We're All in Fractal Microcults

I think we're all in microcults now.

Fractal microcults. Infinitely small ones. Cults of one.

Not everyone, of course, but so many of the people I know have started fragmenting into their own bespoke belief system. Myself included.

We're presented with all these different ways to see and interpret things—about fitness, and food, and dating, and kids, and technology, and career—and each of us picks a particular line down each of those.

Hence the fractals. There are so many combinations that the odds of you syncing up with anyone—even your spouse or your family or your close friends—are not high.

I witness a lot of conversations between people who've just met, and who superficially share a lot of characteristics and beliefs. But within five minutes one or both have gone into how they only eat the meat of animals that haven't been to Oregon, or how spiritual telekinesis built the pyramids, or whatever other pet theories they have on 37 different topics.

And they immediately write each other off.

(shakes head) Yeah, that guy was a nutjob.

I haven't cracked the root problem here. It's just not that we're exposed to more; it's also a vulnerability to that variation. And some kind of need to pick an individual fractal line that's 32 levels deep and call that our identity.

It's very strange. And it doesn't feel healthy at all.

Reminds me a lot of Robert Putnam's Bowling Alone, which is a must-read by the way.

Anyway. How about you? Are you noticing the same thing?

Have you noticed how even your closest friends have significantly divergent views from each other?

I wish I had a takeaway, but I guess all I can say is I'll be paying attention to it. And I hope you do as well.