Tag Archives: How Civilization Destroys Happiness

A Closer Look into The Modern Epidemic of Unhappiness

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Photo by Julia Joppien on Unsplash

In recent years, one might expect happiness to be more attainable than ever. That might also not be the case after all.

Paradoxically, modern society has witnessed the rise of an epidemic of unhappiness. Despite our progress, many people grapple with discontent and a downward spiral. Moreover, they often experience stress and a pervasive emptiness that not even wealth can fill.

The epidemic of unhappiness is what Spiritual Freedom Press tackles. When rediscovering the wisdom of human nature becomes difficult, we can look back on Chet Shupe’s book. Especially when we learn how civilization destroys happiness by replacing the intangible things humans need to survive. Because the modern unhappiness epidemic contributes to the imbalance of our well-being, we must examine its underlying causes.

 

The Underlying Causes of This Modern Epidemic of Unhappiness

With social media and constant exposure to curated lifestyles, the illusion of perfection permeates people’s hearts and minds. As it becomes a pervasive idea in society, comparing our lives to carefully crafted online personas can lead to feelings of inadequacy and unhappiness. Recognizing the superficiality of these comparisons and embracing self-acceptance can help break free from this cycle.

Modern civilization has also brought about a disconnection from nature and authentic experiences. The fast-paced lifestyle, reliance on technology, and urbanization have distanced us from the natural world. Moreover, the pursuit of success often leads to an unhealthy work-life imbalance. Long work hours, constant connectivity, and the pressure to achieve can result in burnout and a diminished sense of happiness.

 

The Disease of Consumerism and Materialism

Modern society often equates happiness with material wealth and the accumulation of possessions. However, it creates a never-ending cycle of desire, leading to dissatisfaction and unhappiness. Shifting our focus towards experiences, relationships, and gratitude can foster a more sustainable and fulfilling sense of happiness.

Moreover, many struggle to find meaning and purpose in this unhappiness epidemic. Because humans are notoriously terrible at making decisions, we fail to see our sense of purpose. Our obsession with ‘having it all’ becomes a disease that figuratively consumes our souls.

Consumerism and materialism can be understood as part of the epidemic of unhappiness. They are societal conditions or mindsets in which the acquisition of material goods is given excessive importance. Eventually, they become primary sources of personal fulfillment and identity. The disease of consumerism and materialism is characterized by an insatiable desire for possessions. It also boils down to the belief that our self-worth is tied to the accumulation of material things.

 

The Prevalence of the Epidemic of Unhappiness

As the lack of genuine happiness becomes prevalent in society, it had many effects on people, communities, and society. Prolonged feelings of dissatisfaction, stress, and discontent can lead to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. Moreover, the constant striving for happiness without achieving it can create a sense of hopelessness and despair.

The unhappiness epidemic can also spiral into a series of consequences from individuals up to the larger collective. At this point, finding spiritual freedom amid the chaos of civilization enables us to rediscover the wisdom of human nature. Modern civilization is not necessarily the catalyst for destroying happiness.

 

The Reality of Being Unhappy in This Day and Age

While our experience of unhappiness is unique, some common factors contribute to the epidemic of despair in modern society. For example, there’s often the pressure to conform to societal norms and expectations. It could be for appearances, success, or lifestyle. This unnecessary pressure can make us feel like we’re not enough and induce self-doubt. Ultimately, we believe in our hearts that we will always fall short of these standards.

Moreover, despite technological advancements that connect people globally, it drove us further to disconnection. We need to maintain our tangible relationships and dissociate from the ones we should care about. Because of this, traditional support systems like family, friends, and communities have weakened in many societies. This lack of social cohesion and support can lead to feelings of loneliness, isolation, and unhappiness.

May we always remember to look beyond the material possessions that modern civilization has pushed into our minds. And ultimately, we should practice believing that the unhappiness epidemic is curable by rediscovering what it means to be human. Moreover, our collective mindset regarding the material things we obsessively consume has to be reassessed. That ensures we can still care for our well-being and work towards a more fulfilling and balanced life.

