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| ~ ∞ ~ The False Sense of Self (Human Doing vs. Human Being) – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~ |
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In the West, our culture emphasizes the pursuit of happiness through external means. By contrast, in the East, traditional culture emphasizes acceptance of the conditions of existence, positing the idea that happiness is found within. And so it goes that in the West, we live in a consumer-driven society that tries to tell us that money does buy happiness – “the more we buy, the happier we will be,” goes the slogan.
In a society where the prevailing worldview is materialistic, values are created by advertisements, which results in that actors, musicians and other “famous” people are followed as though they were gurus, nearly worshipped as modern day avatars or gods. This has a direct effect on the self-image of a consumerist – it is rooted solely in physical appearance, social status and material success.
It is this idealized and artificial lifestyle that is then pursued as the principle means to achieving life satisfaction, happiness and contentment or the so-called “good life.” All of the consumerist’s creative and intellectual energy is redirected towards a goal – which is, in essence – an illusion created largely by the commercial interests of corporate and the entertainment industry.
The name of the game here is persuasion. You see, ordinary everyday people are influenced and persuaded by advertising, marketing and the various forms of media to behave and act in certain ways. And so it goes that people in the modern Western world promote the idea that “more is better,” in order to justify their never-ending need for more. With the immense amount of advertising we are bombarded with on a daily basis, it is not unsurprising that there are many things we feel we want and need.
Advertising plays on our fears and the need for social acceptance. You see, advertisers exploit our innate drive for fulfillment and unity, our inherent need for social connection and bonding; and not only that, but they also exploit our desires, our sexuality, and our love of pleasure for the marketing and sale of everything from toothpaste to cars.
As a result, “hyperspenders” emerge out of all this – they often think that collecting expensive toys will enhance their overall satisfaction with life. Yet, the honest truth is that these material possessions doesn’t seem to bring us inner peace and happiness – or do you beg to differ? Satisfaction in life is not a function of what you can buy in a store – see?
The materialistic worldview has resulted in excessive production of short-lived and disposable items, and thus the Western society has become a “throw-away society” where consumerism is being worshipped. Indeed, we live in a culture of hyperconsumerism where we can, and do buy nearly anything.
Sadly, beyond the basic necessities, awful lot is spent on useless things that end up in landfills; in a throwaway culture, even human lives are seen as disposable – see? We take what we need in the form of raw materials and cheap labor to invest in our “culture,” we then feed it back to the world in the form of cheap material possessions, which in turn further the image that we have more and hence somehow better.
As long as we keep up the illusion, the gears keep turning. Doesn’t this fit the definition of a parasite? The consumerist-driven capitalist economic system is indeed a parasitic paradigm which is only going to lead to more problems and eventually to self-destruction – one has to be blind not to see it.
However, despite this obvious dichotomy, people seem to hold a belief of an unlimited material progress that is to be achieved through economic and technological growth. It goes without saying that this kind of growth always comes with a price tag. You see, the harsh truth is that materialistic progress is cutting deeply into the natural resources of Earth; it’s also poisoning the environment with its waste products and threatening the ecological equilibrium.
And so it goes that in today’s world, nature seems to represent merely a reservoir of resources to exploit – a set of forces and obstacles to channel and tame. We have come to look upon nature as something separate from ourselves, something we could master, control and manipulate to obtain specific benefits for our species. All this because we were taught that our species has been given dominion over all others and over the Earth itself.
As a result, people silently give their consent for it to happen. This results in that our increasing wealth is concentrating in the richer countries, and the poorer countries are increasingly becoming more and more indebted to the richer ones. Because of this, there is widespread impoverishment and destruction of indigenous cultures.
And when it comes to scientists who are driving the scientific and materialistic progress; well, their code of ethics seems to be tied to our current paradigm through which we perceive ourselves as separate from everything else. All because of monetary or political interests. The relationship between science and politics has been well established, with the politicization of science becoming increasingly apparent in recent years, having extended into nearly every scientific field, including biology, physics, medicine, and the social sciences.
That is to say, we humans are so driven by greed, power and profit that even scientific ethics are largely guided by the commercial interests of corporate industry. The politicization of science has reached a point where even scientists do not examine their own motives very closely. This obviously leaves the question lingering whether there is any code of ethics at all these days.
