This piece is a raw, unapologetic deep-dive into the existential crisis of modern adulthood—an awakening to the realization that the systems we were born into are not just flawed, but actively designed to control, pacify, and distract us. Rocco Jarman lays out an uncomfortable truth: what we call “adulthood” is often just another phase of manufactured adolescence, where we trade childhood fantasies for illusions of career, status, and political identity—only to wake up one day realizing we’ve been playing someone else’s game all along.
Key Takeaways & Insights:
🔹 The Loss of True Initiation:
Modern society provides no real rites of passage into wisdom. Instead of true growth, we are ushered from one illusion to another—childhood to adolescence, adolescence to corporate servitude—without ever truly confronting who we are and what matters.
🔹 The Broken Systems of Adulthood:
We spend our lives climbing ladders that lead nowhere. We chase careers, consumption, validation, all within a system that keeps us locked in place. The result? A society of “adults” who are spiritually and intellectually stunted, blindly playing roles they never questioned.
🔹 Politics & Social Media: The Ultimate Distractions
Modern politics is no longer about governance—it’s tribal warfare for the masses, a never-ending circus of outrage and distraction. Social media is its delivery system, weaponizing our psychology against us, ensuring we remain too divided and exhausted to challenge the deeper systemic failures.
🔹 The True Awakening is Personal & Collective
Jarman argues that the real revolution isn’t about voting harder or picking the “right” side—it’s about radical self-ownership. Awakening means rejecting the false narratives we were given and reclaiming our autonomy, wisdom, and sovereignty.
Where This Hits Hardest:
This isn’t just another critique of society—it’s a wake-up call for those who already feel the unraveling of reality but don’t yet know how to articulate it. If you’ve ever felt like something is deeply wrong, like the world is crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions, this piece confirms you are not alone.
The challenge Jarman lays before us is clear:
👉 Will you keep playing the game, or will you wake up?
👉 Will you rage at the machine, or will you step outside it?
👉 Will you be part of the solution, or just another cog in the illusion?
Final Thought:
This isn’t just about personal enlightenment—it’s about survival. The world we leave behind depends on those willing to break free from the cycle.
Wonderful, the intentionality and clarity of your summary is much appreciated.
I have a series of essays which deepen this conversation and introduce elegant ideas for how we can respond, individually and collectively to our crises of meaning.
This covered a lot of ground but understandably so because it’s all connected.
My experience of childhood and adolescence is different from what you described, although the themes are familiar - “of the world “ is the way my faith community would describe them.
As a young adult, I kept expecting to find a wiser group to seek entrance into. Then I realized that adults are really just a bunch of kids acting like they know what they’re doing; at least a significant number of them function this way. It seems to be due to a lack of interest (or loss of hope?) for deeper meaning in life.
Your description of the corporate world struct me as a forecast of the era America is heading into, if Billionaires and corporations have their way. (As they currently are doing.)
At one point, you mentioned the “Spirit of Empire.” In order to play this game, many or perhaps all of us fall into some kind of addiction to cope. And it generally happens at the expense of relationships if not also damaged physical or mental or emotional health. I’m considering if there’s both an individual and systemic expression of this, just like racism can be an individual and system wide problem. So at the macro level, power & control are what is mastered in the game but may ironically be the very cause of empire destruction.
In which case, given the current deficit we find ourselves in both as individuals and as a society, we can look back and realize we “lost the plot” as a scriptural leader, Brian Hardin, would say. The difficulty here is that while our country (flawed and beautiful and broken as it is - and helpful and harmful to the world as it has been) is currently in so much flux that not much of anything will be structurally stable.
So while we’re reconsidering where to begin again as individuals and communities, we’re also faced with the reality that structures may suddenly become more bent on power and control than they were before. And, if we don’t counter this it will speed its own way toward greater harm to individuals and society, locally and globally. Which really leaves us little choice but to try to put on our air masks, care for the vulnerable, and also rebuild the plane while also trying to get the bad actors out of the cockpit.
Most say that any of this work requires a core community. And it seems that’s how the rebuilding would happen - regardless of whether that’s now or after the game ultimately plays out. And not just the democratic kind, but the beloved kind; which requires a deeper level of commitment.
