We always think that crises are the roaring of artillery fire, earthquakes and flash floods, rampant plagues, sudden and shocking changes, the visible shattering of mountains and rivers, and the separation of life and death.
We live in a stable daily life with peace of mind: waking up in the morning and turning on our mobile phones, having hot meals, commuting traffic, and bright lights at night. We are convinced that the times are progressing, science and technology are keeping pace, civilization is moving forward steadily, and suffering has long been isolated by modern society in the dust of distant history.
But few people realize that what truly destroys civilization is never a sudden catastrophe, but a silent collapse.
It is hidden in every unconscious swipe of the screen, in every lazy and blind obedience, and in all the daily routines that we think are convenient, happy, and stable. It has no smoke, no wailing, and will not take away lives instantly, but it will gradually disintegrate people's cognition, independent thinking, empathy, and confidence in survival, and ultimately corrode the foundation of civilization of an entire era.
This is not a doomsday prophecy that scares people, nor is it a boring and obscure collection of theoretical popular science.
I wrote this book because I wanted to be a sober bystander and tear apart the gentle illusion of modern civilization for all ordinary people who are trapped in chaos but don't know it. I don't talk about empty principles or pile up cold professional terms. I only use words that are most relevant to life and human nature to break down the hidden crises that we are experiencing but have never understood.
Every word in this book is derived from real life observations, real human dilemmas, and the real current situation of the times. I will show you: the cognitive cage behind technological convenience and the information explosion.
