Society

The relationship between people and society is symbiotic; each party depends on the other to properly function. The people need society for the sole purpose of organization; they need a system which creates order from the chaos that is a human life. Society provides a structure upon which people can rely with great certainty. Society was there yesterday, it is there today, and it will be there tomorrow. It is also necessary for humans to interact with each other, and these interactions are regulated and stimulated by society. We obviously need to get most, if not all, of our food from others. We usually buy the food using a currency created by society from stores, a societal establishment. Our dependence on order, structure, and permanence explain our strong reliance on society.

On the other hand, society relies on people for a very simple reason: it consists of people. Something cannot exist without the major component of which it consists. For example, water cannot exist without hydrogen molecules since water is composed of oxygen and hydrogen. The structure, society, depends on the building blocks, people, to exist.

This symbiotic relationship results in a give and take relationship known as the social contract. The people adhere to society’s rules as long as these rules are reasonable, but the social contract fails when the rules become unreasonable and unpleasant. However, the laws must be unjust to a point at which most of the people agree that they are not fair. It must require a large majority to overturn this social contract. For instance, during the reign of Louis XVI in France, the peasants, approximately 97% of the population, overthrew the monarchy and replaced it with their own form of government. In this case, the people decided that the law created by their society and government and society were not sufficient, so they did not obey the rules.

The Result of Introspection and Pessimism

To know myself means to know all of my flaws, strengths, and my purpose in life. Understanding why I am on this Earth is a huge step in knowing who I am. Of course I know little reasons why I am here, such as to make people laugh and to support my friends, but until I understand what my overall goal is and how it will affect the people around me, I will not know myself. Having this knowledge would benefit me mainly because it would provide a reason to wake up in the morning and drive me to succeed at everything I do. Knowing every aspect of myself, the way I think, and the way I can improve myself would enable me to become a better person and better the world.

One way I could improve myself is by strengthening my ability to compartmentalize. I believe that my greatest weakness is that I allow my emotions to consume me and hinder my progress. I have been really upset this past week, which is the main reason I am writing this blog Sunday night an hour and a half before it is due. I am not able to tell myself that I can be sad later, but now is the time to work. To develop this skill, I have worked very hard to stop thinking about my problems. I have been faking how I feel and putting a smile on for the rest of the world, which surprisingly helps me think about the task at hand rather than the problems that are present.

This contrasts interestingly with my greatest strength, my ability to make people happy. In all honesty, I am very good at cheering people up and using my humor to pull people out of the gutter. I work very hard to make people laugh, mainly because I enjoy the satisfaction of seeing other people happy, and I often raise the spirits of my friends when they need it most. The irony is that my greatest weakness prevents me from helping myself when I am upset.

It is very difficult for me to admit this information because I have been trained by my peers to despise myself. Although this is largely do to myself, my classmates have made me feel bad whenever I do well, causing a self-deprecating attitude. I am very self-conscious that people will think I am conceited when I say the slightest compliment towards myself.  Therefore my automatic response to the question, “What is your greatest flaw?” is “everything.” On the other hand, it is very difficult to pinpoint my strengths when I do not view myself to have strengths. This introspection is very difficult do to my societal pressures and fear of rejection by my peers. It makes me uncomfortable to write about why I am so great because this involves a level of self-confidence which I am yet to reach. This could in fact rival my inability to compartmentalize as my greatest weakness. The only reason it is not, in my eyes, my greatest flaw is because so many other people are unable to muster the confidence to speak honestly about themselves. It is such a common flaw that I think it is almost guaranteed that the majority of teenagers feel this way.

The Book of Occupation

In Psychology class, we learned about conditioning behavior via positive reinforcement and punishment. If someone performs a good deed, he/she will receive a reward, also known as positive reinforcement. This will increase the chance that this person will perform another good deed.  However, if someone performs a bad deed, he/she will receive some form of punishment. This will decrease likeliness of reoccurrence. But the question is why should this person be punished or rewarded based on his/her actions? Simply because in general people would want this world to be filled with good rather than evil. Since people are defined by their actions and we want people to be good, we must reward their good behavior. On the other hand, we must punish bad behavior to reduce the chances of people performing bad deeds.

