I would argue it’s not really even a solid overlap with Christianity. Puritan ideals are a small subset of the overall Christian world, and might not even be the most relevant religiously centered ideals affecting our society today (prosperity gospel folks might be more politically relevant in America these days, and they are basically saying the opposite, that their religion offers promises of riches now in this life, and Catholics don’t seem as likely as Protestants to see toil as virtue).
Perhaps more importantly, there is a strong overlap with some cultural forces in distinctly non-Christian societies, like in India and China and Singapore and stuff, where people actively preach a philosophy where people must suffer in order to develop their characters and earn happiness/prosperity. I have had colleagues from Singapore (both Chinese and Indian heritage) who talked about this kind of stuff a lot, and it’s consistent with some of the LinkedIn nonsense that I see and make fun of on a regular basis. I think the concept and the origins of these ideas are pretty far removed from Christianity.
“Pressure creates diamonds, yes, but it also creates rubble.”
I like your analysis. It feels more optimistic than the idea of an upper class foisting it on us to have us work harder and question less. Though I suppose they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive things.
I would argue it’s not really even a solid overlap with Christianity. Puritan ideals are a small subset of the overall Christian world, and might not even be the most relevant religiously centered ideals affecting our society today (prosperity gospel folks might be more politically relevant in America these days, and they are basically saying the opposite, that their religion offers promises of riches now in this life, and Catholics don’t seem as likely as Protestants to see toil as virtue).
Perhaps more importantly, there is a strong overlap with some cultural forces in distinctly non-Christian societies, like in India and China and Singapore and stuff, where people actively preach a philosophy where people must suffer in order to develop their characters and earn happiness/prosperity. I have had colleagues from Singapore (both Chinese and Indian heritage) who talked about this kind of stuff a lot, and it’s consistent with some of the LinkedIn nonsense that I see and make fun of on a regular basis. I think the concept and the origins of these ideas are pretty far removed from Christianity.
Pressure turns coal into diamond - My Indian father taught me
I don’t believe it applies to humans now tho. I believe it comes from poor people trying to justify their hardships.
“Pressure creates diamonds, yes, but it also creates rubble.”
I like your analysis. It feels more optimistic than the idea of an upper class foisting it on us to have us work harder and question less. Though I suppose they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive things.