...No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind...John Donne (1572-1631)
I believe that no man is an island. I love that saying. The interdependence we experience as members of families, communities, nations and cultures is astounding. I come from a very individualistic society, but my family and religious culture has a collectivism about it. On the other hand my identity has been forged by a strong individualistic drive. I value my own agency and that of humanity's.
Another few quotes I cherish are:
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," by the spanish philosopher George Santayana.
Sigmund Freud, the father of pyschoanalysis said, "Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness." Not the sex drive? That's interesting coming from Freud.
History is so important when shaping the future. Love is such a big part of being an intelligence. Love is a driving force in the self-actualization of our species. Work is theraputic and necessary for survival. Being without love and work is deteriorating to the pysche of humans. Man would cease to function cognitively and emotionally. A pathological breakdown into insanity and aloneness.
I am stuck on this idea that humanity needs to experience well mortality. I feel such a passivity towards rites of passage and other self-actualizing moments from society. Our materialism and fast paced living have created a passivity towards what really helps us be human and develope as intelligences. A generation of pleasure seekers that for the moment let eternity pass by is the norm. This is a overgeneralization, but I get that vibe from society. Society has no real concept of eternity, only mortality and the aviodence of pain through fleeting moments of pleasure. Life is much more than our evolutionary biology to avoid pain and seek pleasure/safety/comfort. We are so much more than our flight or fight response.
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