Money, Humanity, Pessimism & me.
Pessimism — the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes, results, conditions, problems, etc.
I intellectually grew up influenced mostly by Upanishads, Buddhism, Gita, Rousseau, Schopenhauer, a little bit of Marxism and Nietzsche.
There are things common to all these schools of thinking.
I will try to present those commonalities on the basis of two questions answered by their ways of thinking.
Okay,
- How should I approach money and wealth?
- What should I do in my life if I am to work to support humans on what they will/shall be like? In other words, The future of humanity and my role?
Let’s begin with the first question.
Upanishads
…There are two paths that can be followed. Each path is distinct from the other and each ties men down in a distinct way. There is the path that strives for heaven and for pleasure obtained from possessing sons and animals. There is also the path that seeks to obtain salvation through knowledge. Of these two paths, the path of knowledge leads to welfare. And an individual who strives for the path of pleasure never obtains salvation…
…He who is ignorant does not know the difference between the two paths. But the learned one can distinguish between them. Such a learned person knows that the path of knowledge is superior and accepts it in preference to the path of pleasure. The ignorant one preferes the path that leads to the preservation of the physical body and the possessions of sons and animals…
- Yama to Nachiketa (Valli 2, The Katha Upanishad)
Brahmana Three of The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad tells us the bliss of unification with the Brahma is multiple 100 unit times better than the joy attained by a person who has health, wealth and lords over others.
Although the Upanishads do contradict themselves by talking about the value of religious life for wealth at places, it has to be known that a rigorous life of knowledge is presented as a true and an ideal life. Other preferences are tolerated but not respected as an ideal deed. But the wealth do have their value as sacrifices to be given in the name of Brahma. Similar is the case but with the name Krishna below:
Gita
The meaning of Karma is in the intention. The intention behind action is what matters. Those who are motivated only by desire for the fruits of action are miserable, for they are constantly anxious about the results of what they do…
This is about a concept called ‘Niskama Karma-Yoga’. It teaches about working and doing without lust or greed. With everything dedicated to Krishna, for Krishna. Doing the deed of God.
Buddhism
The fool is his own enemy. Seeking wealth, he destroys himself. Seek rather the other shore.
The other shore is towards Nibbana.
Rousseau:
…for luxury either comes of riches or makes them necessary; it corrupts at once rich and poor, the rich by possession and the poor by covetousness; it sells the country to softness and vanity, and takes away from the State all its citizens, to make them slaves one to another, and one and all to public opinion.
-The Social Contract
There are places where Rousseau regards money and wealth as instruments of freedom. But here he has clearly talked about the absurdity of a money focused life.
Schopenhauer:
Money is human happiness in the abstract: he, then, who is no longer capable of enjoying human happiness in the concrete devotes himself utterly to money.
Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become.
- E. Payne, trans. (1974) Vol. 1, p. 347
Talent works for money and fame; the motive which moves genius to productivity is, on the other hand, less easy to determine. It isn’t money, for genius seldom gets any.
He clearly doesn’t believe in money’s ability to provide happiness.
Karl Marx:
Money is therefore not only the object but also the fountainhead of greed.
Notebook II, The Chapter on Money, p. 142.
Since he was the founder of Communism, his opinion on the importance of money is apparent.
Nietzsche:
The civilized classes and nations are swept away by the grand rush for contemptible wealth. Never was the world worldlier, never was it emptier of love and goodness.
Nowadays the crudest and most evil forces, the egoism of the money-makers and the military despots, hold sway over almost everything on earth
-Schopenhauer as educator
Wealth clearly stops the world from being lovelier and better for Nietzsche.
The quotes above from the thinkers mentioned clearly show their pessimistic view on money and wealth.
None of them seem to believe in the ability of money and wealth to provide that which is actually of worth in life.
Private-jet owning, billion $ aspirations surely cannot be expected from one who truly lives by these ideals.
Moving on to the second part.
The future of humanity and my role
Upanishad, Bhagawad Gita and the related Hindu Philosophical schools talk of endless circles of cosmic existence.
According to the Upanishads, the universe and the Earth, along with humans and other creatures, undergo repeated cycles of creation and destruction (pralaya). A variety of myths exist regarding the specifics of the process, but in general the Hindu view of the cosmos is as eternal and cyclic. The later puranic view also asserts that the universe is created, destroyed, and re-created in an eternally repetitive series of cycles. In Hindu cosmology, age of earth is about 4,320,000,000 years (one day of Brahma that is 1000 times of sum of 4 yugas in years, the creator or kalpa)
There is a system of looking at existence in terms of 4 Yugas which repeat in cycles. Vishnu begins and Shiva ends each (Vaishnav school).
Satya-yuga or Satyuga, the Yuga of Truth, also called Krita-yuga, which lasted for 1,728,000 earth years
Treta-yuga, the second Yuga, which lasted for 1,296,000 earth years
Dwapara-yuga, the third Yuga which lasted for 864,000 earth years
Kali-yuga, the fourth Yuga or the age of darkness, which lasted for 432,000 earth years
The Puranic scriptures talk about the circle of lives.
