Pleasure is Sought, but Happiness is Found

The Journey is better than the Destination.

As I watch the modern world from behind a screen, occasionally looking into current events or seeing the many (many) post-apocalyptic stories that come out, it seems that things are more violent and dangerous than ever before. Murder cases, government corruption, international conflict, climate change – all of these things are serious issues, yet all are met with a prevailing sense of ennui, expressions of apathy, and a resigned shrug.

This is despite, or depending on your views, because, we are living in the most prosperous of times. Hockey-stick graphs of energy consumption, food production, population, carbon emissions, et cetera ad nauseam – all point to the modern day being a historical anomaly that we are producing far more than we ever did, and taking better care of more than we ever did.

And yet, despite all this progress, the future looks dimmer than ever.

Despite the constant promotion of artificial intelligence and sustainable energy as a solution to all ills, the middle class is disappearing, squeezed by rising energy prices and runaway inflation in real estate, healthcare, and other basic services. Reproduction rates in the most prosperous countries – the ones who should be enjoying the new world the most – are falling like a rock. Where we once had thriving neighborhood associations, small clubs, and local administrations – now we have distant and centralized bureaucracies, putting the levers of even local power far beyond the reach of the average person. Perhaps this is the natural consequence of an industrialized society, running on the principle of division of labor. Perhaps there is, in fact, something to Marx’s theory of alienation, where a human individual’s non-productive capacities wither away in favor of those that are paid for in the market, leaving a spiritual Quasimodo where a man once stood. Worst of all, the media isn’t even any good, original intellectual property being sidelined in favor of endless reboots, sequels, and spin-offs. Maybe we are all doomed to a slow and painful decline, wasting decades of our lives in a declining world.

You know, when you put it like that, catastrophe doesn’t sound too bad.

Waiting for the End

The worst part about all this is waiting for the end – we play out our parts, knowing that the great play may end at any time, yet we must continue, because it is the system that sustains us. The endless tension, the seemingly hopeless waiting for things to someday change, knowing that things are changing and not being able to do anything about it, it all leaves everyone on tenterhooks and waiting for what’s next. Every crisis we ask ourselves if this is the end or simply another bump on the long way down, if this will be the one that breaks my bank account, forecloses on my car, or makes me unable to make mortgage. Worst of all, the next one always comes from a blind spot, hitting us where we don’t expect it.

The suspense is quite literally killing us.

So, it seems natural that the common thread would be wishing for a big one - something like the biblical flood, a zombie virus[1], or literally anything, as long as it took most of the people with it and forced the few survivors to scramble in the bones of the old world, all with one common theme. After the end, the plucky survivors must band together both against the remnants of the apocalypse and others, fighting over the ruins of the world we once knew. Life returns to the old ways of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, moving in tribes, scrounging for our meals, fighting for survival – just with whatever conveniences of the modern world we can keep with us.

Is this what we really want?

I think we do.

The Rise of the Video Game

The fastest-growing addiction of the modern day is the video game. Forget drugs, vapes, or alcohol – the hundred-billion dollar video game industry is, in my opinion, the most powerful addictive agent the modern world has produced. This probably understates the reach of video games, even, considering how ubiquitous piracy is in the sphere thanks to digital distribution. Ranging from the newest triple-A shooters such as Call of Duty to online experiences like World of Warcraft or Fortnite, to simple mobile games like Bejeweled or Clash of Clans or gacha games like Genshin Impact or Arknights the video games space caters to people of all kinds and in every format – console, PC, and mobile. And yet, if you think about it – video games make no sense.

Rather than watching a TV show or reading a book, where as long as you plug away at it you’ll eventually get your money’s worth, games are different. You put in the time and effort to learn a new game, risking loss or wasting time, all just to maybe have fun. You’re not even guaranteed to see everything you paid for, as you may decide it’s not worth it long before you get to the end, or not know how to get there. And yet somehow, this is what people decide to do with their time.

The struggle simply to enjoy them is the unique, defining feature of video games – and this is why they are so popular.

What We Really Want

We don’t actually want all the comforts of modern life. Those are just side benefits. What we really want is the process of trying hard to get all the things we want to get. We crave the struggle and the subjectively commensurate, hard-earned victories that result from it. Fortifying ourselves with the products in our effort, we leap from challenge to challenge, attempting to surmount them all. This is how we have always lived, how we evolved to live, and how we will continue to live. Compared to the ephemeral pleasures of a cold beer, a concert, or a good meal, true happiness and satisfaction comes from the struggle to have all of these things – the hard day in the fields before the beer, the skipping meals to save for the concert, or the cooking that goes into a good meal.

Contrast this with how we live our lives. From childhood, we’re told to follow the instructions of our parents and teachers, to do well in school, get good jobs, and get good jobs with reputable employers. Those reputable employers will then take our education and combine it with their long-held procedures and expertise to create long-term sustainable employment, and value for us. The path has already been laid out for us and we are assured that it is paint-by-the-numbers. As long as we follow the instructions, a good life is guaranteed – or so we’re told. Other people take on all the risk, but you get the rewards. This is not how people were meant to operate, and so, the soul seeks what it has been denied wherever it can get it. Retirees take on babysitting and hobbies skipped in their younger years. Young people without prospects turn to crime, drugs, and addiction to video games. If either element is missing – be it risk or reward – life finds a way.

So, keep striving, my dear reader. Pleasure is what you seek, but happiness is something you find along the way.

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[1] Do you remember people thinking the COVID shots would zombify people? I remember.