I’m not seeking meaning; I feel anchored on that point. So while my air mask tends to get out of place, I know what to do for myself. I’m just seeking community on several levels to work together with. And while a big part of me wants to figure out the cheats of this Empire game and try to take it apart from the inside (and so I spend waaay too much time on a screen scanning the horizon) the reality is my local people are really who I do life with.
And so I’m keeping an ear to the ground but reaching out to those who express a willingness to engage and am starting there.
This reminds me of Aime McNee's recent piece "I didn't want a job": https://substack.com/@amiemcnee/p-154388777. I credit much of her work for me taking a serious pivot towards my art, and moving from art as a practice to a way of life.
You've spoken/written about initiation/rites of passage before, I am curious on this thread as a futurist myself. I wonder how we can build upon past practices into the future, and how we can initiate those wandering. I look forward to reading/listening to more on this topic if you continue on it.
I find it ominously amusing when I encounter colleagues and some friends (few, nowadays --when you unsubscribe from the drama it tends to peel some people away) up in emotional arms about the current political theatre ongoing here in the US. On the one hand, there are practical implications that I sympathize with and am also affected by, and on the other, I tire of the hand-wringing and outrage they display while simultaneously running in circles and refusing to pull themselves together and get a move on.
I saw this coming, partially because the burnout and near psychosis you described in this piece happened to me and I heard the call. And partially because of my own disposition, life experiences, and openness to the dreamworld, collective murmurings, practical solutions (solarpunk, regenerative practice) and novel connections of our best intellectual discoveries (quantum physics, the field of neuro/psychosomatics, ecology and systems of nature).
No idea if this deep diving of mine is going to lead to anything, and if so, what. But now, here I stand, also looking for other people who are ready to put the burning flames behind them and step forward into the mist. I have no idea where this is gonna go, but I'm right there with you, lighthouse.
I planned to watch Silo soon…I read Hugh Howey’s original self publications on Amazon in 2012 and it really shook me to my core. I also read the Hunger Games series that year. I didn’t read fiction again for a decade.
This piece is a raw, unapologetic deep-dive into the existential crisis of modern adulthood—an awakening to the realization that the systems we were born into are not just flawed, but actively designed to control, pacify, and distract us. Rocco Jarman lays out an uncomfortable truth: what we call “adulthood” is often just another phase of manufactured adolescence, where we trade childhood fantasies for illusions of career, status, and political identity—only to wake up one day realizing we’ve been playing someone else’s game all along.
Key Takeaways & Insights:
🔹 The Loss of True Initiation:
Modern society provides no real rites of passage into wisdom. Instead of true growth, we are ushered from one illusion to another—childhood to adolescence, adolescence to corporate servitude—without ever truly confronting who we are and what matters.
🔹 The Broken Systems of Adulthood:
We spend our lives climbing ladders that lead nowhere. We chase careers, consumption, validation, all within a system that keeps us locked in place. The result? A society of “adults” who are spiritually and intellectually stunted, blindly playing roles they never questioned.
🔹 Politics & Social Media: The Ultimate Distractions
Modern politics is no longer about governance—it’s tribal warfare for the masses, a never-ending circus of outrage and distraction. Social media is its delivery system, weaponizing our psychology against us, ensuring we remain too divided and exhausted to challenge the deeper systemic failures.
🔹 The True Awakening is Personal & Collective
Jarman argues that the real revolution isn’t about voting harder or picking the “right” side—it’s about radical self-ownership. Awakening means rejecting the false narratives we were given and reclaiming our autonomy, wisdom, and sovereignty.
Where This Hits Hardest:
This isn’t just another critique of society—it’s a wake-up call for those who already feel the unraveling of reality but don’t yet know how to articulate it. If you’ve ever felt like something is deeply wrong, like the world is crumbling under the weight of its own contradictions, this piece confirms you are not alone.
The challenge Jarman lays before us is clear:
👉 Will you keep playing the game, or will you wake up?
👉 Will you rage at the machine, or will you step outside it?
👉 Will you be part of the solution, or just another cog in the illusion?
Final Thought:
This isn’t just about personal enlightenment—it’s about survival. The world we leave behind depends on those willing to break free from the cycle.
🔥 Are you ready to break the illusion?
https://newsletter.information-warfare.com/p/the-correlation-between-information
Wonderful, the intentionality and clarity of your summary is much appreciated.
I have a series of essays which deepen this conversation and introduce elegant ideas for how we can respond, individually and collectively to our crises of meaning.
