As naïve as it is, sometimes I "fantasize" about the world being a better place, where people just get along and do what is right. I try to imagine what it might be like if we were all able to get close to the best version of ourselves, how we would behave, and how we would treat others. No one could ever be perfect of course, and mistakes and unintended negative outcomes would happen, but in a world of our best versions, we would probably treat adversity with a different strategy, and even if we are impacted, we'd likely look to improve the situation, over getting revenge.
As said. Naïve.
But even in my imagination, I look to find some kind of balance, so I have also tried to visualize the opposite world, where we are the worst versions of ourselves, where we look to do intentional harm, to inflict pain on others for pleasure, and look to hurt those who hurt us. A world of no forgiveness, no friendship, no love.
What I find interesting with this thought experiment is that it is more difficult to imagine the positive world filled with unlimited potential, than the negative. And no matter how terrible I can imagine it, there seems to be no bottom to the horror. We can always be worse.
And always better.
I also try to imagine what it would take for us to come together and unify, to start acting toward building a stronger humanity, a better existence, increased wellbeing for all. And, much like in the movies, it seems that it would have to be some kind of extraterrestrial threat, that threatens our entire existence. Even then, not everyone would get on board.
However, looking at what it takes for us to divide, to fragment and to move toward a less civil world, is far less grand than aliens attacking. Instead, it is just a series of tiny cracks, like death by a thousand cuts. Small frustrations that build up and trigger an avalanche of violence. The focus on small differences to identify, classify and use as points of prejudice between each other. A society that encourages us to put ourselves first at any cost, and to isolate from the group.
There seems to be an asymmetry in the direction up or down. The climb up is difficult and takes a long time, but the slide down is a slippery slope. It seems harder to do the right thing, than the wrong. And of course, our habits tell us this, because it is far easier to pick up a bad habit, than it is to build a good.
There is a clear reason for this though, because our reward system is geared toward instant gratification, and what we are looking to change is our current state. Again, there is a conflict between our future desires, and our current desires. We are built to repeat what feels good, and avoid what feels bad. But, what feels good in the moment is generally what feels bad in the future. And what feels bad in the moment, is what brings us value in the future. We smoke the cigarette to relieve tension now, only to have lung cancer later. We eat the chocolate bar because it tastes good now, only to feel unhealthy later. We spend our money on a new toy and get the dopamine hit now, only to struggle for money later.
Doing the right thing hurts now.
Doing the wrong thing feels good now.
And I think that this is why we struggle so much as a species, because we are smart enough to be able to build tools that satisfy our immediate desire to feel good now, but not smart enough to build tools that make us feel good now, and are good for us in the future. Or at least, we aren't able to build enough of these kinds of tools across enough fields to head toward that utopia where everyone is living as the best version of themselves.
Alternatively, perhaps we are all currently the best version of ourselves and we can't improve further. Maybe it would be a good thought experiment to evoke all the complaints, anger, bitterness, rage, hate and negative thought and emotion we can muster into our body, and then look in the mirror and reflect.
Is this the best version of me?
I wonder, if anyone really likes hating so much. I wonder if that some person was able to feel a moment of pure love and then could choose to hold that feeling, or go back to the feelings of hate, would they go back? If a person who only sees ugliness is surrounded by undeniable beauty, what becomes of them? How does their mind negotiate the contradiction in understanding. Which is real?
I wonder, if all the hate in an individual is an expression of desire for a change in that state, a want for love, but without the tools at hand to enact it. Maybe it is where if only with a perspective shift, the mind would change in an instant, like looking at a blank page, only to discover the most beautiful text under a blacklight.
We live in a world of incredible division, that brings out our worst and leads to all kinds of instances of violence at the macro and micro levels. But, perhaps we aren't that different after all and maybe what we are actually arguing over, is how to get to the same place. A change in state.
A state of love.
If all our actions were born from a state of love, would we ever feel hate, would we ever seek revenge, would we ever look to intentionally hurt? Would the world be better for the individual, or worse? And for society?
Naïve.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
