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Of late I've wondered how of this has to do with humans having evolved to spend 99% of their time in
1. fear of going hungry
2. being coerced to do something they don't want to
and then abruptly having %age of both drop exponentially over the last century...
1. fear of going hungry
2. being coerced to do something they don't want to
and then abruptly having %age of both drop exponentially over the last century...
I suspect humans are simply not (biologically) adapted to deal with autonomy and material wealth, and that our biological response to sharp increases in both in last 20K yrs is behind the adverse psychological effects we see. And I think the Buddha was the first to call this out.
The last 50 years have seen the steepest change. Global poverty levels are poised to drop below ~10%, the lowest in human history by a massive margin. I suspect without a serious focus/training on addressing these issues, people will get sadder as they get more free & rich.
Most people I know (typically salaried middle class) that are unhappy still think that their environment (including the people around them) owe them happiness, and are disappointed and sad when the environment doesn't deliver. I have the same instinct also.
This is compounded by the fact that there is rarely clarity in exactly *what* the desire is, and how we think its fulfilment will affect our state of mind.
This creates two possible bad outcomes:
* A clear (usually expensive) desire for a thing ("I want a motorcycle") that when fulfilled doesn't change ones state of mind
* A vague sense of dissatisfaction addressed ineffectively by impulsive, random actions
* A clear (usually expensive) desire for a thing ("I want a motorcycle") that when fulfilled doesn't change ones state of mind
* A vague sense of dissatisfaction addressed ineffectively by impulsive, random actions
The negativity inherent in these two are compounded when that expectation rests on another human being, often someone battling similar issues. Worse is when that person is someone you love.
* Get me this motorcycle
* Do something to make me feel better
* Get me this motorcycle
* Do something to make me feel better
I often see this dynamic play out in the workplace between colleagues, or even more damagingly leaders and their teams.
Systematically helping clarify desires and expectations between people is a critical aspect of scaling organizations for exactly this reason.
Systematically helping clarify desires and expectations between people is a critical aspect of scaling organizations for exactly this reason.
