What happened to men like this?
The Last Man
"This is the type of person that will exist at the end of history when all the great battles are over. The last man is someone without a chest. He is feeble, a zombie, a man obsessed with petty concerns and satisfying his trivial material needs. He has no grand vision, no nobility, no spirituality. He is a sneaky, pathetic operator, trying to get as much for himself as possible, without taking any risks. He is soft and cowardly. Self-interest is everything.” -Fukuyuma-
The last man already exists. He can be seen in his natural habitat the office. Here many of them are crowded into one room and nobody really know what they get up to. For instance another last man who is in the sandwich shop across the road sees 200 people go into a building each they and then 30 of them come and order the same sandwich 5 times a week. None of them have any goal in life, they just aim to make enough to buy food and keep warm as the world turns to black about them. Yes, there are bright spots in this country, but they are quickly extinguished.
The Last Man Test:
1) Do you fear your boss? A last man would.
2) Do you struggle to get up in the morning? A last man does. (Though some jobs such as a doctor might have this problem)
3) If you had to watch your life forever, would you be able to watch it? A last man would not.