Shallowness

I had a certain amount of expectation for the topic, as the Source and I had had run-ins with "shallow" people in the past.  I was fairly certain I knew what kind of people he thought of as shallow.  There were preparatory thoughts from more than one source.

The Origin began with a bit of a complaint, saying that the Organizer was too focused on forming relationships in spite of shallowness, or that shallowness is a recognized obstacle to relationships, while he believed that relationships happen because of shallowness.  In both cases, the idea that we aren't terribly interested in what another person thinks or feels applies.  The shallow person, said the Origin, is interested in prestige objects but not in any deeper meaning.  This person has no real ethical or moral values; they seek to blend in with whatever group they find themselves in without any analysis of "right" and "wrong" in the system of the group.  Shallow people probably tend to look for the "strongest" group, and adopt the values that they associate with it, rather than decide for themselves what is moral or ethical based on a code of values they adopt as individuals.

The Doctor presented us with a list of synonyms for "shallow", but went on to say that words are traps, and we shouldn't trust anybody who speaks without experience.  Philosophy itself is a lie, and the history of words is not the history of thought.

The Organizer postulated that groups require us to find ways to be unique without deviating from the group norm, finding something just a little special that we can be proud of, which calls attention, but doesn't create a gulf between us and the others in our circle.

The Doctor lamented that in the past knowledge came from books and required effort to access, even when the book itself was in hand.  Now we are bombarded with information, in a situation that creates a perversion of knowledge and experience.  Being shallow, he said in this turn, can actually help us to focus on tangible experience and not be distracted by philosophical doubt or confusion.

The Organizer responded, to several, that shallowness is required to maintain only short-term relationships, without any interest in the long-term; the lack of interest in what makes another person tick is what differentiates a long-term/deep relationship from a short-term/shallow one.  Later we might grumble and complain about our relationships blowing up or fading away, but really this was due to our not having reached a depth of understanding and knowledge of the other person, not any external or uncontrollable force.  He also mentioned that bucking trends lends a veneer of depth to a person, but those who do it without any real consideration of what they are rejecting and embracing are as shallow as any desperate trend follower; I believe the general term for these people today is "hipster".  Knee-jerk reactions, even if they are shocking to the mainstream, cannot really be deep.

A fairly Regular Attendee but Rare Contributor gave her conclusion that shallowness is really a survival strategy, and a successful one at that.  The only problem really, is that sometimes people do not give us the reactions we expect, through differing customs or cultures, not to mention problems stemming from hearing deficiencies, anxiety, or serious mental illness, to mention only a few.  The Age of Information we enjoy today is actually creating an Age of Shallowness, in her opinion.  Because we simply cannot absorb all the information available to us in a way that allows us a deep understanding of all the subjects the information pertains to.  In order to be considered cultured or educated, we receive pressure to have broad knowledge rather than deep.

The Origin ended the discussion by saying that the unawareness of shallowness and the recognition of shallowness are almost two different things.  Being unaware is a true state of shallowness, while the recognition and continued use of shallowness is a conscious, somewhat manipulative decision, normally for selfish ends.  "True" shallowness can be excused as the human condition, while that aware and even contrived shallowness is pure opportunism, seeking to prey on others while walking away as nonchalantly as possible.