These rewards and punishments enable us to build a moral code by which we should live, even once the reinforcements stop. For instance, parents teach their children not to steal at a young age through reinforcement and punishment, but these children eventually develop a basic idea that stealing is wrong. Then the children should not steal even if they are punished for not stealing simply because they should know that it is wrong to steal. Just as revolutionaries do when tortured for their beliefs, all people should maintain their moral code. As long as we know what is right versus wrong, we should be able to do good, even if punished for it.

In The Book of Job, God punishes an innocent man for what appears to be no reason. I believe that he did so to demonstrate both his power and the unbending loyalty which everyone should have to God. He tortures Job to a horrible extent and even though he has not sinned, but his purpose is to prove that he is almighty and can do what he wants. In The Holocaust, Nazi generals would often injure innocent prisoners for the pure purpose of instilling fear and loyalty in the other captives. Similarly God made an example of his power on Job. This is meant to show that others should not question God’s motives or strength simply because he is God.

The Meaning of Life from the Perspective of a Mere Circle

When I die, which hopefully will not happen for a very long time, I would like to have bungee-jumped, be a successful neurosurgeon, live in a nice house on a lake, be happily married, and have two children. The first event on my list will be relatively easy to accomplish but will hopefully add a whole new perspective on life. I will feel so small and unimportant relative to my surroundings, which will have to include some very large over-hang. This sense of humility is vital to understanding my place in life, but I cannot fully grasp it until I have experienced something as eye-opening as bungee-jumping. It will also make me understand my mortality and appreciate the short life which I am living.

I would like to be a neurosurgeon because I love science and the idea of surgery, so I figured a good combination would be neurosurgery. This is important to me because it will be a career that I will truly enjoy while still making money to support me and my family. I will be able to live comfortably with few financial issues and live in a nice house on a lake, which would enable me to go fishing when I am in desperate need of down-time.

I plan on having a family by the time I die because I am a very social person and will become insane without someone to love. I would need a man who will make me happy every day of my life to ensure that I am satisfied with life, despite all the other problems which I will have to face. And the children we have will be able to rationalize my existence. When I see them grow more and more as I wither away it will demonstrate my lasting mark. I will feel accomplished when I watch the children I raised become successful and happy members of society.

However, as important as all of these ideas are for me, I do not believe any of them are important to humanity. Except for becoming a surgeon and helping those in need, this list is fairly selfish. Is that unique to me? Am I the only person in this world who is based primarily on self-motivations? No, in fact I believe that most people do not want things or do things for the general good of humanity. I only want things that will directly bring me pleasure, which is not necessarily good for humanity.

If nothing we do affects humanity, then what is the purpose of life? The answer is simple: we want to enjoy the ride. In my opinion we start as a single cell and end six feet under, so obviously we all end in the same place as lifeless matter. That is why I believe it is the journey that makes life worthwhile. It is the people we meet, the things we do, the knowledge we gain, and how much we appreciate this in the end. Of course we all have tiny affects on the world based on the interactions we have with others, and obviously some people have larger effects than others, but it is the simple idea that the journey is what truly matters. Enjoying this journey is the most important factor of having a valuable life.

If each person were a circle then we would all intersect in countless places and have high points and low points. The circles never reach too far since they end in the same places they end, but it is the points of intersection that matter. While some circles are bigger than others, the removal of one circle will make a negligible difference. However, every single circle that intersected this removed circle will feel the impact, which is why each life is important.

We are constantly interacting with people, and the effect we have on them is what gives our lives meaning. Since this happens constantly we judge the value of our life constantly. It is important to realize that one has such a profound impact on his family and friends, which is why his life is valuable. While some people believe that their lives are worthless and suicide is the answer, there will always be people who care and will be upset at the loss of their friends, thus giving life meaning. If one person somewhere cares about a man, his life is important.

Impermanence

In a sense, the idea that “There is no permanence” can be very comforting in a very negative way (106). This could mean that it is impossible for us to leave an everlasting impression, so why bother trying. If the battle is futile, why fight at all? Rather than waste our time in an attempt to leave our mark, we should enjoy the ephemera and simple happiness that life presents us. This small joy that we receive is what makes life worth-while and gives us meaning.

