The Fear of Reality
If I had one word to characterize the human condition I would choose "fear". Much like every other living organism on this planet we have been tamed by the limitations of our environment. Restrictions that define do's and don't's. And so we have invented illusions to get around this conundrum.
Elaborate creations myths became a necessity to explain our origins. Even after the dawn of science many of us refuse to admit that they are the outcome of a primordial chemical soup that is no different than the filth we step into after a rainy day. The invention of souls assured us that our existence is valued and deserves something better than to rot with the worms in the ground.
On a more superficial level, we masquerade ourselves with make-up so we can make an impression — perhaps to meet the person of our dreams. Later on we get disappointed if they end up falling in love with the idea of beauty and appearance instead of "who we really are". Our vocabularies are filled with words that remove the harshness of reality and rather romanticize our existence. This is how fucking becomes "love" in our heads. A default natural act that releases specific chemicals has fooled us enough to deny the process and rather attribute it to something higher — in hope of course that will also elevate our significance and place in the cosmos.
Throughout history we have made sure to distinguish ourselves from other animals. We are afraid of the idea of dying and be gone forever. We can envision our own demise and that scares the shit out of us. Yet, no matter how many messiahs we invent, no matter how many rituals and holy books we write, we still shit from the same hole as all of the beings.
The only antidote against reality is mutual brainwashing. If enough of us believe that there is something different other than the fucked up reality then the human brain can fool itself believing it is true. This is how people end up feeling so good when they are in church. This is why people feel safe and comfortable at home. This is how and why virtual reality, games and being glued in front of a screen for hours works. Our brains have been trained to defy reality at all costs.
We have been training our illusions in order to accommodate the harshness of reality since the dawn of human history. Slaves of the past told their own stories of hope and salvation. Terminally ill people assured themselves that it was a test and that something better is awaiting. Our brains are amazing storytelling machines and this is why our technologies are all focused towards that spectrum. Our future will become more and more made-up. Our brains will become devices that entertain themselves.
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The story of the human being has always being a tragic one. We have been caught by surprise in evolution's elaborate scheme. Our brain cannot handle itself and thus it is lost in its stories. On a daily basis we are driven by hope and false promises. What would become if the 5-8 wage slave would realize that this is going to be their entire life? What would happen if a family man realizes that his offspring is no different than his neighbour's? What if a religious person realizes that he has been taught about a specific version of a supreme being because they were born in a particular culture and not another?
Our species would have never made it this far. The fear of reality if what allowed us to create functional societies. Fear of reality helped us construct ethical codes so we wouldn't boutcher each other senselessly but only if we had good excuse. Fear of reality allowed us to see our own tribe from a better perspective so that we could survive the threat from others. Without fearing reality there would be no meaning for our existence — for meaning prerequisites fear.
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1 John 4:18
Very amusing post. Ironically, even knowing it doesn't make a difference!
In other words fear is the motive of the human evolution ?
According to Napoleon Bonaparte , Men are moved by two levers only: fear and self interest. Fear is a universal malady, but sometimes it brings sanity and sanctity in the neighbourhood. One of the reason Indians are corrupt could be attributed to a lack of fear factor.
We are all corrupt.
Humans are characterized by fear. Fear drives us, even when we don't know it's fear. Fear of being ordinary drives a normal man to shoot for greatness. Fear of being alone created marriages. And as you mentioned, fear of being reduced to the level of fellow animals led us to create religion and every excuse for its obvious lapses.
Fear is necessary for progress
I think descriptions of our "mutual brainwashing" aren't so interesting as a different question you didn't ask. How come 'running away from reality' has made us a dominant species on this planet?
Maybe there is up-to-date storytelling and outdated storytelling? Maybe your fear-based description of 'human condition' is actually a description of some transitional state of our culture A.D. 2017 and we just need some new and up-to-date stories for the Information Age?
And then the fear will disappear...
Our vocabularies are filled with words that remove the harshness of reality and rather romanticize our existence
It's very true, Like creating intangible objects using only ideas.
yeap. even the word "nothing" is bullshit. there is always "something"
Great post! I like it :)
"Fear of reality", that's the first time I see it in that sense. I think that we need to let go of the feeling that everything has meaning or should have and just live life to the fullest.
That's funny! my new post also about reality. please check it, I think you will like it based on this post ^^
Followed!
@paps
haha! i have just wrote a similar message! i too am hunting for more readers and my last post is on reality! would love for you to check it out.. i have followed you and will read your last post!
Thank you very much :D
We are pretty similar in that sense haha
Really a great post! i agree with everything you wrote and as virtual reality goes .....i hate it! My friend bought one i wanted 2 slap him across the face! If right now if your reality sucks, at least it's real. Good times or bad times face reality my friends! One Love
fear= false impression appearing real=mostly illusions