"This contention holds that what we call our civilization is largely responsible for out misery, and that we should be much happier if we gave it up and returned to primitive conditions." (38)
Civilization makes us feel unhappy because "all the things with which we seek to protect ourselves against the threats that emanate from the sources of suffering are part of that very civilization" (38)
When I think of civilization, I think of school and getting a job. I think of responsibility as a source of misery, as it is a direct inhibitor of freedom. All the responsbility that we all have on a daily basis makes it hard for us to be happy. Instead of achieving true happiness, we often settle for simply forgetting our misery. Our responsibilities, products of civilization root us firmly in reality, and make true happiness truly unattainable. At school or work, we delight in the pleasure of our friends and colleagues, but there is always something on our mind. There is always some assignment or errand that needs to be completed. We are never finished, and this discomfort stemming from incompleteness limits our happiness level to be only at the point of possibly forgetting real misery, never at the point of experiencing pure joy.
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2 comments:
I"m nominating this as the post of the week. I believe that this explains rather clearly how civilization is at the root of our unhappiness.
I nominate this blog for post of the week because it talks about how the pressures of civilization cause humans to be unhappy.
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