cities). They had to work together in person to solve problems, like holding town halls to make decisions. This led to big things, like writing the Constitution. The author thinks this was a great example of real democracy, where people were directly involved.
- Democracy Is Natural: The author even says democracy isn’t just a human idea—it’s something animals do, too (like herds or flocks deciding where to go). They also mention ancient societies that were fair and equal, without kings or huge gaps between rich and poor. They think if we know what’s really going on in our society, we can make it fairer, too.
- Kids and Play: They talk about how kids today are overprotected and don’t get to play freely like kids in hunter-gatherer societies. This is bad for their mental health and stops them from learning how to be adults. The author thinks modern schools push too much “left brain” learning (like math and reading) and not enough “right brain” play, which hurts kids.
- Modern Problems: Today, the author sees society as too focused on plans, rules, and structures (all “left brain” stuff), which can lead to bad ideas that don’t work in the real world. For example, they think big corporations and global organizations (like the World Health Organization or World Economic Forum) are pushing fake problems (like calling COVID a huge pandemic when they think it wasn’t) and fake solutions (like vaccines).
In Short: The author thinks we’ve lost the strong, local communities and real democracy we used to have, and now we’re stuck with bad systems run by corporations and global groups that don’t care about regular people.
5. Modern Structures Are Broken
The author lists examples of how modern society is controlled by the wrong people, not regular citizens. Here’s what they’re upset about:
- Corporations Run Everything: Big companies and rich people control the media (down to just 5 big owners from 50 in the past), colleges (run by administrators, not teachers), medical research (run by private interests), and even the money system (run by private banks, not the government).
- Global Groups: Organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and World Economic Forum (WEF) are pushing global agendas (like COVID policies) that the author thinks are fake or harmful, and regular people didn’t vote for these groups.
- Politicians Are Bought: Politicians are paid off by billions in corporate lobbying, so they don’t represent regular people. This is why Congress has super low approval ratings (around 20%).
- Local Stuff Is Taken Over: Even local things, like schools, are being controlled by outside forces (like “wokeness” in education), which the author thinks is wrong.
In Short: The author thinks our society is run by big corporations, global organizations, and corrupt politicians, not by regular people, and this is causing a lot of problems and making us feel powerless.
Why This Matters for the Author’s Plan
The author believes all these modern problems—pollution, bad health, corrupt politics, weak communities, and too much focus on technology and rules—are happening because we’ve lost balance. We’re too “left brain” (focused on logic, plans, and control) and not enough “right brain” (focused on community, creativity, and living in the moment). This is why they want to build strong, local communities as the first step to fixing things. In Parts 2 and 3, they’ll explain how to do this, but Part 1 is all about showing why it’s needed.
My Final Thoughts (in Layman’s Terms)
Think of the author as someone who’s looking around and saying, “Man, everything’s messed up!” They think we’re poisoning the planet, making ourselves sick, letting big corporations and global groups run the show, and forgetting how to connect with each other in real life. They blame this on society being too focused on science, technology, and rules, and not enough on community, creativity, and democracy. Their big idea is to bring back strong, local communities where people work together to fight back against all this bad stuff, but first, they wanted to explain why they think the world is in such a mess.
I appreciate seeing the writing being received so well, or to do so well picking up what's being laid down. It's truly gratifying.