Life's Motive

Chapter 3

The next step in understanding the human mind begins with motive. Motive is what makes us go; motive is why we act in the ways that we do. Sometimes we seem to act without motive, sometimes the initial motive that we have is actually a lie (think George Bush’s war in Iraq). But nevertheless, humans are always bound to causality; thusly, there is a motive and/or reason for every single thing that we do, think, or feel. It doesn’t necessarily have to be logical. Granted, humans are bound to logic whether we feel it or not, but logic and motive don’t really have to correspond: logic is useful when learning the common truths regarding all life, but we cannot assume that a human acts logically.

So what motivates humans? Why do they hang on to life? Why do they do all the strange things they do? Why do they have a system of ethics, law, social mores and norms and culture?

If I ask someone straight out why they do what they do, and constantly interrogate them until they come up with what they think is self evident, 99 times out of a 100 they will say “Because it makes me happy.” Happiness seems to be what makes individuals go, and appears to be all that really matters in the world.

But not for a single soul in the world is that really the case, and here’s why:

Happiness, physiologically, can be broken down into two chemical components: 1) Endorphins , and 2) Dopamine. Granted, some philosophers like Plato, Aristotle and Kant will go on in their philosophical tangents about how there is a difference between happiness of the senses (a lower form of happiness) and “true” happiness of a higher form that you get from doing things like reading a book, or helping an old lady cross a street. I’m interested in how those philosophers would view higher happiness if we took away those two chemicals from them and then see how happy they get. Nevertheless, every single case of happiness always happens because of another thing. And here’s how it works:

Humans physically exist in a world of scarce resources, and let me emphasize that they exist. Why do they not just jump off cliffs/airplanes/shoot massive amounts of heroin and do whatever the hell they want to? Why do they cling to life?

It is only possible for life to exist in a world of scarce resources if that is its primary and sole purpose. In a world of causality, the only way for life to exist is if that is it’s only motive. If it wasn’t, then it just would have a time when it would stop caring and it would inevitably succumb to its environment. Furthermore, for causality to work, we must live in a world of scarce resources. It is a place where there is a working law of conservation of energy and matter, and so we have to fight like hell to compete for these resources and maintain our energy and mass as a Life Collective. Worldself does not need us to perceive it (though it exists so that we can), and it will not provide us with an environment that ensures our constant existence. The laws of causality (and with it the Conservation Laws) can only provide an environment with harsh conditions and scarce resources.

Survival . It is all about survival. And guess what? Dopamine and endorphins came upon us as we evolved in our Worldself, it became a reward for our survival. We were motivated to survive, and so we reinforced that need with happiness, our reward for our hard work.

Now I look at the most highly used system of ethics in our society, <a = href "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism"> Utilitarianism. People seem to want happiness for all, “spread the love” and “believe in democracy and freedom.” We drink and dance and spread good will and help old lady’s across the street and eat chocolate and cheese and travel and talk to people and laugh and cry. We are driven to achieve happiness and we do all we can to cheat the system to get it. But it all stems from survival.

The best example I could think of to counter this argument was when I look at a sunset. Why would evolution decide to give me endorphins when I look at a sunset? That has nothing to do with survival at all.

Or so it would seem.

Sunsets have strong, vivid and vibrant colours, especially really healthy ones like pinks and oranges and soft blues. It’s not that we evolved to like sunsets, it’s that we evolved to like these colours. These colours are in and on things that help keep us alive, like fruits and vegetables and fresh meats. These are our survival colours, and when I look at the sunset, it reassures me that I am surviving.

People clamour for happiness, but its all because of their need to survive. And so personally, I will also do whatever I can to achieve that endeavour, whether I want to, or not. I will write more on survival and all the differently wonderful ways of accomplishing it later. For now, I bid you adieu.
 

Reviews

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Ah happiness... a thing that eludes many people, and is quite intangible when trying to explain. Though I do think you have a valid point. They why does poetry, art, music, and what not give us happiness or enjoyment (as surely it would not make us happy if we did not derive pleasure from it)? And I could ask you why you are on the pursuit for truth. It is not relevant to your physical survival, so why the drive? Does it activate the pleasure centers in your mind, is that why? Simply chemical release to justify surviving?

