In The Sibling Society, Bly turns to stories as unexpected as Jack and
the Beanstalk and the Hindu tale of Ganesha to illustrate and illuminate
the troubled soul of our nation itself. What he shows us is a culture
where adults remain children, and where children have no desire to
become adults - a nation of squabbling siblings. Through his use of
poetry and myth, Bly takes us beyond the sociological statistics and
tired psychobabble to see our dilemma afresh. In this sibling culture
that he describes, we tolerate no one above us and have no concern for
anyone below us. Like sullen teenagers we live in our peer group,
glancing side to side, rather than upward, for direction. We have
brought down all forms of hierarchy because hierarchy is based on power,
often abused. Yet with that leveling we have also destroyed any
willingness to look up or down. Without that "vertical gaze, " as Bly
calls it, we have no longing for the good, no deep understanding of
evil. We shy away from great triumphs and deep sorrow. We have no elders
and no children; no past and no future. What we are left with is
spiritual flatness. The talk show replaces family. Instead of art we
have the Internet. In the place of community we have the mall. By
drawing upon such magnificent spirits as Pablo Neruda, Rumi, Emily
Dickinson, and Ortega y Gassett, Bly manages to show us the beautiful
possibilities of human existence, even as he shows us the harshest
truths. Still, his probing is deeper and more unsettling than the usual
cultural criticism. He finds that our economy's stimulation of
adolescent envy and greed has changed us fundamentally. The Superego
that once demanded high standards in our work and in our ethics nolonger
demands that we be good but merely "famous, " bathed in the warm glow of
superficial attention. Driven by this insatiable need, and with no
guidance toward the discipline required for genuine accomplishment, our
young people are defeated before they begin.
