by The Dharma Bum » Thu Dec 20, 2012 7:20 pm
I actually have this crazy idea.
I think mankind has a sort of psychic illness. Our civilization has kind of had a sense of despondency since the beginnings of our civilization back in ancient Greece. (A lot of ancient literature reflects this) I think the root of nearly all negative behavior is the subconscious awareness that as biological organisms we are short lived mortal beings. An awareness which manifests as as avoidance, denial, and repressed emotional responses. All of which contribute to mental illness.
Over the millennia, in aggregate lot of what we have created here in the world, both positively and negatively, can be attributed to a wish to avoid this aspect of reality. People seek fame, adrenaline, love all for the same reason that other people eat and drink and make merry.
We know in our hearts our time is short and we seek to avoid coming to terms with this anxiety. It informs how we feel about everything and everyone and we learn to repress this from day one. I think the result is a society that is riddled with anxiety. Anxiety that sometimes explodes with spectacular and inexplicable results. Not to mention the added complications of simply dealing with modern technological society.
It's no surprise that many individuals in our society simply cannot cope with it and break down one way or another.
Last edited by
The Dharma Bum on Thu Dec 20, 2012 11:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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