A quote from Nietzsche struck me forcefully many years ago:
How much truth can a spirit bear,
how much truth can a spirit dare?
That is the measure of all values. And in the metaphor of the gladiator, he must surely spend most of his time sparring with his own shadows.

My recent article alludes to this. Our culture has become fundamentally spineless; it instructs people to bear nothing that is too burdensome, so that even their slavery can be accomplished by stealth.

I don't see too many cultures left where a discourse with the abyss is more important than the latest online game.

I have said before, it takes energy to doubt - believing is easy - and so it may not be part of the program for everyone to use their energy inwards. I am not yet convinced either way on this last point. We may be the outliers, sometimes vital but often left to play the glass bead game amongst ourselves.