Metamorphosis and Society
Housing Crisis Perspectives #5
For the curious: Instinct Decay: Heretic Online
A fascinating aspect of metamorphosis is that the transformed creature often inhabits a different biome from its younger self. Caterpillars, for example, live on and eat leaves, while butterflies live in the air and eat nectar. This transition to a new environment is essential to avoid competition for resources, which would harm the species overall. A similar principle may be applicable to our modern society, as the unnatural social structure we’ve created may be the root of our contemporary problems.
A curious study from the 1960s sought to examine the effects of a simulated modern environment on mice. The results showed that when the population’s age structure resembled a tower-block, with equal numbers of mice from childhood to old age, the mice exhibited extreme behaviors, including social isolation, violence, excessive grooming, and an unwillingness to have children. This collapse in the mice’s behavior and instincts resulted from their inability to enjoy a normal life progression.
Recent data from the American Community Survey (ACS) by the US Census Bureau highlights the housing unaffordability problem in the US, with half of the renters paying more than 30% of their household incomes towards gross rent. This is a 14% increase from 2019 ACS data, and median gross rent was unaffordable in about 47% of surveyed counties in 2021. Much like the mice in the study, young people today face a lack of social space, struggling to find affordable housing and establish their own territory.
The root of the issue lies in the unnatural social structure, where aging people are attempting to live like young people and draining the young of resources. What is needed is for different age groups to be engaged in different pursuits. A potential solution can be found in the ancient Hindu tradition of dividing life into four stages or ashramas, where a man is expected to have different priorities at each stage. In this model, once an individual reaches 75 or completes their familial duties, they are to renounce material possessions and focus on spiritual fulfillment.
The wisdom of the ancients suggests a society where old age is marked by a shift in priorities, allowing for younger individuals to find the social space they need to establish themselves and their families. By adopting a model similar to the ashramas, society could create a more harmonious balance between age groups, making way for a more natural life progression for all. This would ultimately alleviate the pressures on young people and create a sustainable social structure that supports the well-being of all generations.
The difference between a philosopher and an ideologue, is that a philosopher’s ideas are not mutually exclusive.
This was one explanation of the housing problem.
Here are five others:
