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The Rise of the Selfie – Devolving Demise

By Randy Gonzalez

Consider for a moment, the never-ending struggle to advance oneself, immortalize

personal existence, assert how special one is whenever possible, and then face eventual
demise, decay and death. Well then, how special is that? All come and go, and in very
short order are forgotten. Time passes and no one remembers for very long afterwards.
Contemplation of finality, the undisputable fact that each life is gripped by the impunity
of self-destruction and eventual cessation of life.
For many, that is pretty unnerving, scary and frightening. So much so, that
extraordinary energies and expenditures are instituted to stave off the final confrontation
with mortality. In the end, no matter who you are, or what you have, regardless of what
you now, or what you have done, you end up with nothing. You are dead and then
something else happens, of which no one has any definitive answers. In the pitch
bleakness of eternity, everyone vanishes and no returns to tell about it.
As the lights grow dim, the shadows close in, and darkness engulfs, in the final breath,
there is little you can do about it. No matter how powerful, influential, wealthy, well
connected, or learned, you are a dissolving mass of decomposition. And yet, for so many
having not reconciled the wisdom of such eventuality, the unsettling prospects conjure
many arguments and acts of defiance against the ravages of devolving demise.
From digital reflections, texts of posturing poses, to cyber social networking, the glitz,
glamor and glory labors to immortalize one’s presence. However, why waste so much
energy being salaciously self-absorbed? Because in the age of materialistic decadence,
and gluttonous consumerism, within the scheme of post-modern cultures, most prefer the
worship of their own deification. From an aristocracy of political patronage, to criminal
lifestyles, self-gratification in personal glorification offers escapist satiation.
The egoistic purposes of narcissistic intentions find many pathways to perpetrate
devolving probabilities for the subsequent extinction of the human species. All of the
ramifications have fascinating interpretations. For the age of such modern times, many
are raptured by their image and sanctified by the sacrifice of their immortalization.
People struggle with the fear death poses, and blame life for the consequences.
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The advent of the selfie infers the mirrored flash of those who hunger for attention at
any price. They have convinced themselves of the necessity of success at any cost,
especially to others they abuse. For the amative self-gratification of all that is singularly
warped within a dysfunctional personality, the overly “selfie” conscious person expends
devolving energies on person promotion. For them, they must be seen, noticed, validated
and glamorized continuously by any medium of expression possible.
Yet, by passage of time, ravages of counterproductive ageing, in the end, the
decomposition of death becomes the final great equalizer. Flies find the corpse, worms
eat the flesh, and the dirt claims the terminal passage. After that, it gets very dark, as the
nothingness of non-existence possesses one more to be soon forgotten. For all the glitz,
glamor and gore, whatever the scale of socio-economic and political interaction, rich and
famous, young and old, poor and powerful, the result is the same.
For the vast majority, the personal quest becomes diverted by self-deception in the
translation of grotesque images, forms and fabrications of primordial selfishness. It is
devolution of the self in the glorification of one’s narcissistic union with one’s reflection.
To see oneself as special above others, gifted and entitled, particularly in the idolatry of
fame and wealth acquisition, along with perpetual physical perfection, pretends to be that
which it is not. Neediness chases the glory of gluttonous greed.
Wherein resides the humility of creative essence beyond primeval necessities?
Misspent energies of self-centeredness, voraciously sublimating wiser choices for inner
glorification, from torture to termination, collude in personal inclinations so that you miss
the majestic wonder of life’s experiences. Dawn of the self, in dysfunctional private
discovery, hosts the possession of dangerous notions. Such specious speculations across
social networking and infotainment media sources assert debasing superficiality.
For the crimes of commercialization, which salaciously feed the need of hedonistic
gratifications, the “selfie” of self-absorption betrays intellectual prospects of
enlightenment. Draped with the blackened cloak that embraces counter-productivity, and
antisocial premeditations, demise is in divisive thinking processes. To be seen, to be
noticed, to be seemingly authenticated for much more than one is, ensures regressive
schemes for illicit self-gratification. Child-like, immature and foolish attention seeking
speaks loudly and dangerously of a species fading slowly from existence.
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On an individual level of an evolving nature, some will eventually figure out the
