Dedicated to the individual. On Fridays, continuation of the story.
For those who are tired of controlling their diet, calories consumed, and physical activity. For those who have lost faith in diets and the help of various specialists. However, he...
What we are exploring: What is an imitation of pleasure?
What's new: What is real pleasure and how to distinguish it from imitation?
What we will learn: Why is it important to satisfy more than just material needs?
1.In the end, individualism should free us so that we can live the life we want (Eckersley R. 2006) [1].
2. Missed opportunity. To the extent that a person has come to know his individuality, to the extent he can be free to live the life he wants. But what does the phrase quoted in the epigraph mean – "live the way we want"? It is unlikely that any of us would like to live the way people have become followers of the culture of radical hedonism (fr. 12.7). Why? Doesn't this bring maximum pleasure? No, it doesn't. It is an imitation or counterfeit of pleasure, but not real pleasure. If we are talking about real pleasure, then it refers to the satisfaction of needs, and not artificially created desires:
• "However, modern consumerism [the cult of consumption, ed., author] is no longer concerned with satisfying needs - even the most sublime, objective needs" (Bauman Z. 2008) [2].
What, then, is the cult of consumption driven by radical hedonism really about? A specialist in the science of social patterns (sociology) Zygmunt Bauman answers:
• "They say that the spiritus movens [driving spirit, ed., author] of consumer activity is now not a felt set of clearly expressed needs, but desire - something much more changeable and ephemeral, elusive and whimsical and, in fact, for nothing not relevant" (ibid., italics by the author).
As we can see, we are talking about the imitation of satisfaction of artificially created desires and not real pleasure. Therefore, the scientist uses words close in meaning to the word "imitation", related to such desires that "essentially have nothing to do with anything." What then is true pleasure?
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3. Real pleasure. Bauman indicates that this refers to the satisfaction of "the most sublime, objective needs." How to distinguish them from imitation of artificial desires? He compares so-called desire, which is "something much more changeable and ephemeral, elusive and whimsical" with the opposite of artificial desires – "a tangible set of clearly expressed needs." So, it is obvious that modern Western society has lost its balance in its way of life, sliding towards radical hedonism, which in its essence is just a mirage. What is the danger of a mirage about the lifestyle a person leads?
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4. Mirage that disrupts balance. The danger of a mirage is that a person is mistaken about what he sees. An inexperienced person in the desert can follow the impulse from a vision of water for a long time and even die, wasting his strength in vain by choosing the wrong path. But is there any sane person who would like to be deceived into wishful thinking? There is not a single one among those who understood the deception. But those people who succumb to the impulse (impulse) of radical hedonism waste their lives in vain, choosing the wrong path. Following the mirage of so-called happiness, they suffer from an unbalanced lifestyle:
• "Many psychological studies have shown that materialism is associated not with happiness, but with dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety, anger, isolation and alienation. Human needs for security, competence and self-esteem, connection with others, autonomy, and authenticity are relatively unsatisfied when material things predominate." values" (author's italics) (Eckersley R. 2006) [1].
As we see, there is an imbalance in the lifestyle - "when material values predominate." What are the results of disturbing this balance?
5. Results of the violation. The predominance of material values in a person's life leads to imbalance. As a result, his psychophysiological needs listed by Eckersley are not met. How important are they for a person? The scientist showed this using the results of psychological research. They prove that the dissatisfaction of these needs leads to - mental deviations in human behavior and even serious mental illness - depression. Similar results were obtained by another specialist in the field of materialistic lifestyle research, Tim Kasser. Who is predisposed to mental disorders due to balance disorders?
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6. Who is predisposed? Tim Kasser, with his scientific colleagues, using different tools and techniques, studied a variety of samples among the citizens surveyed. In addition to them, scientists conducted the same studies in other cultures of different countries. These samples of citizens included rich and poor, young and old, Americans and Australians, Russians and Danes, and citizens of other countries around the world. They were all focused on the value of financial success. What conclusions were different scientists able to draw? All of them practically confirmed the general picture outlined by Tim Kasser:
• "All studies document that a strong materialistic orientation leads to a pervasive decline in the level of psychological well-being of citizens, ranging from low life satisfaction and happiness to increased depression and anxiety and even physical and mental health problems (headaches, personality disorders, narcissism, and antisocial behavior)" (Kasser T. 2015) [3].
7. Summary. Radical hedonism, formed by the culture of materialism, is a mirage that leads to various mental disorders and even depression. Therefore, it cannot be the life that a person would like to live.
Next Chapter: The Art of Balance
What we're exploring: What are the two sides of the balance sheet?
What's new: How can we take care of our lives?
What we will learn: How to maintain a balance between the two sides?
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References
1. Eckersley R. Is modern Western culture a health hazard? Int J Epidemiol. 2006 Apr;35(2):252-8. doi: 10.1093/ije/dyi235. Epub 2005 Nov 22. PMID: 16303804.
2. Bauman 3. Fluid modernity / Trans. from English edited by Yu. V. Asochakova. – St. Petersburg: Peter, 2008. – 240 p.
3. Kasser Tim. To be or to have? Psychology of consumer culture. / Per. from English O. I. Medved – M.: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2015. – 208 p.