The Complexities of Humanity’s Desire for Growth

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Where does humanity’s desire indeed lie? With how society is progressing, have humans attained what they need for satisfaction? Or have they veered far from true happiness?

The world is immensely different now than how it was, say, five or ten years ago. Society has continuously sought and achieved developments, working to advance technologies and communities in hopes of easing and improving people’s lives. But if one stops to look around, even just a moment, are lives significantly better? Or have people desired to achieve more than they can handle, biting off more than they can chew?

Regarding the discussion of humanity’s desire, nothing comes before happiness. It’s the pinnacle of human needs, which they constantly aim to appease and look for in every endeavor. Whatever they do, they hope the result gives them happiness and contentment. However, the longer they seek it, the more they get confused about what genuinely provides it. This happiness gets lost in translation, blurred by the numerous opportunities and resources provided by society.

 

The Happiness Encompassing Humanity’s Desire

In the book by Chet Shupe entitled Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature: How Civilization Destroys Happiness, the author established that humanity’s desire for survival has always been connected with happiness. Humans don’t only need to survive; they must also find happiness. However, humans have mistakenly sought this in knowledge, mistaking satisfaction for happiness.

They believe that happiness is found in the success of their developments and technology, that they’re happier when buildings become taller machinery eases work, or when the latest gadgets drop one after the other. However, Chet Shupe defines this as a misconception, believing none convey the true definition of happiness. This might as well be a satisfaction to see the result of people’s hard work, but it’s not genuine happiness.

Throughout this journey of constantly developing and advancing as a civilization, people have forgone to fulfill humanity’s desire. Instead, they’ve repressed how they genuinely feel in exchange for this false sense of survival and happiness.

It’s no question that technology has made lives better. Things have become easier to handle and more accessible due to the continuous advancements in society. Technology has made resources accessible to people from all walks of life. But in doing so, they might have overlooked that development is making life progressively faster, forcing people to juggle tasks and peace. Although technology has inexplicably improved society, it has made people forget what truly matters.

 

It’s Not in Knowledge That People Thrive in Happiness

These developments brought about by accumulated knowledge may have helped people secure material needs. But it doesn’t fulfill what they genuinely want. Regardless of how efficient life has become because of machines and technology, it won’t be half as fulfilling without connection.

Humans are social beings. It’s in humanity’s desire, their emotional heritage, to seek comfort and contentment in emotional connections. They may be blinded in feeling satisfaction through societal developments. But they will only achieve genuine happiness through deep emotional intimacy. Material developments and abundance might have aided their survival, but connection and intimate interaction with each other lead them to survival and happiness.

This connection would be easy to satisfy if people don’t have other needs. However, civilization and its laws enclose people’s decisions, reshaping what people should enjoy.

In today’s civilization, happiness occupies the lowest bar for humanity’s desire. With the need for success, landing high-paying careers is typically prioritized regardless of whether they provide happiness. Instead of seeking fulfillment in emotional connection, they’re left to find gratification elsewhere. This is where accumulating knowledge and the satisfaction derived from continuous societal development come in.

Although they don’t provide genuine happiness, people constantly seek them out because, for the very least, they’re a stand-in for the connection they can’t proactively seek.

 

Love and Happiness in the Wrong Places

This misplaced humanity’s desire for advanced knowledge doesn’t contribute to what truly matters. People shouldn’t seek progress but rather real contentment through happiness and experiencing love. The more they believe that happiness can be found in this progressiveness, the more humanity’s desire becomes insatiable, always seeking more.

People’s growing love for knowledge has made them less after true wisdom, which would make their lives flourish more. Instead of development and progression, love and experience are the primary elements to help achieve balance and harmony in the world. They’re what people need to survive longer and live happier lives. People aren’t drowning because of a lack of resources but because they’re spending their energy and time on the wrong priorities. Humans didn’t evolve because of civilization. They grew because of the community and connection they’ve built with each other.