By virtue of the aforementioned, it is clear that as things stand now, most of what scientists do is not life-furthering and life-preserving, quite the contrary – it is life-destroying more than anything else. You see, physicists design weapons systems that threaten to wipe out life on Earth, chemists are contaminating the environment, and biologists are releasing new and unknown types of microorganisms without knowing the consequences.
On top of that, psychologists and other scientists are torturing animals in the name of scientific and materialistic progress. What we have created is a world where not only do we believe that we are individual beings, but that we are separate beings – separated from each other, from our environment, and the very Earth that sustains us. Against this backdrop, it is obvious that the world is in trouble – which is an understatement, to say the least.
On that note, nowadays there are people in the scientific community who have come to the conclusion that maybe we have messed up this planet; but worry not, because these people think that they have a solution. You see, they have suggested that we should go find (or perhaps create) a new one. These people think that with the aid of technology, we could export life from Earth to other planets, and someday perhaps even leave our solar system.
Given the underlying motive and incentive, this must be the ultimate delusion of a throwaway society, don’t you think? Even considering such an idea is nothing short of absurd. What does it tell about us, if among other things, we are ready and willing to throw away our home, as well?
Are we really so disconnected from everything that we truly think that the only way to solve our problems is to relocate somewhere else. So that we could mess it up all over again? The reason we are having problems on Earth in the first place is because we have ignored what nature is capable of giving us when we live with nature’s principles rather than against them.
Let me ask you this: As things stand, if we relocate, how would it be any different than now? You see, if we relocate, not only are we exporting life from Earth, but also our prevailing culture and lifestyle, including our views, values, customs, traditions, beliefs, morals, ethics, and so on. Considering that these are largely dependent upon the materialist paradigm, which in turn is driven by the capitalist market economy, it is highly probable that we would repeat our mistakes – such is the nature of us humans, it seems.
Now, let me ask you this: If we take into consideration everything we have discussed in this chapter, isn’t it ironic that people buy the things they don’t need, with the money they don’t have – to impress someone they don’t like? And now we can ask the following questions: Why is this? From where does this kind of behavior come from? Where does it spring from? What motivates someone to act in this way?
Well, in our deepest core, we all know that we are part of something bigger than ourselves; and because of this, we sense that something is lacking from our lives and we try to fill the void with anything – be it people, money, education, sex, drugs, travel, entertainment, cars, houses, or other material possessions – big or small. Yet, the truth is that satisfaction in life is not a function of what you can buy in a store; happiness in life has little to do, if anything, with what you wear, drive, eat or drink – see?
Upon deeper examination, one finds that the drive for contentment, fulfillment, and unity is innate in every human being – we all have a need to experience a life of meaning and purpose; we all have a need to feel a sense of belonging. It is this drive that is the impelling force behind our desire for love, and emotional, mental, and physical intimacy.
However, when it comes to fulfillment – it can only be achieved through a pattern of living in which we focus on two primary spiritual needs: 1.) Continuous growth, 2.) Contributing beyond ourselves in a meaningful way. Out of these two arise other, somewhat deeper spiritual needs, foremost of which is Self-Actualization, and ultimately – Transcendence.
We find contentment when we choose gratitude. It’s when we take a step back and see the beauty of what we have, and choose to focus on everything we already have that we can find happiness. When we look at what’s really important in life and appreciate everything we have, it takes the same circumstances and allows us to see them through new eyes.
What’s noteworthy is that these primary spiritual needs can be just as vital to life as food, water, and air. Unless we discover how we can satisfy these needs, we will be off track with unhappiness and emotional distress. You see, if these spiritual needs are not met, a person is spiritually unwell, and therefore struggles with finding meaning and purpose, which is another way of saying that eventually, in the long run, the individual will become emotionally unhappy, tense and anxious, confused, and sometimes even depressed.
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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
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Extra Material: Video: Society, A Perpetual Cycle [Alan Watts]. Video description: "Alan Watts talks about how our society conditions children to live with a constant frustration and worry about the future, and never learn how to live in the present."