ancient admonitions of selfless sacrifice. For the sanctification of personal liberation, a
few strive valiantly to overcome the regression of emotional reactivity. To labor
relentlessly for self-evolution, persevere in spite of adversity, cling tenaciously to humble
necessities, and transform thinking processes to higher levels, demands a higher sense of
individual freedom. Pride, envy and anger become relegated to the infantile ranting of
prior existence. Renewed presence, in well-differentiated transition, insists upon
forsaking the materiality of excessive self-regard. For such, an adventurous “mindset”
can envision a change that ensures the dignity of ethical self-reliance.
From one perspective, maybe one in a hundred will actually transcend the mundane
intentional conformity to an adverse fixation of self-interest. A handful of the population
will seek the divergent paths of profound personal discovery, with enlightened
enrichment. Yet others, hostile and antagonistic, adversarial and confrontational, will
make maladaptive choices for devolving hedonistic satiations. From one percent to
perhaps twenty percent, from another perception, one in five may actually achieve the
liberation of their senses and thereby transform themselves extraordinarily.
For those who fight back and resist the simpleton self-centered perspective, there are
risks and defying the herd mentality. As to those in pursuit of amative personal
glorification, there will be repercussions. In opposition, a valiant few go about their
individualized quest of living life in a state of mature curiosity. Their discovery on an
intensely personal basis is a free-willed labor of change. Among the heroic small
numbers of lifelong persevering warriors, in the hardships of self-evolution, there is a
deeper wonderment for a vast enlightened liberated mindfulness.
Individual selflessness in personal innovation and enlightened ascendency requires a
martial kind of discipline. To expect nothing, to be satisfied with the present moment, to
embrace what one has, and desire to possess nothing more than wisdom, no matter what
anyone else says or does, requires a “warrior’s” mindset. To pursue self, for self’s sake,
is both ignorant and regressive and hastens the demise of the human species. Often by
symbiotic degradation of others, to fabricate a false self out of a fractured unevolved self,
many foolishly degrade the potentiality of extraordinarily thoughtful discovery. At the
same time, other lives are oppressed and harmed in the essence of living.
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A personal quest is a private one, a valued sanctified road to adventure for the
expansion of a profound intuitive ascension. Material acquisition, gluttonous
consumption and the decadence of mirrored projections of one’s trickery at every
opportunity are counterproductive to advancement of the species. Such narcissistic
reflections are destructive for the sake of self-gratifying satiations in abject egocentricity.
In opposition though, the evolved humility of quietly confident energies for individual
liberation affirms wiser transformation in personal revolution.
Where a person or group, as in ideological mythologies, is selfishly motivated to
safeguard the “fame and fortune” of a particular perspective, at the expense of others,
future prospects invite a dystopic future. Widespread “selfie” of self-importance diminish
the significance of rational relevance, factual materiality and intellectual competence.
Instead, collaborative stupidity insists upon the “feel good” emotions of the moment at
the cost of a profound ascended maturation. Ignorance is not bliss it is horror.
Regardless the fallacies of inference in biased perspectives, in undignified digressions
of “selfie-ness” for the sake of subjective validation, go relentlessly unchallenged very
often. Hasty generalizations formulated from feelings and simplistic thinking, rather than
facts, perpetrate the myriad false assumptions that regurgitate the stupidity of social
intercourse. Competition for media ratings, ideological dogmatism, conceited political
agendas, or any other emotional self-interest, perverts the quest for an evolved sense of
mature enlightenment. Thus, an unevolved, uncreative culture decays and collapses.
Every day, the variety of “infotainment” sources provides poignant evidence of
widespread instances of complicities in numerous acts of behavioral senselessness.
Contrived absurdities underscore the profound lack of civilized problem-solving
interactions on a global scale. From community destroying riots, to state sponsorship of
terrorism, and “cultic” perversions of genocide, anti-thinking spurs the misery of human
suffering. Historically, there is a long list of ancient to modern degradations.
In one aspect here in particular, the “selfie” is a metaphor to suggest the excessiveness
of personal indulgence for the gratification of one’s self-righteous wants, desires and
cravings. It is an illustration of a consuming focus on oneself, by which a person relishes
in the reflective flirtation of never growing up. Likewise, the expression of such a
narrowly defined fantasy promotes ill-conceived biased conclusions.
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In an age of anti-thinking, where emotional insecurity grips a two-fisted clinch on

