Out of the first collections of thoughts from chapters 1,2, and 3 I found that chapter 3 was the most interesting and that both chapter 1, What Makes People Happy and chapter 3, Competition, fared well in companion to one another.
Chapter 1 begins by discussing what makes people happy. Which by simply questioning, is subjective and impossible to narrow down. I believe this is what happiness is, defining it, classifying it, and figuring out what it entails is a difficult topic of discussion. Russell states that animals are naturally happy, so long as they have food and their health. By contrast, humans are not so simply happy and different types of happiness meet us in every situation. We arrive at each of these situations ‘all determined to be happy’. He relates that determination towards happiness to the same kind of determination a person would have to not make a fuss at a dentist appointment. I found this statement interesting. As if we were born into this world simply, unhappy, and each of our endeavors requires a certain level of effort; determination to essentially fake our way through happiness. Doesn’t that seem exhausting? That level of exhaustion is bound to make anyone perpetually unhappy, uncomfortable, and downright miserable towards any situation. I suppose this is why in the next paragraph he states that drinking and petting are gateways to joy, and that people get drunk quickly. Implying that to feel joy one must indulge in outside delights. These implications to me are established on the basis of mood or personal idiosyncrasies, which are subject to change, rather than established in an overall unimpaired mind. Which leads me to consider that perhaps, we as humans, do not actually possess an overall unimpaired mind, free from the roots of unhappiness. Russell mentions in chapter 1 how man can have diminishing preoccupation with self. Stating that he had the habit of meditating on his sins, follies, and shortcomings. And refers to himself as a ‘miserable specimen.’ This level of self dwelling is limiting, as he goes on to reveal. I know in my own personal life, bouts of unhappiness or discomfort typically happen when I am too self focused on the many tasks that need tending to. It is when I step away from those, or indulge in an outside delight that moments of joy begin to appear. However those outside indulges are not just of drink like he expresses earlier in the chapter. It is also in extending a helpful hand to someone, or being in nature, or being with company. I agree when he mentions that interest in oneself leads to no activity of a progressive kind. Our minds are only capable of so much, housing the bandwidth of our own personal struggles. Internally chasing that wheel inside our minds is unproductive and constrained. I think that is what he meant when he said “an image of himself as he thinks he ought to be, which is in continual conflict with his knowledge of himself as he is.” When we insistently internalize inside our own minds we are limited by the definition and belief of who we are vs who we think we should be. Again, this continual conflict reverberates exhaustion to me. I think the title of the chapter can be summarized in this quote by Russell, “External discipline is the only road to happiness for those unfortunates whose self-absorption is too profound to be cured in any other way.”
I found chapter 2 a little disorienting. Not that its message was unclear, but for me its message was lost. From this chapter I gathered that Russell concluded ‘the truth is that men are unhappy for reasons of which they are not aware, and this unhappiness leads them to dwell upon the less agreeable characteristics of the world in which they live.’ Being unhappy casts shadow over the ability to witness happiness within the world around them. Furthermore, as Russell continues, asserts that they are proud of their unhappiness, which they attribute to the nature of the universe and consider to be the only rational attitude for an enlightened man. Is this glorifying an unhappy state of mind? Or simply become aware that discontent is a way of life that seldom gets the opportunity to fully be acknowledged, discussed and worked through. To understand what happiness is, we also need to understand what factors into unhappiness. I do agree that in our society today, there often appears to be an aspect of relishing those who can labor through seasons of heaviness or turmoil. We reward those who “work hard”, those who suffer and continue to show up, while often shaming those who cannot do the same or those who recognize that perhaps being proud of unhappiness is a fruitless disposition.
Chapter 3 summarizes that enjoyment of life concludes with the struggle for life and the struggle for success. I thought this chapter had a narrow view, however, as it left out the struggles and circumstances that females face and placed the burden of the struggle for life and success on the shoulders of men. Both sexes struggle to define what success means for them and have to grapple with finding ways to fulfill that happiness. I believe the competition that this chapter discusses, isn’t just the competition between men, but the competition society places between men and women alike. Happiness itself should not be a competing subject. It is something that all humans desire, I would think, this it is something we could potentially understand and work through together. However, that mindset in and of itself goes against what Russell mentioned in the previous chapter where unhappiness is a sponsor for pride. Unsettledness, and striving go along with the struggle to life. Russell mentions how activities that produce a relaxed mind or a sense of ease are often considered boring. (Chp. 4) Why is it that we are conditioned to struggle, see rest as weakness and effort as strength, when often that effort results in countless hours of discontent…
“The working life of this man has the psychology of a hundred-yards race, but as the race upon which he is engaged is one whose only goal is the grave.”
Personally, This is not one race I wish to run.
"Why is it that we are conditioned to struggle, see rest as weakness and effort as strength...?" Our culture seems committed to work and suspicious of leisure. The classic "work ethic," a holdover of puritantical Calvinism perhaps? But a race to the grave holds no appeal, when you think of it that way. Our culture discourages us from thinking about it that way though, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI agree, our culture does discourage us from thinking about it that way. The race to the grave is not highlighted as it paints a grim picture. Even though we all eventually end up there. However, what one does in the meantime seems to hold so much importance. Though we only get one life, leisure and taking time to enjoy that life is not encouraged. I've always been more encouraged to work work work to achieve my best life, often missing life as it happens. We hear all the time of people coming to the end of their lives and it feels like a blink of an eye that their entire lives has flown by and they either don't remember it or feel regret they didn't experience it more. Seems our definition of pursuit of happiness is contrary to achieving actual happiness.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the end goal?