This post does not necessarily follow the chronology of the last, but seeing several infomercials for beauty products (specifically, anti-wrinkle creams and age-related sagging skin removal) has got me wondering about our society's obsession with youth. Why do people want to look young?
Well, for one thing, there's that pesky patriarchy that has yet to evade us. Women want to look beautiful for men, much because of subliminal messages that are unquestioned at this point. So why do men want young, "beautiful" women? The "look" of aged women objectively differs from young only in elasticity and tautness; however, is the "look" of an older woman (or man, for that matter) independently terrifying? Well, apart from the fact that an old body symbolizes imminent death, it really isn't "scary." Biologically speaking, younger women are more fertile and maybe younger women emit some pheromones that are forever tickling the Elmos of males. Likely? Who knows? But what's for sure is that generally speaking, males dictate the actions of women, so long as women continue to abide by society's (males') cultural laws.
So let's extrapolate that the obsession with youth is really humanity's never-ending immortality complex. Let's also extrapolate that socially-speaking, this obsession emanates from an obstinate patriarchy. All the subtextual feminism aside, let's focus on the fear of aging and its ramifications. Simple equation. We're born, we get old (if we're lucky), and then we die. Despite the fact that most major religions predict afterlives, society continues to fear death. Why are we afraid? Well, for me, dying is one gigantic loss of control, so that's a psychological worry. Beyond that, I don't know what's going to happen when I die - although I imagine that's going to be the final end. I wouldn't place any large bets on it, but I'm so inclined to believe that's true. Also, despite what religious people contend, perhaps they aren't 100% convinced what their dogmas proclaim. I have never been so enlightened to know things I don't know or which may not even be comprehensible. I'm no prophet and neither is anyone I've encountered, so as far as I'm concerned, nobody knows what happens to us when we die, if there is anything to know.
As rational human beings with brains that desire to know, not knowing is a bit of a dilemma. The worst part is that we can't even empirically figure out what happens after death. (This has been fictitiously elucidated in Flatliners, starring Kevin Bacon. Check it out.) So we don't know what'll happen and we can't find out. The biggest fear is the fear of the unknown. So the moral of the story here has become quite apparent, I think.
So if aging=death and death=scary, then aging=scary. I love theorems. I'm not particularly interesting in dying, myself, and you betcha I'm terrified of it. I can't escape this rational mind that wishes to know things. I'm a curious beetch. Am I obsessed with youth? I don't know. I'll let you know in 20 years. Death also sucks the big one because once you're dead, apart from any social immortality, you're dead.
With every passing day, it has become clearer to me that the meaning of every life depends on the people involved in one's life. This is why I would venture that humanity's second biggest fear is solitude. In the absence of any cosmic meaning, the meaning of one's life is entirely dependent on its meaning to those around one. When I die, the world is not going to combust. I would love to think that the world is that much dependent on my existence. That, in itself, would provide me with enough meaning to keep going. As far as I'm concerned, when I die the world will combust (my world, anyway). But as I watch people around me die and I continue to thrive, I know the same is true unless I die in an apocalyptic cosmic implosion. So what makes my life meaningful is what I impart to those who care about me and who depend on me. I hate to be so offensive, but I truly believe that people who do not do anything for anyone or anything are wasting oxygen. The job of animals is to merely live, at least from my perspective. Humanity has a greater capacity.
If I decided to burrow myself in a hole until my demise, my life really would be worthless. Of course being alone is scary, complete social solitude must feel like death. The penalty of being a social being is that our lives are inextricably intertwined with others. I am itching to believe that my even if I were buried in a hole by myself for eternity, that my life would independently be valuable. This is why Jesus is such a popular symbol - who doesn't want to believe that humanity is inherently valuable? Another person flaw of an empirical learner - I can't just believe things without any evidence.
I am a fan of solitude and don't necessarily find myself longing for immortality. I do find myself longing for happiness. And here lies the intersection between this post and the last. What is it about being happy that nulls all other worries? Is it possible to be so happy, one could die? Maybe. Maybe all humans really want is to be happy. All I really want is to be happy. And that means so many things to so many people.
Yet the Buddha says that desires only bring suffering. Maybe I am only unhappy because I desire to be happy. I understand this philosophy to a certain extent. Maybe I should just separate ideals from emotions, and organically experience emotions. My perception of unhappiness is the lack of something which I perceive to be happiness. Memories and dreams are impure emotions that deceive us into believing they're real. I need to live in the moment and feel what it is to be feeling right now, right this second, completely independent of any memories or anything in the future. These posts consistently fail to expand on the thesis. Stream of consciousness has no thesis.
-M.E.
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