In chapter five Russell goes on to discuss fatigue and it's affects on happiness. He talks about the differences in purely physical and nervous fatigue. While physical fatigue has to do more so with physical labor and it's affects. Nervous fatigue he says is commonly found in the businessman who is splitting his time between work and home and learns not to hear consciously. Even more so he says that the constant contact with strangers also can lead to fatigue because of having to determine if we should be friendly or treat others with hostility. He gives the example of taking the train to work or being in traffic and how the hostility of dealing with others can frazzle are nerves before we even get to where we are going. He says this can cause us to see the human race as a burden.
While I don't agree with all of his views on this manner. I do agree that dealing with people at times can feel a bit overwhelming. Especially in traffic and with the hustle and bustle of daily living and clashing of personality. Dealing with people you don't know and even some you do know can sometimes take the enjoyment out of living. Yet at the same time people and strangers can also do a lot of good an bring a lot of happiness and joy to others.
Chapter six is where Russell begins to discuss envy and he stays that next to worry, envy is the greatest threat to happiness. He goes on to say that envy is something that is often seen in children before they are even a year old. Interestingly enough he's says that children are only slightly more open in their expressions of envy than adults which I can definitely see. In my adult life I have to say I've experienced just as much if not more jealous from adults than as a child. And as an adult I've had to be conscious to monitor those feelings when I have them myself way more than when I was a child. Interestingly enough I sometimes think children are better at controlling their emotions than fool grown adults.
Something that hit a cord with me in this chapter is where he talked about how envy plays a large part with the average respectable woman. And how women judge other women based on their clothing and make assumptions and gossip regardless of the evidence they have on that person. Ultimately he says that women see all women as competitors, and men only see men who are in the same profession as competitors. I also think this is true to an extent but I also think as a society today there are circles of women who prefer to lift other women up than tear them down. Even with that I still believe that as a whole woman can still have the tendency to be highly competitive but I think it varies person by person rather than a generalization of all women.
I like how you said dealing with people you don't know and even some you do know sometimes can take the enjoyment out of living. Lol. That's very true and it's more unfortunate when it is the ones that we do know. Lol. And, I also love that you said that sometimes strangers can bring a lot of happiness enjoy to others. This is something that I have noted throughout my life too; but it seems that at times for my life seem to be going it's best aren't the times that I noticed, as much as the lowest points in my life, in which I had experienced the toughest obstacles. I feel like when we're in the periods of our lives, we are more focused on what's going on around us, and in those moments, the graciousness of complete strangers becomes very apparent, and is quite humbling. Also it's unfortunate but true, what you said about children's sometimes being better at controlling their emotions than adults. Lol. Children are pure of heart, yet to be strained by the ills of society; and while we are expected to be here to teach them, if you stop and talk to them, oftentimes there's a lot that they can teach us. And I agree with you completely that the vast majority of women they fall somewhere within that realm of female competitism; however, like you I also believe that there are a group of women that set themselves apart from that kind of behavior, and get more gratitude from building one another up, rather than breaking each other down.
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I also like how you mentioned that dealing with people, both those we know and don't know, can be exhausting. I think Russell's outlook on nervous fatigue sheds some light on how we interact and communicate with each other. I tend to experience greater fatigue when I have to mentally engage more so than physically engage. When they are interlocked together, say teaching a physically exerted class that requires extreme motivational input, then I often need quite a bit of time recovery myself.
I wonder if the nervous fatigue Russell speaks of would be diminished if the majority of people were able to express themselves honestly, without masks or barriers or worry of being outcast. The sheer "putting on a face" in the face of all that society requires can be taxing.
-Jennifer