Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, religious philosopher, and master of prose. When I took Philosophy in college, the professor could only scratch the surface because the world throughout history is filled with greats such as Plato and Socrates. Pascal intrigued me in many ways and one is how he defined things such as desires and happiness. All those years ago and what he said is still so applicable to today and why it's still an important subject to be taught in schools. Although this won't be a perfect description of what I learned, you'll get the point:
Our brains light up when we daydream or fantasize about things we want but once we've acquired them, we don't want them anymore. It ceases to exist as a fantasy, thus the joy is gone. It wouldn't be as much of a problem if we were good at counting our blessings and getting joy from what we've acquired, but that's not how most human beings live their lives; we take things for granted. We become desensitized to the objects of our desires once we've acquired them.
Desire must have its objects as perpetually absent. He said its not the "it," that creates more happiness for people in their lives, it’s the fantasy of “it.” This is why some people with less means actually live happier lives; they have more to wish for. Pascal said in so many words, when we're told be careful what we wish for, it’s not because we might be wishing for the wrong things or that we might be disappointed that we don’t get them, but because we’re doomed not to want it once we do.
Our brains light up when we daydream or fantasize about things we want but once we've acquired them, we don't want them anymore. It ceases to exist as a fantasy, thus the joy is gone. It wouldn't be as much of a problem if we were good at counting our blessings and getting joy from what we've acquired, but that's not how most human beings live their lives; we take things for granted. We become desensitized to the objects of our desires once we've acquired them.
Desire must have its objects as perpetually absent. He said its not the "it," that creates more happiness for people in their lives, it’s the fantasy of “it.” This is why some people with less means actually live happier lives; they have more to wish for. Pascal said in so many words, when we're told be careful what we wish for, it’s not because we might be wishing for the wrong things or that we might be disappointed that we don’t get them, but because we’re doomed not to want it once we do.
RSS Feed