Whatever the case, Hinduism seems to believe in the impotence of humans to decide theirs and their world’s fate. It does not seem to believe in humans’ capacity of doing good long-term, testified by the need for reccurence of Vishnu/Krishna time and time again once affairs get out of control; it doesn’t seem to have much hope in humanity.
Buddhism
This is a system of thought which advocates ‘extinguishing’ of mind and all forms of consciousness to never be born again, stopping endless cycles of rebirth. This cycle itself is the cause of suffering.
Since it is an established religion and a very popular one at that, the future of humanity along with all creatures as per this logic is to not-exist in the long-term.
Rousseau
He prefered primitive societies. He believed civilization took away natural virtue and freedom from humans. He didn’t regard Arts and Sciences very highly. He condemned philosophers. He tried to convince himself on the benefit of modern societies though by stating that they at least provide a chance for security and general-will pursuing:
What man loses by the social contract is his natural liberty and an unlimited right to everything he tries to get and succeeds in getting; what he gains is civil liberty and the proprietorship of all he possesses.
Schopenhauer
There are two things which make it impossible to believe that this world is the successful work of an all-wise, all-good, and, at the same time, all-powerful Being; firstly, the misery which abounds in it everywhere; and secondly, the obvious imperfection of its highest product, man, who is a burlesque of what he should be.
Schopenhauer, heavily influenced by the Upanishads and Buddhist thought, saw Will as the cause of everything and the ultimate entity that is undefeatable. Since will for him is that which causes misery and ordinary people are trapped by petty-wills with no intention of overcoming, he doesn’t seem to have high hopes.
His views on Science, very well presented in his magnum-opus the The World as Will and Idea; as a method applicable only to the extent of Principle of Sufficient Reason portrays his lack of credibility for the field. Which negates all kinds of modern positivistic thoughts.
Marx
Marx, as mentioned above, was the founder of Communism. Which in the most basic sense is the idea that society and humanity cannot go much far if driven by greed. Socialist economic system ruled by the ruling class was the only way out for him.
Although not a pessimistic thought, the failure of its applications in most contexts for various reasons does make the future of humanity bleak without it.
Nietzsche
Optimistic on the idea of an individualistic uberman, he wasn’t too optimistic on humanity as a whole.
There is nothing to life that has value, except the degree of power — assuming that life itself is the will to power
-The Will to Power
But he did say this:
Whatever has value in our world now does not have value in itself, according to its nature — nature is always value-less, but has been given value at some time, as a present — and it was we who gave and bestowed it.
-The Gay Science
The father of postmodernism, he did believe in man’s power to define himself and innovate his own destiny, but the ever pressuring urge of the will-to-power makes things tricky.
The quotes above from the thinkers mentioned clearly show their pessimistic view on humanity and its destiny
None of them seem to want to believe in the ability of humans to do that which is actually worth doing.
Space Colonizing, Life Extending, Behavorist, Transhumanist, Techno-Utopian aspirations surely seem futile for one who truly lives by these ideals.
Final Discussions
I wanted to share the philosophies that influenced me and to some extent, shaped me. These ideas both haunt and inspire me. Although I don’t relate to a lot of them today, they have made me who I am. I believe that space, time and context shape the thinkings of a person. The same is with me.
While theose pessimistic thinkings may have stopped me from pursuing many a- materialistic or such trophies, at the end of the day I appreciate whatever I have learnt from them. Most importantly — free thinking.
Yes, all these thinkers were great advocates of free-thinking.
So utilizing that tool, I have today managed to do away with a few shackles — Of Pessimism.
For me, the answers to:
- How should I approach money and wealth?
- What should I do in my life if I am to work to support humans on what they will/shall be like? In other words, The future of humanity and my role?
is determined now by my own volition and free-thoughts.
I would like to sign out by sharing a desire-formula by which I am trying to balance the answers to the questions above. And in the process balance both pessimism and optimism. I don’t have concrete answers, I just have activities I love doing. And I believe in love.
What I want?
- Learning and Thinking: I am a spiritual, philosophical absurdist. I today, have calculated trust in Science and Technology. I believe not in their nature to provide us an answer but in the ability of their users to find one through them. I think philosophical scrutiny of both science and technology is a must for that. Humanity and its future is still undetermined. It’s open for a hell of a lot more interpretations. Learning more and more and using knowledge-technologies we have today can open doors to x knows what!
- Writing and Creating: I write and I create. I have to.
- Travels: I want to see the world. Both external and internal. Travelling implies this for me. Both physical cosmos and mind. Money is essential for this. As long as it serves me, I am okay. I plan to utilize Learning and Thinking/Writing and Creating in my Travelings.
Thanks for remaining with me.
I could do with a cup of Ko-Fi .
