Kafka’s Birthday Has New Meaning in Today’s World

I was amused when I was a young man and came to realize that I share my birthday (July 3rd) with Franz Kafka. It was a time when almost everything in our world (except for Kafka’s stories) made sense. Honest people prospered, hard work paid off, justice generally prevailed, science had great value in our society….children even took piano lessons. At the same time, bad people suffered, and liars were discredited and ostracized.

As we look around us now, at a world growing steadily more senseless as each year passes, it’s as if Kafka’s ghost is calling the shots.

Fortunately, we also live in a time that is also characterized by the digging in of heels. Masses of people noisily refuse to accept the steady stream of lies, the attacks on our press, our judiciary, and thus our democracy–and the abandonment of core principles like truth and decency that have traditionally been the mainstay of our society.

Will we ultimately reject the terrifying trends of today, or will we wind up in a civilization that is truly and irrevocably Kafkaesque?

There is no answer to that, other than to say: It’s up to you and me.

Howard says:

July 3, 2017 at 9:47 pm

We have to work hard to restore order in our democracy, otherwise it will be ruined.

arlene allen says:

July 3, 2017 at 10:30 pm

Happy birthday!

craigshields says:

July 4, 2017 at 1:52 am

Thanks, Arlene. It’s been an honor getting to know you.
- marcopolo says:
  
  July 4, 2017 at 7:16 am
  
  Craig,
  
  Best wishes on your birthday, may you have many more !
  - craigshields says:
    
    July 4, 2017 at 3:22 pm
    
    Thanks very much. I hope to be around for a bit longer. I can’t wait to see how the current crises turn out.

Roy Hopkins says:

July 3, 2017 at 10:37 pm

Yes Craig, we sure do live in interesting times.
I think the era of greed/consumerism/selfishness is finally grinding to its ugly end; to be replaced by a system that recognises the value of Humanity. But as Edmund Burke said: Evil can only prevail when good people do nothing. It’s that simple: there’s nothing complicated about our duty to each other.
Goodonya Craig for doing your duty.

Robert Bernal says:

July 3, 2017 at 10:46 pm

Some say that the works of Kafka allude to how others tend to invent problems in settings that already don’t mesh well with peaceful democratic systems.
I imagine that the current state of apparent mass polarization could lead towards a wide rift separating logic, science and empathy (and thus, peace and democracy) from our current state.
As a character, I hope I am wrong when I invent problems…
The following is from Rush, and their song: Limelight…
All the world’s indeed a stage
And we are merely players
Performers and portrayers
Each another’s audience
Outside the gilded cage.

Marc Vendetti says:

July 4, 2017 at 6:52 am

Yeah Robert…Closer to the heart….Thanks Craig…
marcopolo says:

July 4, 2017 at 7:28 am

Hi Robert,

Hey a fellow Rush fan ! I first meet Alexandar Zivojinovich (Lifeson)in 1969. It’s great to see these great rock survivors still producing great music and unforgettable lyrics.

Frank R. Eggers says:

July 4, 2017 at 2:29 am

We’ve been through this before as everyone who has read about the “Gilded Age”, AKA the robber baron era, knows. That lasted roughly from 1870 to 1910. During that period, wealthy industrialists and bankers exercised considerable control over our government and economy. When enough people became fed up, things changed. We are now experiencing a period which has much in common with the “Gilded Age”. There is no reason to suppose that it will not end.

I suggest reading the biographies of the influential people who lived during the “Gilded Age”. That includes the biographies of the Astors, Andrew Carnegie, the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, and the history of the Morgans and their banking.