One of the precepts of Buddhism is that by its nature, life involves
suffering. (Another context of the original breach terminology means.)
There's something to this, but it tells only part of the story. Life sucks,
and life is great & # 8212; it all depends on what moment of it is
envisaged.
A satellite fell into orbit and totals your new car & # 8212; that sucks!
Your biggest rival in the office moves to Outer Mongolia, and you get the
big promotion & # 8212; that's great! So really, life is a random grab bag
containing both good and bad. This goes back to the concept of the world as
a wheel of fortune, who was much cooler air before the wacky game show has
ruined the sentence.
The thing is, us to take the good things in life for granted, if not for
the bad things. For example, we wouldn t appreciate the light if not for
the darkness. As the saying goes, hunger is the best sauce. If I haven t
had a bad cold in ages, I fear that I might get too complacent good health.
This point will return to Eastern philosophy and the Stoic tradition that
has developed concepts quite similar regardless.
behavioral science weighs
John B. Calhoun Mouse s Utopia experience warns against what might happen
when life is too easy. He created a large pen called Universe 25 and
introduced eight mice in it (four men, four women). The large rodent
housing project was room for nearly 4,000 mice, with a capacity of food and
water far exceeding that. Mice were given clean bedding and fresh air, and
were protected against predators and disease. With no moving their cheese,
these mice had it & # 8212; or have they?
Like so many utopian schemes devised by the social engineers finicky, pen
mouse has become a disaster. In the beginning, there was a population
explosion. However, the rate of increase slowed after almost a year. The
population peaked at 2200 finally mouse, still well within the capacity.
After day 600, mice no longer born. Meanwhile, their culture degenerated.
Here's what happened:
Among the aberrations of behavior were: the expulsion of the young before
weaning was complete, injuring the young, rising homosexual behavior, the
inability of dominant men to maintain the defense of their territory and
females, aggressive behavior women, the passivity of the non-dominant men
with an increase in attacks on the other which are not defended against.
After 600 days, ongoing social distribution and the population declined
toward extinction. During this period, ceased females to reproduce.
Does any of this sound familiar?
Their male counterparts have withdrawn completely, never engaging courtship
or combat. They ate, drank, slept, and groomed & # 8212; all solitary
activities. Elegant, healthy coats and lack of scarring characterized these
men. They were nicknamed "the beautiful. "Reproduction never regained and
behaviors have been permanently changed.
Surprisingly, the study doesn t mention these mice being absorbed in video
games and porn. Calhoun described the rodent version of the cultural
collapse as & # 8221 Sink behavior. He kept repeating the experiment,
changing some variables (such as food rationing), but couldn t find a way
to prevent the irreversible decline.
the probable overcrowding disturbed behavior irreversibly customs;
comparison with dense urban environments has often been made. However, they
don t reacquire normal behavior after the population dwindled,
acculturation or even when some were removed and placed with normal mice. I
speculate that boredom might have contributed to a terminal illness; even
these small creatures with a brain the size of a bean need for adventure
and challenge in their lives.
What this could do for people
On a larger scale, negative changes eventually produce domesticated
species. When they no longer need to hunt for food and defend themselves
against predators, natural selection ceases to function. Without chlorine
in the gene pool, the trend is reversing. Among several effects, the
researchers noted that their decline intelligence and sexuality is
disturbed (like editing the same sex and mating outside their race). The
most worrying aspect is that the ease of modern life can make it to the
human population, although & # 8212; among other aspects of the
degeneration dysgenic & # 8212; is a topic worthy of its own consideration.
In the current year, many have taken up lawsuits at idle. Goofing ISN
occasionally t so bad, unless s taken to excess. But why so emotionally
wrapped up in the team if their Sportsball wins or loses? comics, fantasy
and science fiction are great for entertainment, but why some people make a
religion? I could say many things about people who pierce their face or get
a tattoo as a Yakuza hit man. We're in the most libertine time since the
decadent phase of the Roman Empire (at least), but the meaning of sex does
not make us SATISFIED. cheap exhausts like marijuana and hard drugs (much
worse) are popular, although their disadvantages are notorious.
Is it just weird tendencies, or is there more? Part of this is actually by
design. Yet perhaps remote cultures where immediate survival concerns may
people without meaning in their lives. The term problems first world speaks
volumes. It is no coincidence that the world's most rich and powerful are
among the most decadent.
Should we seek the easy life?
Someone I worked for a time & # 8212; which we affectionately called Satan
& # 8212; said the American dream has been to put your feet on the desk
while the money rolls in itself. I hate to admit it, but Satan had a point.
I d just add something for nothing mentality isn t just an American
affliction.
Many dream of winning the lottery. (Those who are bad at math consider an
investment strategy.) Still, the question must be asked & # 8212; what
purpose? If the answer is to be free to watch TV and play video games all
day, I'll suggest that there are better things to do! Of course, work
sucks, but the newspaper has a positive side. Other than paying our bills,
individual efforts help to advance the economy.
In ancient Greece, it was believed that an aristocracy didn not need to
work is advantageous because they be free of & # 8212; eleutheros & # 8212;
to continue the intellectual efforts as philosophy. (Today there are many
unemployed graduates in philosophy, but is it a great success?) Some
socialist of the old school looks forward to the day when the working hours
could be reduced Anticipating that people would more time to create and
enjoy the culture works. We have the work week 40 hours now, but Sportsball
seems to be more popular than attending symphonies or paint pictures.
Star Trek depicts a society where nothing is missing. As Sam Francis (not
exactly a Trekkie) said:
Planet earth and much of the inhabited world were unified in a mysterious,
omnipotent but benevolent Federation, and there seems to be no wars, no
political or social conflict, and does in this utopia chain speed unified
by the democratic world capitalism gone galactic. Indeed, what does the
rest of the human race in the Star Trek universe have to do but put his
nose into the affairs of other species? They can zip the galaxy at speeds
faster than light and & # 8221 beam; themselves from one place to another
instantly, and it never seems to be a question of food, clothing, money,
disease, aging, or even career advancement in this paradis placide.
Starfleet crews apparently the only good jobs left. The donation shows t
describe the daily lifestyles of civilians Federation as well, but it must
be terribly boring if everyone can get everything they need by pressing a
button.
In the final analysis
Ultimately, we should don t want the maximum ease of life, but life well
lived. The Golden Mean & # 8221; rule applies to the struggle in our lives.
Too dark and gloomy makes life, but too few is boring. The point of the
Gilgamesh epic is that how long you live isn t that matters, but how you
live your life. The message of the world's oldest book is still quite
relevant, thousands of years later.
Read more: How to Brave New World author Aldous Huxley modern America had
planned in 1958
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