As a human race, we like to make ourselves narcissistically the center of everything to benefit ourselves. We destroy the Earth for our own pleasures, while several other alternatives are clearly present. We also start wars for a nation’s benefit, and another’s demise. Whether we act as a race or individuals, we always tend to look at things our way, and that has been the case for centuries.
While the idea of this prompt isn’t about wars or protecting the Earth, it does present a dilemma in which we define and do things our own way. Xenophanes, an early Greek philosopher, criticized the Greek gods that were considered divine at that time, as well as those who made them more religiously popular. He claims that the Athenians back then made their gods to be very similar to themselves, in the sense that they dress, act, speak and look the same as them. And so he argues that if animals had our intelligence; being able to talk and write – they would make their gods similar to their own breeds, the same way Athenians did.
By the same token, we often define the things we admire, avoid and even our goals as the way we see them individually. They are associated with each person individually rather than looking at things from a wider scope. One person could define despair in a manner that is very unique to himself specifically, and eventually fall into a deep state of “real” despair without noticing. That is because if you are not in despair, then you are most definitely content or satisfied. Therefore, this person would be in a complete state of despair, but since it doesn’t match his definition of it, he would think himself to be free of any misery.
In the same way, a person whose definition of happiness is something unattainable, can spend quite a while chasing it when he in fact is truly happy. Yet he wouldn’t know it, and would continue chasing his definition, which will most likely end up harming him and making him miserable.
How will we be able then, to look at things from a wider perspective? It is best to consider what one truly feels about a specific feeling or goal such as happiness without any regard to time. Today, happiness could mean a specific achievement that can be attained in a year. In a week, this idea of happiness could change. That is why when trying to define and understanding what something means, disregarding time could prove helpful.
Feelings were discovered long before we were able to write or speak in an actual language. Love for example, was definitely felt by a primitive human being a long time ago, before any language was invented. Try to understand what that feeling could’ve meant to that primitive person, because that will help you discover what it really meant. We often associate love with our linguistic definition of it, but if we associate it with the pure and untouched meaning, then we could have a better understanding of it.
The same goes for other things that we are trying to understand, whether we’re trying to chase them or avoid them. Detach yourself from the definitions you give to the most important things in your life, and you will have a clearer view of what they actually are.