primal self-preservation, productive progression in human innovation becomes more and
stifled. Social interactions waste precious moments in mundane frivolities that focus
more and more on consumption rather than contribution. Opinions and associated
viewpoints, often boasted in the bloated misconceptions of expertise, pander alleged
truths steeped frequently in the illusions of worn-out doctrines. Constrained by the
shortcomings of dysfunctional ideations, given juvenile insistence on infantile stagnation,
multitudes clamor at the unhallowed altars of importance beyond merit.
Shortsightedness of fractured imagery forsakes the wonder of purposeful
investigations through logically skeptical application. Instead, personal egocentricity
quickly agitates into the carnal indulgence of troublesome personal promotion. Without
the transforming experience of long tireless efforts, earned and translated into wisdom
and profound understanding, illegitimate claims of authority pretend smug and pious
postures. Arrogant pontifications prostitute their shallow self-indulgence throughout the
myriad networks of societal infotainment with simple-minded platitudes.
As to intolerance for differences, or criticisms of counter-arguments, the
pretentiousness of “social equality” brags with disrespect at every opportunity for its
disenchantment. From the lack of sufferings and qualifications of successes from real and
practical engagements with reality, many forsake the serious learning of life’s struggles
against a death yet to come. Without the strenuous investment of mind and matter,
psychophysical timeworn and truth tested confrontations, and of personal sacrifices,
many worship their self-centeredness of knowing much about nothing.
The incessant promulgation of self without praiseworthy achievement, underscores the
dismal array of feeble efforts to transition the human species to a higher civilized form.
With failure not an option, unearned entitlements to everything without cost or risk,
corporate-government induced “leveled playing fields”, where everyone wins and no one
loses, insults and degrades humanity into eventual extinction. Rationality of insightful
contemplation is renders an unnecessary diversion. With arrogance for ignorance,
multitudes ignore the necessity of well-informed individuality, through which personal
adventures enrich a life-long quest. Stupidity fails to ignite inner energies to focus on
higher levels of mental alacrity to suffer the lethargy of slothful proclivities.
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The praise of foolhardy antics in the assertion of limited understanding, from a

