I think existentialism is one of the most interesting philosophical ideas I've come across so far in my searches for intellectual enlightenment. The whole concept of absurdism is especially fascinating. I don't have a really good grasp on it yet, but from what I gather it's basically the idea that life has no meaning unless you give it meaning. This also includes the idea of the "absurd" being, generally, the part of life that you cannot control. Anything can happen to any person at any time and there's nothing that anyone can do about it so you might as well enjoy every little thing as much as you possibly can. Now, I really don't want to get murdered by the script of lurking critics who look for kids like me to make fun of. My understanding is really limited. Limited to the works of Albert Camus and Wikipedia, in fact. But you've gotta start somewhere, right?
I think I'm really interested in absurdism because I cannot handle not having a plan. It drives me absolutely crazy. The fact that there's a whole philosophy based on the fact that I can never have a plan and know full-well that it will work actually makes me insane. But that's a personal issue that I have to deal with and it is also not the reason I'm writing this post.
A big part of existentialism (from what I've gathered so far) is human nature; whether or not humans are inherently good or bad. And not only this, but whether or not they're good or bad from birth or if society has shaped their personalities along the way.
I've written this post simply to say that I cannot decide what I believe. I can't decide if I believe people are born a certain way or if they grow up acting the way they act because of their parents, teachers, financial situation, etc. I've written this post to say that the only thing I know for sure is that humans make lines.
Yep. Lines. This might seem completely irrelevant and maybe I'm just off my rocker because it's late or because I'm listening to Radio 2 at night, but here's what happened to me: My sister and I went to the premiere of a movie recently (always a mistake) and obviously, the bathroom was packed after it was over. And we were standing in a line. There were probably about twenty people in this line. There was no one forcing them to be in the line. No police, no government, no parents, no special bathroom authority. Just people. Willingly standing there. In a big ol' line.
I can say that I know for sure, 100%, that people eat with utensils because of social construct. My parents forcibly put that fork in my hand and I've been eating with it ever since. The same goes for using a toilet or brushing my hair. But what about standing in a line? Part of me feels that it could very well be another instance where because of external pressures, humans feel the need to be polite and wait their turns. But another part of me feels that it may be instinctual for people to need order to some degree, or that it may be instinctual to have a certain automatic respect for others. Needless to say, there will be those people who, without thinking, will shove their way to the front. But are these people acting that way because they grew up with a lack of authority? Or because they were born with a desire to be first?
My line analogy may be a little weak, but feel free to think about it in a way that makes the most sense to you. Some people drive huge, planet-choking trucks while others choose to ride bikes. Some people choose to live with the bare necessities while others choose to start billion-dollar TNCs. Why? What causes the differences between these people? Are the reasons for their decisions internal or external? Are they even aware of either of these options, internal or external, one or the other or both, being the driving force behind their actions? Are you aware of why you act the way you do? Am I? I don't know. But it sure gets them brain wheels turnin', don't it?
I think that as far as the lines go, it's an automatic order that comes from mutual respect for other humans. If there's nobody there, you go in and use the toilet. If there's one other person already there, you obviously have enough respect to not throw them out of the stall, not to mention it's probably locked. If there's someone in the toilet and somebody waiting outside, I think it's just the golden rule in action: you know that you wouldn't want someone to go in front of you in line, so you won't do it to somebody else. This is added to by the fact that if you cut in, everybody behind you is going to have a negative impression of you, which nobody likes. So there's kind of an altruistic walk-in-their-shoes kind of motivation, and also just the simple desire to avoid being seen as rude and impolite by others.
ReplyDeleteAs for the rest of it, I think that people's decisions and personalities are shaped overwhelmingly by their surroundings and upbringing, rather than their genetics, which I think play a role but aren't as important.
ReplyDeleteYeah totally! It's "the golden rule". That makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteI definitely understand about the surroundings too, but I feel like I personally need to do a lot of studies on that before I can even begin to make a decision. There's so many different opinions on it everywhere! And also, when you look at real, personal situations, people make such interesting decisions under certain circumstances and I can't tell why. There's thousands of people that are raised in very religious households, they think that it's normal, right and makes sense so they follow suit. There's also a lot of people that are raised this way and are full of doubt from the moment they are able to form a thought. And I don't know what's to blame for that, you know? The instinctual feeling that individuals have can be so different in the same situation. It's a huge question and I need thirty years to think about it. I'll get back to you then. ;)
Thanks for commenting! I appreciate it so much!