Seriousness Is Not Sexy, But It Makes Things Work
Let’s make seriousness great again!
These days, a dear friend of mine resigned from a company whose General Manager was totally incompetent. He would say one thing and do another, not clearly defining the responsibilities of each role in the company, creating tremendous confusion. In a word, he is not a serious person.
In Italian politics, but as I see it, also at the international level, unrealizable promises and catchy and polarizing remarks dominate the political debate at the expense of discussions and reasoning on solutions to address the real problems of our societies. Here, too, there is a total lack of seriousness.
On social networks, silly and empty content dominates and becomes viral. Last night, my children told me about a TikToker who gains popularity by opening packages, briefly showing their contents, and then discarding them.
Yet we are all perfectly aware that seriousness is a fundamental value.
Anyone who works or has worked in a functioning company knows very well that there are serious and prepared individuals in managerial positions or as the head of important and delicate projects.
When we go to the bank or the hospital, we rightly expect that those handling our money or health are serious individuals.
In long-lasting romantic relationships, commitment and seriousness are fundamental elements.
For parents, one of the main concerns is the preparation and seriousness of our children’s school and teachers.
It seems that for things personally affecting us, we prioritize seriousness while we accept being at the mercy of superficiality and stupidity in public matters.
It’s like living in clean, tidy apartments in dirty, disorganized cities.
Why does this happen?
Because we have progressively relinquished public seriousness in favor of direct, manipulative, and harmful contact between public figures and the masses. Public figures (politicians, entertainers, singers) speak directly to the lowest instincts of the masses, amplifying and exacerbating their most animalistic aspects.
This is completely irresponsible. It’s like telling a child who doesn’t want to study, “ Sure, go play video games, studying is useless!” Or if a child refuses to eat fruits and vegetables, saying, “ You’re right, gorge on chocolate, it has never harmed anyone!”
We may make our children happy, but are we truly doing them good?
The pursuit of easy consensus is the main enemy of seriousness.
This is amplified by social networks and free online newspapers that reward engagement to have a larger audience to show advertisements.
On the flip side, much like the allure of a juicy hamburger over a bowl of fresh carrots and fennel at a feast, our online instincts lead us to click on an article titled “ How to lose weight by indulging in sweets and skipping exercise: what official science doesn’t tell you “, rather than opting for an article by a reputable nutritionist who articulates that weight loss demands commitment and discipline.
We must stop this drift for our own good and our children’s future.
Does it seem like an impossible task? Yet there are some signs of hope.
In Italy, Alessandro Barbero, a sixty-year-old historian in a suit and tie, is enjoying tremendous success. His lessons (recorded and published by his admirers because he doesn’t have a social media channel!) are getting millions of views on YouTube.
In-depth broadcasts on Dante and the Divine Comedy are also gaining great popularity on traditional TV.
So, what can we do concretely? I’ve tried to write this small list. If you have other suggestions, write them in the comments.
- Beware of those who propose easy solutions that require no effort.
- Beware of those who find culprits rather than solutions.
- Beware of those who question science in favor of “popular wisdom”.
- Beware of those who coddle our weaknesses instead of motivating us to improve.
- Beware of those who dismiss complexity for the sake of simplicity.
- Beware of those who exploit fear rather than inspire hope.
- Beware of those who prioritize popularity over integrity.
- Beware of those who foster division instead of promoting unity.
- Beware of those who undermine critical thinking in favor of blind conformity.
- Beware of those who prioritize short-term gains over long-term sustainability.
Seriousness is not sexy, but it makes things work.
Let’s make seriousness great again!
I’m Andrea from Bologna, Italy. I write about life, beauty, empathy, and lessons learned. To see my stories pop up on your feed, I’d love for you to follow me (Andrea Feccomandi). And, to have stories sent directly to you, subscribe to The Warm Lasagna, my weekly newsletter.
Originally published at https://warmlasagna.substack.com.