perspective of inexperience, demonstrates the social expanse of “expertise in stupidity”.
To hear it every day, all one must do is pick up the “trending” latest book claiming some
new found insight, the secret to everything or the magic of instant wealth. Add to that, the
succession of barely adult “news” reporters, bantering for the sake of ratings in a talking
head teleprompter staged setting. With the glitz, glamor and grazing on gore, quick and
easy sound bites ponder the pretended seriousness of shortsighted emotionally appealing
snippets of crass banality. Unsubstantiated opinions subjugate the reality of facts.
Why think for yourself when others, pretending to be an authority, will do that for
you? From classroom to classroom, the fakery of knowledge knows not the boundaries of
every aspect of modern human enterprises. Collective indulgences for expediency of
immediate gratification, and reassurance of bias and subjective validation, degrade the
few valiant attempts to insist upon species transformation. From philosophical
perspectives to false inferences of “fact”, the so-called “social and behavioral sciences”,
which are pseudosciences at best, derail civilization’s advancement.
Speculative theory can now be assumed as factuality without actually proving the
scientific validity beyond reasonable doubt. With sufficient cunny influence, clever
telemarketing of every sort, and emotional reactivity, along with social networking,
anyone or any entity can become an icon of “expertise”. Similarly, obtaining the real-
world exposure of an actual practitioner, over tireless periods of learning, remains
generally unnecessary. Quick and easy are better than long and tough.
History demonstrates quite clearly, with much complicity, the diverse prevarications
by which people are inclined toward the perpetration of arrogant self-interests. Most
likely, now, it is too late to reverse the cascading decadency of selfishness for foolhardy
behaviors of the human species. With a couple hundred thousand years of existence, have
human societies gained greater insight into its nature? Has civilization been promoted
with a more progressive advantage for the future of the planet? Or, as always happens
with human beings, not much has changed has it? And, is it any wonder that human
nature in particular has eroded even further? What are the potentialities that a failure to
transcend the original nature invites extinction in the near future? As futurists from
diverse fields of inquiry ask mournfully, is humankind on the brink of disaster?
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The advent of the selfie is a convenient metaphor for the proclaimed rampant
ignorance and subsequent selfish behavior evidenced by social classes throughout the
world. Such reference likewise speaks to several studies that suggest the human species
in regressing. In addition, in similar modes of research, it is said that the human genome
is breaking down, as physical capabilities diminish. Obesity has become a very
significant issue in western cultures, of which this is not a positive factor.
Excessive consumption is not conductive to productive utilization of planetary
resources. As populations grow fatter, and gluttonous consumerism expands at faster
rates, the economic, political and social infrastructures are placed in jeopardy. Recently,
in a national broadcast, and a major research paper, investigators addressed concerns
about growing diminished mental and physiological capacities of an over-weight society.
According to recent European inquiries, “I.Q.” data appears to warn policy makers that
intellectual capacity is slipping behind that of previous generations.
Meanwhile, those more inclined to an inner personal revolution, or survival in the
hardships of life, move on with their daily necessities. A few valiant ones endeavor to
change themselves and improve their psychophysical abilities. Long-term Intuitive quests
for individualized transformation, and psychodynamic liberation, is an ongoing
relentlessly challenging pursuit of higher “mindfulness”. Unfortunately, only a small
band of creative, determined and disciplined individuals will assert the effort.
Of this, it is a more profound personification of thought and reasoned action, and finds
unyielding singularity in a unique personal presence. In post-modern societies,
particularly with focus on the U.S., the arrogance of “selfie” is typically expressed in the
physically projected imagery of fashionable neediness for notice. Along with such
superficiality in dysfunctional personalities, comes an incessant justification for satiations
in extraordinary reaches of emotional hedonism. Selfishness rules the day.
By such discordant maladaptive actions, especially when false beliefs reinforce
untenable supernatural points of view, the freedom of individuality is threatened.
Immediate gratification and irrational emotionalism crave distorted subjective
validations. Adherence to a “victimization mindset” purposely degrades logical processes
of deduction, whereby facts in evidence validate provability of critical issues. In the
process, many will do everything possible for attention and “herd” consensus.
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In a general sense, gone are the pioneers, the pilgrims, the warriors and the
adventurers. The era of consumer excess, glamorous decadence, celebrity worship, and
socio-economic imbalance, as recent documentaries have suggested, points to a selfish
species that colludes in its own stupidity. Immaturity in the exploitation of life and
resources enjoys the fellowship of eventual demise. According to a select group of
futurists, from biology to physics, the age of adverse consequences has come.
With arrogance for self-righteous “intolerant tolerance”, perpetrated by illogically
presumed political correctness and mythical claims of “special knowledge”, regressive
consensus is easily exploited. Quickly capitalized upon by the drama of alleged news
media, communal infrastructures and social interactions become dangerous, fall into
chaos and devolve counterproductively into anarchy. Freedom suffers, as society
regresses and the constitution conveniently ignored.
From a study of ancient empires to present times, some historians believe in a “life-
cycle” for the rise and fall of societies. One such claim alleges the cycle to follow a
specific pattern of self-indulgent characteristics. At the end of the process, non-
productive animosities for intentional ignorance, and personal glorification, hastens
collective devolutionary interactions. The human species does not advance by “anti-
social” behaviors instigated by the high propensity for selfishness. Through the decades,
from exploration and discovery, through innovation and affluence, to gluttonous
consumption, about two and half centuries later, powerful states have collapsed.
Every day across the planet, one can readily observe examples of such foolishness, in
decadence and depravity. Crime, corruption and illicit collusions reflect divisive
primordial inclinations of human populations. It is the “dark side” of human nature,
contrived in purposeful motivation for amative satiation, which animates the duality,
where one part is good, and the other evil. In the end, the darkness wins.
The rise of the selfie in devolving demise is a reference point, which suggests only
one perspective. Merely opinion, based on some research for future things to come. On
an individual basis, one should seriously evaluate their personal state of being. Self-
analysis takes place every day and for whatever time there is, a person persists in
persevering toward individual transformation. In the end, death is a dark place for which
there is no return, whether a person or an entire species.
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http://www.whimsicalpublications.com/Randy_Gonzalez/Black_Widows_Bondage.html

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Widows-Bondage-Randy-Gonzalez/dp/1940707129

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Widows-Bondage-Randy-Gonzalez/dp/1940707129