Happiness in a Mad World

Psychologist Oliver James, author of Affluenza and now The Selfish Capitalist, believes that the madness does not just stem from Freud's tension between the individual and civilization, or from Eliot's observation that we have to put on faces to meet faces, but from the fact that politics has gone profoundly wrong in the English-speaking world.

We have been infected by affluenza, the notion that our most profound psychological needs – for security, intimacy, autonomy – can be met by things, decisions, actions that cannot possibly meet them. The sex addict is emblematic: they long for intimacy and seek it in promiscuity, the very action that prevents intimacy. James has assembled evidence to show that the people who suffer most from mental illness are those who suffer most from status anxiety, as Alain de Botton put it – the desire or pressure to be beautiful, famous, wealthy…

Why should this result in poor mental health, that is unhappiness?

Advertising tells us this by manufacturing desire and keeping images of how the rich live in front of us… It leads to massive debt – personal and corporate – and a fear-based career as you struggle to earn to pay the mortgage. It undermines intrinsic values… It is a bleak picture, one of massive collective neurosis… The implication is that we are missing the good life even as we think we are pursuing it…  

Extract from Happiness in a Mad World by Mark Vernon

The Godless Atheist

The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. — [Bertrand Russell]

As an agnostic I certainly don’t have a problem with anyone choosing to be an atheist. It however has been my experience that many of the atheists I interact with oftentimes tend to be more dogmatic and intolerant than religious conservatives. My casual observation suggests that they definitely are more so than the average religious person. And oftentimes it is not only the religious that has to bear the brunt of their ire, even agnostics are labeled as wimps for being too soft on “the enemy”, the religious that is, and often are referred to as fence sitters when it comes to the general issue of belief. The following utterance by political satirist Stephen Colbert conveying the general sentiment: “Isn't an agnostic just an atheist without balls?”

I know I’m generalizing but that is my personal observation based on my own experience. But let me relate an incident that highlights the typical mentality. The resulting consternation upon which this example is based was triggered by the following innocent email.

Good morning everyone. It seems that Monwabisi's condition has worsened and he is in hospital again. His girlfriend relayed that he is at the Vincent Pallotti Hospital in the Poplar ward. He is said to be extremely ill. Guys, please keep him in your prayers and thoughts.

As innocent as this email was, all hell broke loose after the sender apologized for sending it to the wrong mailing list. She meant to send it to her department only, but chose a group email that sent it to all the staff at the university. The apology followed five minutes later, but soon afterwards emails flooded my inbox requesting to be removed from the list. It became so bad that the secretary of the chancellor had to ask the operations manager to train staff on the “Reply to Sender” function (which is the default function on the GroupWise mail-server) and they used the “Reply to All” (incidentally not the default option which had to be deliberately selected).

The result was that hundreds of emails were forwarded in this way. By the third day the emails were still streaming in, upon which someone responded with the following.

To ALL those who don't want to be part of this mail:

This was a simple mail, requesting prayers for one of our sick colleagues. What is so difficult praying for someone, why does that bother you so much?

If you can't pray for him, just delete the mails that come to your mailbox and stop filling other people’s mailbox by requesting to be taken out of the mailing list. Tomorrow may be your turn to need prayers. How will you all feel being in Monwabisi's shoes? The Bible instructs us to pray for the sick and to LOVE our neighbors as ourselves.

So, where did Ashley go wrong by asking us to pray for one of us that are battling with ill health?

The more people that pray for him the better.

Yet, this did not end the chain mailing, bearing in mind that these mails were also being sent to Monwabisi mailbox as well. This is when I thought I’d have my say and changed the email header to “Is this an Institution of Higher Learning?” and responded to the previous email, even though the author clearly had strong religious sentiments.

I agree fully with your email, and I hope the other 2000 or so people who cluttered the email system by purposefully selecting the “Reply to all” (as they had to as I purposefully did in this case), actually got your message.

I thought this is a university of higher learning? And that there may be half a chance of finding civilized intelligent compassionate people working here. I know there are, but this clearly had been an exhibition to the contrary. 

I will keep Monwabisi in my thoughts.

After this all the emails stopped with the exception of the following.

Sorry, you might but I don't deserve any rebuke!

