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Reactions to the Pace of Change

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IntroductionThe more reflective one’s attitude <strong>to</strong>wards life is,<strong>the</strong> more it seems that values and lifestyles arethings that are up for decision. Life is no longerunambiguous or simple. People can experience<strong>the</strong>mselves as <strong>to</strong>urists between lifestyles, and lifeas something <strong>the</strong>y have <strong>to</strong> form an attitude <strong>to</strong>ra<strong>the</strong>r than participate in naturally.The sociologist Dean MacCannell has claimed thatmodern lifestyle with a high pace <strong>of</strong> change, freedomin relationships and a choice <strong>of</strong> values paves<strong>the</strong> way for “<strong>to</strong>urism as a way <strong>of</strong> life.” Life becomeslike watching oneself on a stage with props andscenery which might have been different – andperhaps should have been. A plot which is notnecessarily as interesting as <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rs’. Au<strong>the</strong>nticitybecomes an experience – not a way <strong>of</strong> life.“Primitives who live <strong>the</strong>ir lives <strong>to</strong>tally exposed <strong>to</strong><strong>the</strong>ir “relevant o<strong>the</strong>rs” do not suffer from anxietyabout <strong>the</strong> au<strong>the</strong>nticity <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir lives…” ”The oppositeproblem, a weakened sense <strong>of</strong> reality, appears with<strong>the</strong> differentiation <strong>of</strong> society in<strong>to</strong> front and back.Once this division is established, <strong>the</strong>re can be noreturn <strong>to</strong> a state <strong>of</strong> nature. Au<strong>the</strong>ncity itself moves<strong>to</strong> inhabit mystification 1) .The au<strong>the</strong>ntic life becomes an unattainable ideal,which <strong>the</strong> modern human being only dreams about.In fact, we have lost it, but may – ideally – win it back.Complexity and confusionGlobalization as well as information and communicationstechnologies mean that we are confrontedwith events in o<strong>the</strong>r parts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world on a dailybasis. Complexes <strong>of</strong> problems we have no possibility<strong>of</strong> making up our minds about or gaining experiencefrom. A large part <strong>of</strong> reality is thus handeddown <strong>to</strong> us by way <strong>of</strong> filters.We could call this phenomenon “illusion preparedness.”What is <strong>the</strong> news on biodiversity in SouthAmerica, <strong>the</strong> hole in <strong>the</strong> ozone layer, gangs in <strong>the</strong>Bronx, or <strong>the</strong> working conditions <strong>of</strong> Finnish doc<strong>to</strong>rs?It would be difficult <strong>to</strong> form an attitude <strong>to</strong> all <strong>the</strong>seproblems if it were not for expert statements andassessments.1) Dean MacCannell, The Tourist: A New Theory <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Leisure Class (1976; University <strong>of</strong> California Press, 1999) pp. 93-1054 R E A C T I O N S T O T H E P A C E O F C H A N G E

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