And to indicate a problem with modernity and tradition not understanding each other — and not being willing to — let me be anecdotal. My father, who fought for certain traditional values and lost the literal war, had made up his mind not to allow his family to adapt to modernity, as this would mean in his mind losing the war twice. Therefore I had to do a terrible battle with him for my independence of mind. And what happened when I went to modern professors or modern feminists for support? They told me I was just being overly sensitive and that we all have different patriarchies to deal with and it is just a matter of perspective. My ability to sink or swim in the given circumstances was, to them, a matter of theoretical perspective and not at all a big issue.
Therefore it seems that one of the problems of modernity is in fact a loss of perspective in dealing with issues that still impact on others as not at all just “theoretical”, but practical and real in the deepest sense.
I criticise modernity at times for its ethical bankrupsy (expressed as extreme relativism). That does not mean I am against modernity as such. But things have to be drawn back into historical context, even though this is painful for modern people to do. Leftist modern people do not like having to take on the position or attitude of having a superior intellectual or social vantage point because they have disavowed their role as colonials. The worst thing you can do to a modern person of the left persuasion is to suggest they still have colonial tendencies. They would rather be overrun and destroyed. That is easier than facing the ethical conundrum of the legacies of colonialism. But more than that, gaining and maintaining a historical perspective is too much work for most people.
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