Let me explain why..... I never 'replied to all', neither did I ask to be removed from the list. I am sorry to hear of a sick colleague, even if I don't personally know him. But actually it is not about that, it is about boundaries. It is very inappropriate to send out an email asking the entire staff of a University to pray for someone. This is not what work place emails are for. If that was the norm where would it end?

We all know people who are in need of support. Can you imagine if everyone suddenly implored us, via internal mail, to call on divine intervention on behalf of someone else? We'd be flooded by thousands of letters on a daily basis. Use the social networks to do that sort of thin. (By the way they are far more effective).

It is equally inappropriate to send out a manipulative and sickly rebuke reminding us of some biblical injunction or telling us we might be ill tomorrow! It's preposterous! I'm not a child that I need to be chastised. “This was a simple mail, requesting prayers for one of our sick colleagues. What is so difficult praying for someone, why does that bother you people so much?” Do you get how patronizing that is?

On top of that, in the correspondence comes an innuendo that I am neither civilized intelligent or caring! What do you know of me or anyone else on this campus? What is it about people like yourselves that believe it is alright and fitting to adopt a high moral stance because people didn't respond in a way you thought appropriate...

To which I responded.

Let me not draw this out into a lengthy debate, someone made a simple mistake by choosing the incorrect group address (and invaded your personal boundary), and apologized very shortly afterwards. But moreover, with a very simple request, and all hell broke loose. I would not have known you were supportive of that stance, but now I do. By the way, I'm agnostic, but I respect others efforts to elicit concern for those in need, and why not do it by mail. I receive hundreds of spam daily, so what if a legitimate call for concern for someone in need slips in once in a while. If it offends you so much, delete it, unless it gives you some perverse gratification to air your objection to the world…

After this he didn't respond and that was the end of this bizarre unfortunate event. 

While I cannot say for sure whether this person is an atheist as I had never met him, he does exhibit the typical cynical demeanor in his tone.  As far as those who sent the emails, I cannot say either, but more than likely are both religious and non-religious individuals. This however is more reflective of the mob mentality referred to in Book I: The Demise of Critical Thinking. For, once the first email was sent, it appears as if others also wanted to be part of that dissenting group, and thus to show all that they also had something to say, no matter how ridiculous it turned out to be. 

Indeed I would’ve called the section Narcissism in Action because of the total disregard for Monwabisi and his circumstance; i.e. that the responders were more concerned that their boundaries were invaded. Either way, whether he was an atheist or not, this certainly is reflective of the growing narcissistic uncaring mentality of our time.  

And just to remind you, this incident did not happen in urban US, but had taken place in Cape Town, a city on the southernmost tip of Africa.

Extract from Scourge Book III: Thriving in the age of Austerity

The Life We Know

Courtesy - Brian Dye

Man—in his endless search for greener pastures—has gone to great lengths to improve his existence as mere mortal on earth. While most do so honourably, many rob, cheat and even kill to gain more from life. But alas, irrespective of the life lived, its conclusion is simple, exact and irrevocable. A fleeting moment of light returned to an inevitable darkness.

Where’s the justice in this?

Why is death so cruel and merciless and why is it often accompanied with dreadful pain and suffering?

Why live at all for it to be reduced to the sorrow of dying?

The answers certainly are not clear. In an attempt to explain the inexplicable, we must be aware that we are dealing with the mysterious, but two views do emerge. The first is simple and addresses the essence of life - the survival instinct - every creatures’ inherent drive to stay alive.

The other is more complex, yet paradoxically, amazingly simple, requiring insight of the workings of the greater universe - none of which anybody really understands - and ones place in it. It demands a profound and honest understanding of oneself and one’s true purpose. It can be a painful journey to hard-to-reach accesses of ones’ inner self, requiring a lifetime of dedication to maintain.

The first view is a mystical, magical one, shrouded in the supernatural. Though not based on reality, but on the power of illusion, it has become the most active force in man’s physical development. It provides a ready consolation to a world ravaged by disease, natural disaster and the daily battle for survival. More than this, it’s been the most powerful social tool in history, instilling great levels of cohesion, discipline and most importantly, a fear of wrong-doing and consequently a primitive sense of justice.

What is this magical spell and what is its power over one as ‘knowledgeable’ as humankind?

The answer is not hard to find. From the moment man realized his mortality, it became an all-empowering force. The mere thought of death is still his worst fear. 

Would a second chance at life not be the ultimate gift for one destined to die?

