Beyond the Self

“I wish them the only thing that can prove today whether one is worth anything or not — that one endures.”- Friedrich Nietzsche

Now that I have gotten “settled in” to this mode of communication, I think it's time I addressed some more serious (and somewhat darker) topic.  This topic is not easy to put into words, so bear with me.

Our newest generation, the generation I am a member of, places a high value on apathy and sloth. It idolizes those who are not merely cynical, but totally defeatist, with regards to making an impact on the world at large. Instead of aiming to make a legacy that will endure beyond the end of one's human existence, one is supposed to merely seek maximum comfort while they live. This is, of course a very difficult assertion to support. The best quantifiable piece of support for this is that the average American spends 2.8 hours a day watching TV. The rest more subjective, and so this particular post isn't here to convince you of that assertion. Instead, I aim to show why this needs to be stopped did those willing to entertain it. And since religion provides its own set of goals, I only need to show this to the nonreligious (everybody else, go for home).

The individual is temporary.  We all know this (assuming, as I said above that the reader is nonreligious).   And because we know this, any pleasure we achieve is a hollow victory.  Recognizing that isn't the problem.  The problem is, it doesn't seem like we have another option.  It's extremely unlikely, that any of us are going to make a significant impact in the world.  So why bother?  I propose that the reason we should try to make an impact on the world, is because it makes for a good story.

 

In the book “The Story of B” by Daniel Quinn, there is a section that talks about the human capacity to tell stories where no other animal can at a remotely similar caliber.  It proposes that this ability makes us human, and as such our minds are wired to think in terms of stories.  Memory experts also use made up stories in order to remember a sequence that has nothing to do with each other.  Our mind thinks in stories, therefore when our memories form a story of his struggle to make the world a better place, it's more satisfying than any temporary pleasure.

As I said above, this is a difficult issue to talk about, and so him this first post on the subject does not even come close to expressing everything I have to say about it.  But I have to start somewhere.  Expect an elaboration of this topic throughout this blog’s lifespan. 

 

Also, expect me to lighten up a little next post.