First Conceived: 4/11/18. 2053
I froth a challenge. I love to solve problems. Perplexing moments get me haaaard. Hahaha. Some of you may not think you share these dirty pleasures of mine, but ima try make you think otherwise. Fundamentally, I believe humans are pessimistic in nature. I think that is an integral part of our longing to progress. “It could always be better” An attitude we seem to live by and generally, as a species, we tend to move closer to “better”. If we weren’t somewhat unsatisfied with our current state, then we would just settle for what we have would we not? That is why I believe pessimism is embedded within us, as a strength, a biological necessity for the development of our species. We look to the worst parts of life and try to improve them; e.g., It’s dark outside, lights would help. It’s cold at night, how about some duvets? I’m hungry, agriculture please and thank you! We work to alleviate the struggles of life, to create convenience. Which simultaneously suggests we need struggle; for without, there is nothing to improve. With no pain, there is no gain to work towards. Why must it be this way? Why can’t it be all cherry’s, butterflies, rainbows and unicorns? Because it would not satisfy our pessimistic nature. We long for suffering because it offers us that oh so important aspect of life; you guessed it, meaning. Purpose, the antidote to suffering. It is a paradoxical circle, as one must suffer to generate meaning, and that meaning acts as a means to withstand the suffering.
As Peterson suggests, humans discovered the future and simultaneously learnt they can negotiate with it. The idea of sacrifice goes waaaaaaaay way way back. What is one doing when they sacrifice something? They are negotiating with the future, with reality itself. We drink water, to ensure we won’t die of dehydration. We work, to ensure we can pay our rent next week. We put effort and love into our relationships, with hope they will be there in a few years when we plummet into a kind of hell. We are constantly making sacrifices; yet some are better at choosing what sacrifices to make. Some people chose the present over the future far too often and pay for it in the morrow. Alcohol is a prime example that a majority of people succumb to most weekends. Choosing to skip the bottle tonight is a form of negotiation with the future, saying “Hey bro, not keen to end up dependent on you in a ditch ae.” On the other hand, in a more short-term future “Yo g, not keen to be hungover tomorrow.” The sacrifice of chaotic fun is to ensure your future will foster less suffering. However, at the same time, the sacrifice itself is a form of suffering. You can suffer a good case of FOMO from turning down those after work beers, or you could even suffer on Monday when all your friends are dissecting the weekend shenanigans that you cannot partake in. Nevertheless, you chose to suffer in the present instead of the future, because the long-term cost is less detrimental than the over indulgent behaviour. This points back to our pessimistic nature. We are constantly worried what the future has in store for us, so we do what we can, and fail a many times, to ensure our future is in the best possible position. It’s pretty rad dude, no doubt a key factor in our topping of the food chain; we found (not learnt) the future!
Let’s look at the example of working. We work to make money, so in the future we can use that money to negotiate our way closer to the life we long for. Yes? For some probably, but ima try a different approach. Work is a sacrifice, yes, thus you are suffering from something. What exactly is the sacrifice? The most precious commodity in the world, Time. Yes, money is good, but that only helps you up to a certain point: around 70k a year susses you out and then it levels off in terms of overall well-being. What if your work was worth it then? What if the suffering simultaneously derived meaning? I long for a career in which I find the work to be meaningful, a worthy sacrifice of my time, for time is very precious. This once again ties in with our pessimistic nature and our want/need to solve problems. If there is no reliable remedy for our innate pessimism, or our desire, our need, to solve problems, then we must make sure the problems we are solving, the sacrifices we are making, are the best possible sacrifices we can make (i.e. make your sacrifices worth it). Make them type of sacrifice that leads to a meaningful life, the type of suffering that provokes that strange, yet necessary, paradoxical circle. People who cannot create a meaningful life, may be making the wrong sacrifices. Maybe they are that person who can’t say no to a beer or ten after work and inch closer to the gutter life day by day, stuck in a negative feedback loop. We should suffer in a way so it ensures our future self is going to be in a better position; because ultimately, we long to improve. And not just for ourselves, but those close to us, those around us and even your wider community if possible, but start at the local level yea?
Life itself is a challenge. What did you expect? But that is the way it should be. For if it wasn’t a challenge, then our pessimistic nature would have nothing to work towards, nothing to improve. If there were no need to improve, there would be no need to make sacrifices. If there were no need to make sacrifices, there would be no need to negotiate with the future. If there were no need to negotiate with the future, we wouldn’t need a future? Maybe. If there were no struggles, there would be no problems. If there were no problems, there would be no suffering. If there was no suffering, there would be no meaning in life, for life is suffering, and that is what gives it meaning. Life is a challenge, and that is what makes it worth living.
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