The dismal struggler and the peculiar relation between desire and happiness
"Obliterate every desire and you will find happiness", says the wise man.
It is crucial to differentiate between the happiness of the individual and her/his “success” in the evolutionary sense. Desire, one of Evolution’s whims, is the force that prompts us to seek and obtain things or qualities such as money, power, mates etc. The stronger the desire, the more intensive and relentless the seeking. And thus, the greater the evolutionary success i.e. survival and reproduction. But the holder of this “success” is often not so happy and content. The moment a desire is fulfilled, another desire emerges. On the other side, the sage that has eliminated every desire (has such a human really ever existed?) is perfectly blissful, because he/she has no unfulfilled dreams, nothing to be disappointed with, no one to be disappointed in. So the “force of Evolution” can be defeated. But that is always going to be a pyrrhic victory of man over nature. The content individual bequeathes his/her genome to offspring to a lesser degree than the always unsatisfied struggler who accumulates wealth and power. This in turn explains the fact that human societies abound with dismal men and women, while desireless, peaceful sapients appear almost only in philosophy books.
It is crucial to differentiate between the happiness of the individual and her/his “success” in the evolutionary sense. Desire, one of Evolution’s whims, is the force that prompts us to seek and obtain things or qualities such as money, power, mates etc. The stronger the desire, the more intensive and relentless the seeking. And thus, the greater the evolutionary success i.e. survival and reproduction. But the holder of this “success” is often not so happy and content. The moment a desire is fulfilled, another desire emerges. On the other side, the sage that has eliminated every desire (has such a human really ever existed?) is perfectly blissful, because he/she has no unfulfilled dreams, nothing to be disappointed with, no one to be disappointed in. So the “force of Evolution” can be defeated. But that is always going to be a pyrrhic victory of man over nature. The content individual bequeathes his/her genome to offspring to a lesser degree than the always unsatisfied struggler who accumulates wealth and power. This in turn explains the fact that human societies abound with dismal men and women, while desireless, peaceful sapients appear almost only in philosophy books.
Comments (5)
Indeed, desire is not a synonym of perversion and should not be trated the same
Quoting philosophience wordpress com
Why is that? I see physical existence, and evolution as a part of it, as the great enslaver of the mind of man. How can the breaking of such chains be anything other than a triumph of the mind?
You note their offspring may be less successful, but successful by what standard? Hasn't the standard of evolution been rejected by the individual? And would someone who is truly free of the bonds of their physical existence be concerned about siring offspring in the first place?
Quoting philosophience wordpress com
Consider a person who is meditating. Let's also consider that they are adept at it. When their mind is empty, do they desire? And if this practice did not make said person happy, why does the sage keep returning to this state?
?So the “force of Evolution” can be defeated. But that is always going to be a pyrrhic victory of man over nature.?
Elaboration:A pyrrhic victory is often a kind of defeat. The person who has few desires lives perhaps a happier life but will always be less productive in evolutionary terms and thus his/her genes and memes(ideas) will stay low in the generations to come. It may be a real victory for the specific individual but not for these particular "suppressed desires-content and satisfied with very little" traits. The constant unappeased struggler who desires more and more will always be the norm.
Regarding the freedom of the mind from the bonds of physical existense...I just don't believe in it. The body is not the prison of the self but the creator of the self. The demise of the sarx is also the demise of the self.