Some view life as pointless, seeing as it comes full circle, but it is the 359 degrees that are important, not the degree that both starts and ends our journey. We derive purpose from the journey on which we embark, which includes the small details, such as a person we meet or a moment filled with joy. For instance, in my life I will not leave any lasting mark or affect the world significantly. However, I do not give up because I, like most other people, have realized that I can create great happiness. Food, sleep, and math are all tiny factors that I enjoy greatly and make the battle worth-while. For Gilgamesh, he felt importance because of his accomplishments. When referring to the city of Uruk, the story states, “This too was the work of Gilgamesh, the king, who knew the countries of the world. He was wise, he saw mysteries and knew secret things, he brought us a tale of the days before the flood” (117). This proves that we can take pride in our minor accomplishments. He may not live forever and be forgotten soon after his demise, but Gilgamesh can take pride in his city and knowledge, which suffices.

It is important for humans to remember that seeking permanence is futile simply because our society is very fast-paced. One day an itouch is the new hot item over which everyone pines, however no fewer than one year later the ipad overshadowed the obsolete itouch. I know that my eighteen-month-old ipod is considered ancient by most people, so of course I will be getting a new one very soon. This ipod will be gone before its second birthday, which demonstrates the fleeting nature of society. That is why it is very important to understand that we must enjoy every moment and plan for s short-term burst of life rather than waste this ephemeral life trying to extend it.

In an attempt to compensate for our lack of physical permanence, many try to develop fame which will spiritually maintain our existence. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh struggles to discover the secret to immortality, when in reality he is immortal through this very story. Although he has been dead for thousands of years, his story maintains his existence, thus accomplishing his goal. Similarly, most researchers try to make new discoveries in science to create fame. They try to improve our society of course, but unnecessary steps, such as naming bugs after oneself, is just evidence of our innate desire to be remembered and eternal.

Heroes

In the literary world, a hero is defined as someone who has completed the heroic cycle. In this cycle, the protagonist leaves his home, enters a new world, endures many challenges, and finally emerges a stronger person in the end. In The Odyssey, Beowulf, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the protagonists fulfill all of these requirements and are thus all considered heroes.

However, most people colloquially define a hero as a role model, which is often times true of literary heroes. This means that all heroes have qualities of excellence that are very desirable for most people, and their actions within the heroic cycle demonstrate these characteristics. In the new world, the hero faces many obstacles that challenge his/her strength, morality, intelligence, and other qualities. These actions portray the quality of this person as a whole, which is why the general public admires heroes.

The category of hero includes a wide array of people depending on the culture. The three books mentioned earlier were all part of separated societies, ones in which men were viewed as superior to women, which is why the protagonists are all men. Can women be heroes? Yes, but the audience is important, and in the past, most people did not care to hear about a woman hero. However, times have changed, and now there are many examples in which there is a female protagonist who proves to be a hero. For example, the Disney movie Mulan tells the story of a Chinese girl who fights to bring her family honor. She takes her father’s place in the conscription for the war against the Huns, but she is forced to pass as a male to do so. She travels with the Chinese army and in the end saves her country from a devastating attack from the Huns, proving herself a hero. The reason she is the hero of such a story is because in America during the late twentieth century, people accepted men and women to be equal, which means a woman could be a hero just as easily a man could. In the movie, she demonstrated bravery, strength, and courage, all desirable qualities that make her a role model for the viewers.

However, whether or not we need these role models is a different story. Bertolt Brecht believes that, “Unhappy the land that needs heroes,” opposing our reliance on these superior beings. The quotation indicates that only those who feel self-conscious and unhappy about themselves would need to look up to someone else to feel better. Those who are truly happy do not need heroes to guide them or show them how to be as a person.

Contrarily, I believe that there is always room for improvement, and there is nothing wrong with aspiring to be someone. There is no such thing as perfection in humankind, and it is important that we acknowledge this fact. By having heroes, we admit there are characteristics we wish to change due to our innate flaws. The idea of striving for better is nothing to frown upon and trying to improve ourselves is commendable.

Aloha!

I'm new to this whole blogging thing, which is why I am posting random words. This is not as much fun as one might think.
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