All About Social Constructs And Examples Of What They Are

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Social constructs stem from a collective belief that came to be after a particular group accepted it. By learning what social constructs are and their examples, you might have a grasp on what needs to change.

Certain societies or groups form a uniform mindset on what everyone else must follow according to their standards. Sometimes, they’re not often based on objective realities but more on the idea of being acceptable personally. Social constructs do not hold any meaning.

It is usually up to the people to give context to the rules and systems they’re trying to implement. One of the most concrete examples is how pink pertains to girls, and blue is to boys, which applies to clothing or any other item. This idea shaped society’s perception for a long time until it was unlearned recently. Rather than being a form of truth from an objective standpoint, that belief came from being given meaning within a social context.

Books like “Rediscovering the Wisdom of Human Nature” by Chet Shupe are good references that talk about humanity’s potential to live happily, if not for the ridiculous artificial order imposed by institutions. Chet Shupe wants readers to know that we can still uncover the wisdom that serves as a roadmap to regain our natural sense of purpose; despite how civilization destroys happiness.

Examples of social constructs

Many social constructs were formed and became a norm after a long period of teaching them to succeeding generations. Such standard practices were widely accepted since people of authority deemed them to be. When those concepts were formed, those responsible for the widespread ideals were seen as role models – people with all the right to impose rules and regulations for everyone to follow.

Here are some examples of common social constructs that we are following and living by, subconsciously or not:

Adulthood – the age at which a person is considered an “adult” is subjective and will depend on every individual’s situation. For example, the United States and European Union see that people aged 18 are grown, adults. In other parts of the world, however, adulthood begins at age 16. But don’t mistake it as the legal age for drinking. Certain countries legalize drinking for young people at the age of 21.

Gender norms – there are behaviors that people perceive as something that belongs to a specific gender. A good example would be how men are not allowed to be emotional, while it’s normal for women to be. A man can react, but a woman can only overreact. Another is the notion that boys should stick to playing with trucks and video games while girls should dress in pretty skirts and play with dolls.

Gender norms alone are a complex issue that’s currently being broken down. Society has seen gradual changes over time, although there’s still a long way to go, with a lot to work on. For example, the belief is that women are built for marriage and being wives while men go to work. Specific industries that used to be exclusive for men (medicine, construction work, entrepreneurship, etc.) have been taken over by women, breaking the old cycle of jobs that belong to a particular gender.

Governments – governing bodies are social constructs where models of leadership and authority are formed to implement order in society. However, not everyone operates the same way. Different communities function under various governing bodies rooted in their history and culture. Hence, the diverse types of governments worldwide.

Family – usually, people think of “family” as a basic unit that forms the community. The traditional setup of a mother, father, and children usually defines a family. A married couple is legally bound together under a sacred institution of marriage, and they subsequently produce children. Today, a family being biologically related to one another has been slowly blurred and redefined. Family can be a friend, a pet, or even a group of strangers platonically caring for each other.

Marriage – not all groups agree on a universal form of marriage. Religious beliefs picture it as a divine sacrament that can never be broken except by death. Some groups view it as a political and economic alliance for personal gain. Arranged marriages, where groups from both parties set up a man and woman together without the necessary emotional attachments, are also part of typical social constructs.

However, with the change of tides in gender roles, many people are working towards shifting what must be considered normal within the context of marriage. For example, the idea is that marriage is a personal choice and doesn’t have to be necessarily a show of proof that people love each other.

Religion – religious practices were born from a desire to seek guidance from a higher being. Humans were wired to look up to somebody, be it another person or a divine individual. Religion is also a highly regarded social construct that influences culture and history. They are one of the primary reasons that society operates a certain way, and in some cases, the laws of the land are rooted in religion.

In conclusion

One thing you should know about social constructs is this: you don’t have to conform to every one of them, even if it means earning the ire of many people around you. People who go against the flow may have been treated like an outcast, excluded in many social interactions, etc. But looking at them closely, they seem happier, more accessible, and relieved that they are not bound to those social constructs.