And as for logic, is logic not a human created form of thinking? So why would it apply to anything other than us? Logic is how our brains make sense of the world, and maybe that is why we do not comprehend so much. Maybe the world is bound by other laws that we cannot understand due to the limit of out logic. Granted that is probably a stretch, but then again maybe not.

I guess my point is people are stupid, all of us. But we pretend to know all the answers, or be able to discover all the answers. Maybe we will some day, but they will only be answers that are relative to us and our somewhat logical minds.

Ah and I remember what else I was going to point out. Yes people use logic to understand, but just because we use it does not by any means make us logical creatures. Another method of survival if you will. If we thought the same way we behaved that seems like it would be somewhat inhibiting.

I know I've said this to you before, but you need to explore happiness a little deeper. There is more than just survival and the response to something pleasurable. There is something missing, and I still cannot put my finger on it...

[Mandy]

You reviewed one of my works, and suggested I read yours, and although I don't have the time to sit and give a pile of feedback, I must say I've not been so drawn in to or interested in any writing as much as I have that in a very long time, if ever. That was amazing, and I deffinitly look forward to reading more of your works. 'Deffinitly will work wonders on gaining insight. I feel refreshed. Wow.

[Alex McFadyen]

Okay, I hear those points, and I do have answers, and I will at some point try to integrate them into this chapter, but it also neccasary that you read the next chapter to see it a little more.

Things like poetry and art fufill us for one, they fufill our thirst for knowledge and our need for beauty. Poetry alone, is not pleasurable to read. The substance of the poetry, the lyrics, must appeal to our life. The melody, flow, and structure of poetry also appeals to us. There are many people who analyze the stuff, and some come up with ideas like "Oh, it's because it reminds us of being in the womb, or breast feeding, etc. etc. etc." It is extremely complicated, which is why I think its so beautiful, because it takes us away from our more simple demands of self. Instead, it looks outward. I think however, that ultimately we can break it down to my survival categories, explained in the next chapter.

Humans don't think logically. They are often irrational. However, I think causality in our world goes hand in hand with our ability to perceive (see second chapter). Causality neccasarly implies the laws of logic in our universe. So I use logic as a way of understanding ourselves. I agree, that logic beyond our world does not apply, I have already proven that.

Yes, we can only make answers for ourselves and the world that we interact with. But isn't that everything that exists in our universe? Thats quite alot of truth available. And I have yet to see anything that has pointed out my logical errors to make me change my mind. (I know, you can argue that logic is not a way of understanding our world, which refutes me. However, that is the problem of the constructivist, they are self-refuting. You tell me that logic does not apply, then I don't have to believe anything you have to say, and nothing matters. Well... that may be true, but I choose to live in a world where things DO in fact, matter.

[Alex McFadyen]

I agree that love has a close relationship with life. However, I don't think love is causaly related to why we choose to love. At least it certainly isn't the case for things like the amoeba. (Unless you want to make a case that the amoeba isn't life, and then I would have to redine life. But still, I don't find us so different from the amoeba). However, I do think love gives us meaning. But to me, it is the how, and not the why. It is a bond, not a reason. I've seen too many people forsake love for their own betterment to think otherwise.

[Astrid Hamilton]

This is another interesting perspective: that we not necessarilly like sunsets for sunsets themselves,
setting, like we settle in our need for survival, but the truest happiness is not fully achieved without
those colors, in a literal and progressive sense, all forming to, what was always, the self,
and we are in color.
Survival, for me personally, is all about love.
Everything in reality through the motions and happenstances of the universe and through the same endorphins
are existing, but the sometimes dampening burdens of this creation, and standing amidst,
means nothing at all without feeling,
and so,
love,
again comes to mind, to heart.
And then I can look at such colors, those hues you have brought in performance to my memory,
with life.
And thus, every struggle is lifted.