Why must it always be a question about what we would die for? Or give up our soul for? Or any other extreme form of self-punishment?
I was reading a fellow writer’s blog and it got me to thinking, got my wife and I to talking.
Why must Humanity constantly frame its outlook in such a fashion?
How about, what would Humanity live for?
How about what is your soul’s desire?
Just because there exists desire, does not mean there must always and automatically exist a corresponding denial. Or punishment. If you want something (and here I’m only talking about good things, nothing nefarious), simply want it. Don’t automatically factor in some guilt factor just because you want something.
There seems, within the Human Condition, an inbred Guilt System. Now, in the past I used to think that religions have had a lot to do with said, and stopped there. But if we take that further, religions were constructed by Humans, so if we follow to the logical conclusion, then within the Human Condition is an inherent guilt that found its way into religion (and no, I do not subscribe to any such notion of inherent evil, which could weave its way into the argument in the way of the need for self-sacrifice).
Why?
Perhaps it must be some form of Human Teachable Moment. That we are supposed to learn to deal with and banish. Get past.
Really, why must we automatically give something up just because we want something?
I propose that if we want something, something good and decent and beneficial to ourselves, then does this not also make the desire also good and decent for Humanity, because it makes an individual better, and Humanity is composed of massive amounts of individuals?
What is good for the one becomes good for the whole.
It creates and fosters a different kind of mindset.
A more positive outlook on the world.
Don’t create conflict where none exists.
Create harmony.
thinkbannedthoughts says
I agree, there does seem to be some sort of inherent human conditioning that makes us believe we have to give something up in order to get something back.
Some of it seems to come from experience however – nothing is free, right. If we want to play violin, we have to practice, trading hours of work for the skill of playing well. As there are limited hours in a day, that probably means we have to give up spending that time on other pursuits, such as playing xbox.
As to the extremes – well, in fiction espescially, the higher the stakes, the higher the tension, the more likely the reader is to keep turning the pages. Also, as I recall, in Jr. high and high school life did seem to be dire indeed. Everything seemed to be a matter of life and death, and of the utmost importance.
Now that I’m old and “wise” I can see that the extremes are few and far between, but the adage does seems to stand that the more I want, the more it costs.
fpdorchak says
This is what I’m saying: think DIFFERENTLY. Perhaps look at it as not so much having to “give anything up,” but that the process is PART OF the prize. Things jsut don’t happen–we have to make them happen. To be peaceful one must champion peace, to be a writer, one must write. Instead of “giving up” something in one area, we “devote efforts” to those areas we like. There are also changes in perception and physicality as we age/”grow more wise”; we can’t do everything we did in all the various stages of our lives for different reasons, but must learn to go with the flow of our current life. Adapt. Explore NEW areas of human development, rather than have thigns “cost more” as we age. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Writing: of course no one likes reading about brushing teeth, so of course writers have to make things interesting. :-]
As for being a teenager and everything’s “on fire,” well, brain development isn’t complete until around the age of 25 and there’s all these raging hormones and such. New experiences, and learning how to deal with said. The excitement of life itself is bright and shiny largely because, I’ll speculate, it’s all new to this growing, developing body and mind?
HoarseMan says
How many modern day family fortunes came from lands and properties seized for heresy, blasphemy, and other bad things.
And, oh yeah, dispensations. Although someone had been assured that a recently passed relative was now in the Other Place, for the mere price of “every thing you own” you could get a dispensation to get ’em the heck out of there.
fpdorchak says
Ron, man, I’m trying to think DIFFERENTLY and MORE POSITIVELY about life’s little issues! Work, with me, man! :-] This seems more like a comment for another post, but one of the phrases I like to use which i’m sure will generate further comment from you is: go AROUND the rocks, my friend! AROUND the rocks! :-] We can’t save the world, but we can live the best life WE can live for ourselves and our immediate little world. Every little act we do, goes out into the world. Every thought. It’s all energy. I prefer to put out as good an energy flow as I possibly can. Are ya with me?