THE SELFISHNESS OF HAPPINESS
Ignorance is bliss...but why be happy when you could be interesting?
Žižek, a contemporary philosopher and psychoanalyst who specialises in studying popular culture, proposes this alternative to the well-known English phrase.
Why?
It needs to be mentioned that Žižek has an extensive body of work that goes back years. Reading his work, and indeed listening to his lectures, will give you a greater sense of what he means by his often controversial statements. But, in all his works and explanations, he has made it clear that he doesn't enjoy the propagation of knowledge -- his reasoning behind why he never liked becoming a lecturer. As a result, I am using my knowledge of him and his work to expand on, even contradict, what he believes.
Moving on.
Happiness is something we all hope to achieve. We work hard, we fill our lives with stuff, we do strange and wonderful things, all in the attempt to find this elusive creature. Of course, the obvious implication for achieving happiness is its result: luxury, pleasure...an absence of pain.
The common factor in these cases is repetition. We continue doing the same gestures, actions and habits, almost mindlessly: we wake up, we go to work/school, do the same thing we did the day before, going back home to perform the same function as a parent/single person/etc. We willingly structure our lives cyclically...
...because, funnily enough, it's this very repetition that brings about what we were looking for. If the end goal of happiness is luxury, pleasure, an absence of pain, doing the same things over and over again discourages anything painful entering our lives, and encourages a level of enjoyment as we get accustomed to a certain way of life.
And we like to believe we're better and more sophisticated than the animals we enslave and consume.
This repetition presents a contradiction: the reason why we repeat ourselves in our lives is to progress -- that is: to get a better job, a better house, even a better spouse. Now, we ask a simple question: can we progress if we are doing nothing different?
Our answer lies in the phrase 'nothing different'. Personal progress can be achieved in this repetition -- but not always since there are others looking to progress ahead of you -- but by doing 'nothing different', no political or social change occurs. In our personal lives, we don't like diverting from a standard we created for ourselves, this need for succession in some way or form.
As a result, our personal ambitions towards happiness are incredibly political. Our desires, intrinsically private to us, completely ignore politics (both social and governmental). Happiness is inherently selfish.
Ignorance is only bliss because it allows for the perpetuation of routine, secures security, and isolates ourselves from any external factors which aim at upsetting the flow. This even categorises popular social justice movements. One of their motives is to make the personal lives of marginalised people easier, less influenced by (previously mentioned) external factors. Happiness is their objective, and therefore a lot is ignored in their philosophy.
Being 'interesting', on the other hand, means a lot more. 'Interesting' is the ability to change, adapt and act in discordance to the established norm. Of course, naturally, on a person level, a constant breaking in routine means a willing exposure to pain and suffering. Nothing is set, everything is in constant flux, you're often doing something you're not used to doing. On a political level, you're not doing what others expect of you: people will have desires of you based on your different relationships and roles in societies and communities, but, as you're constantly changing, you're not fitting the mold made for you. In every way or form, you're in a maelstrom of suffering.
Yet, that's where you become interesting. Your alternative perspective from the norm, mixed with your experience with suffering, makes you a more interesting person, a person whose ideas, thoughts and philosophies become something to be heard. Of course, that doesn't make anything easier since people are uncomfortable by you not conforming to their ideas of you. Still, you see the world differently, which makes you interesting.
Is it worth being happy and letting the world crumble around you while you attempt to enjoy yourself?
...Perhaps not.
Happiness is something we all hope to achieve. We work hard, we fill our lives with stuff, we do strange and wonderful things, all in the attempt to find this elusive creature. Of course, the obvious implication for achieving happiness is its result: luxury, pleasure...an absence of pain.
The common factor in these cases is repetition. We continue doing the same gestures, actions and habits, almost mindlessly: we wake up, we go to work/school, do the same thing we did the day before, going back home to perform the same function as a parent/single person/etc. We willingly structure our lives cyclically...
...because, funnily enough, it's this very repetition that brings about what we were looking for. If the end goal of happiness is luxury, pleasure, an absence of pain, doing the same things over and over again discourages anything painful entering our lives, and encourages a level of enjoyment as we get accustomed to a certain way of life.
And we like to believe we're better and more sophisticated than the animals we enslave and consume.
This repetition presents a contradiction: the reason why we repeat ourselves in our lives is to progress -- that is: to get a better job, a better house, even a better spouse. Now, we ask a simple question: can we progress if we are doing nothing different?
Our answer lies in the phrase 'nothing different'. Personal progress can be achieved in this repetition -- but not always since there are others looking to progress ahead of you -- but by doing 'nothing different', no political or social change occurs. In our personal lives, we don't like diverting from a standard we created for ourselves, this need for succession in some way or form.
As a result, our personal ambitions towards happiness are incredibly political. Our desires, intrinsically private to us, completely ignore politics (both social and governmental). Happiness is inherently selfish.
Ignorance is only bliss because it allows for the perpetuation of routine, secures security, and isolates ourselves from any external factors which aim at upsetting the flow. This even categorises popular social justice movements. One of their motives is to make the personal lives of marginalised people easier, less influenced by (previously mentioned) external factors. Happiness is their objective, and therefore a lot is ignored in their philosophy.
Being 'interesting', on the other hand, means a lot more. 'Interesting' is the ability to change, adapt and act in discordance to the established norm. Of course, naturally, on a person level, a constant breaking in routine means a willing exposure to pain and suffering. Nothing is set, everything is in constant flux, you're often doing something you're not used to doing. On a political level, you're not doing what others expect of you: people will have desires of you based on your different relationships and roles in societies and communities, but, as you're constantly changing, you're not fitting the mold made for you. In every way or form, you're in a maelstrom of suffering.
Yet, that's where you become interesting. Your alternative perspective from the norm, mixed with your experience with suffering, makes you a more interesting person, a person whose ideas, thoughts and philosophies become something to be heard. Of course, that doesn't make anything easier since people are uncomfortable by you not conforming to their ideas of you. Still, you see the world differently, which makes you interesting.
Is it worth being happy and letting the world crumble around you while you attempt to enjoy yourself?
...Perhaps not.
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