Would the promise of a better eternal life not be the ultimate motivation needed to inspire humankind to superior heights of discipline, achievement and morality?

Consequently, the philosophy of “a life well lived will be a life well rewarded after death” predominated through the manifestation of religion. Separated by the widest oceans and the highest mountains, numerous religious doctrines developed. Despite physical barriers their essence is universal with the ultimate goal, the attainment of immortality.

What would the world be without these ideals? Surely the rules of the jungle would prevail, where only the fittest, fiercest and most cunning can survive?

For many, death would simply be the end to a pathetic life. By creating the illusion of life after death, man has found the means to lift himself from the realm of savage, to the godlike realm of the immortal. Now, instead of living only by the instinct to survive, he can now be guided by his passion to live. Convinced that contribution to society, compassion towards others, obedience and hard work will bring an eternal life, man has developed himself to an astonishing level of sophistication.

Is this not the magic and wonder of it all? Whether life after death is fact or fantasy should be of little importance, isn’t the significance the reality it has achieved?

If you believe in magic and the power of illusion, this life view is sufficient although not complete. You will be guided by your desire to achieve the ultimate, that magical life beyond the pain of death. Unfortunately though, you are not the master of the course you are taking, for it has been carefully drawn by the magician’s wand.

Like all magic though, the illusion only lasts as long as there is belief in its power. Many have doubts or lack the resolve to follow through its purest intent. For them, this magic has less meaning than their own understanding of their very existence. Even under the control of religion, man’s desires and whims exist and do get the better of him. In attempting to adhere to a doctrine, these feelings are merely suppressed, producing conflicts between these desires and the dogma rigidly forced upon him. The repercussions can be small and insignificant or can take the guise of religious fanaticism, demonism, sadism and war. What is paramount is not the mere adherence to a fancy doctrine in order to achieve a convoluted and somewhat distant goal.

What is important is that man discovers his true inner self. Deep within he should discover the real meaning of life and all that is of true significance.

But how does one find that inner being? Would man not find a wanton demon hidden in his depths, ready to devour all within its power to consume? Would he not become the savage he once was?

He need not. In his journey through life man should have grown from the helpless infant who needs nurturing guidance, past the troublesome adolescent who has to obey the house rules or face the consequences. He should have developed faculties far superior to the wantonness of primitive man. With his superior comprehension, rational thought and the wisdom of time as his guide, he should by now be able to find his own way.

For after all, is he not the same being capable of sending one of his own to outer-space? And is it not he who conquered the skyways and airwaves so that the entire planet is within his reach, while doing this, also tapping into the very atom of all existence releasing a magic genie so awesome that even to this day it is beyond his comprehension?

These are but a few of man’s uncountable ‘victories’ against the forces of the universe. But alas, with all this greatness, man’s potential greed and zest for power has given him an infinite ability to use his knowledge to destroy himself and his world.

For now, from the ashes of man obsessed with death, a new savage has arisen. One obsessed with life. His own. Cybernetic man. A narcissistic being preoccupied with what he can accumulate in his mortal lifetime.

Domination and control of all that surrounds him is an obsession of this being. Because of this, all living things are vulnerable to his exploitation. Hardly any aspect of life has escaped complete alteration or annihilation as a direct consequence of his meddling. All life forms not suiting his purpose he has killed off or fenced out to suite his convenience. The very life-form precious to all that breathes is being mowed down to satisfy his vanity. The mighty oceans are slowly dying. The skies are losing their once ever-prevalent shield against the constant bombardment of the sun. Our generous mother earth is turning to desert as she rapidly ages, having to provide for an ever growing and demanding mankind.

More destruction and decay was caused in one mere lifetime of cybernetic man compared to the entire lifetime of the earth. Another human lifetime of this insanity is all that is needed to destroy the billions of years of harmony and balance that has been ever prevalent in our world.

As man and this world face what could be their final hour, he should ask this crucial question: If I am so wise and omnipotent, why do I willingly destroy the essence that sustains me?

There can be no logical answer. These actions are that of a demon bent on self-destruction. Surely there is no rational thought at play with such acts of obsessive greed?

Do we not need our world to thrive for us to thrive?

Do we not need our world to be at peace for us to have peace?

Should we not give love to be loved?

Yes, the answer was always there: give that which you wish to receive; reap what you sow.

Is that not truly the essence of living the one life we really know?

Copyright © 1985 by Newton Fortuin