This covered a lot of ground but understandably so because it’s all connected.
My experience of childhood and adolescence is different from what you described, although the themes are familiar - “of the world “ is the way my faith community would describe them.
As a young adult, I kept expecting to find a wiser group to seek entrance into. Then I realized that adults are really just a bunch of kids acting like they know what they’re doing; at least a significant number of them function this way. It seems to be due to a lack of interest (or loss of hope?) for deeper meaning in life.
Your description of the corporate world struct me as a forecast of the era America is heading into, if Billionaires and corporations have their way. (As they currently are doing.)
At one point, you mentioned the “Spirit of Empire.” In order to play this game, many or perhaps all of us fall into some kind of addiction to cope. And it generally happens at the expense of relationships if not also damaged physical or mental or emotional health. I’m considering if there’s both an individual and systemic expression of this, just like racism can be an individual and system wide problem. So at the macro level, power & control are what is mastered in the game but may ironically be the very cause of empire destruction.
In which case, given the current deficit we find ourselves in both as individuals and as a society, we can look back and realize we “lost the plot” as a scriptural leader, Brian Hardin, would say. The difficulty here is that while our country (flawed and beautiful and broken as it is - and helpful and harmful to the world as it has been) is currently in so much flux that not much of anything will be structurally stable.
So while we’re reconsidering where to begin again as individuals and communities, we’re also faced with the reality that structures may suddenly become more bent on power and control than they were before. And, if we don’t counter this it will speed its own way toward greater harm to individuals and society, locally and globally. Which really leaves us little choice but to try to put on our air masks, care for the vulnerable, and also rebuild the plane while also trying to get the bad actors out of the cockpit.
Most say that any of this work requires a core community. And it seems that’s how the rebuilding would happen - regardless of whether that’s now or after the game ultimately plays out. And not just the democratic kind, but the beloved kind; which requires a deeper level of commitment.
I’m not seeking meaning; I feel anchored on that point. So while my air mask tends to get out of place, I know what to do for myself. I’m just seeking community on several levels to work together with. And while a big part of me wants to figure out the cheats of this Empire game and try to take it apart from the inside (and so I spend waaay too much time on a screen scanning the horizon) the reality is my local people are really who I do life with.
And so I’m keeping an ear to the ground but reaching out to those who express a willingness to engage and am starting there.
I like that. I am trying to raise a flag to rally under that holds pretty much the same sentiment.
This reminds me of Aime McNee's recent piece "I didn't want a job": https://substack.com/@amiemcnee/p-154388777. I credit much of her work for me taking a serious pivot towards my art, and moving from art as a practice to a way of life.
You've spoken/written about initiation/rites of passage before, I am curious on this thread as a futurist myself. I wonder how we can build upon past practices into the future, and how we can initiate those wandering. I look forward to reading/listening to more on this topic if you continue on it.
I find it ominously amusing when I encounter colleagues and some friends (few, nowadays --when you unsubscribe from the drama it tends to peel some people away) up in emotional arms about the current political theatre ongoing here in the US. On the one hand, there are practical implications that I sympathize with and am also affected by, and on the other, I tire of the hand-wringing and outrage they display while simultaneously running in circles and refusing to pull themselves together and get a move on.
I saw this coming, partially because the burnout and near psychosis you described in this piece happened to me and I heard the call. And partially because of my own disposition, life experiences, and openness to the dreamworld, collective murmurings, practical solutions (solarpunk, regenerative practice) and novel connections of our best intellectual discoveries (quantum physics, the field of neuro/psychosomatics, ecology and systems of nature).
No idea if this deep diving of mine is going to lead to anything, and if so, what. But now, here I stand, also looking for other people who are ready to put the burning flames behind them and step forward into the mist. I have no idea where this is gonna go, but I'm right there with you, lighthouse.
There’s only one way to find out!
I planned to watch Silo soon…I read Hugh Howey’s original self publications on Amazon in 2012 and it really shook me to my core. I also read the Hunger Games series that year. I didn’t read fiction again for a decade.
I’m ready to become a leader.
Nice to hear. Stay tuned.
Thanks for lighting the fire
Here's a great resource in how to attain freedom thru initiation by Polymath Rudolf Steiner
https://rsarchive.org/Books/GA010/English/HR1960/GA010a_c06.html
Now that is a signal worth boosting!
Whatever it takes! 🙌🙏