From The Basic Political Writings:
"What is even more cruel is that, since all the progress of the human species continually moves away from its primitive state, the more we accumulate new knowledge, the more we deprive ourselves of the means of acquiring the most important knowledge of all. Thus, in a sense, it is by dint of studying man that we have rendered ourselves incapable of knowing him."
Wellllllll said. We, as humans, strive to learn why we do things in the manner that we do them. Why why why? We empty our bank accounts buying self-help books and paying for expensive sessions with therapists. We trust every word that our professor spills out; after all, they do have degrees. We study every inch of the human body and analyze every human emotion in order to have some idea of why man (and woman) is the way he is. Why?
Why do we do it when the answer is inside? Like Rousseau said, the answer to our questions can be found within, in its most primitive form. Why do we continue to look further?
It's all this thinking and studying and analyzing that we do that has caused us to confuse ourselves. What a wicked web we've weaved--and it's been happening for centuries.
In the end, when you take away all the studying and over-thinking, you have...just you. You and your instincts. Instinct is the ultimate answer to every question.
Maybe we study all of these things because we want to believe that there is something more, that we are hear for a reason. It seems as if we as humans need to believe that we are part of a larger picture, that our belonging is not random but neccessary...as part of some grand scheme.
ReplyDeleteMan, I need a drink.
I'm not going to put up a pretense of bullshit and say I read this post, Ashley. I will, sooner or later. I just really like your picture. thought I'd let you know.
ReplyDelete