Does our society promote dissatisfaction?
Most people I speak with complain of not having time in life, but when we start talking, most of the things I hear are related to sense gratification, which can be a part of a healthy life, but if you're constantly stretched for time, then it may be worth reconsidering what you need, what you want and reflect deeply on why you want what you want.
How many times have you heard someone say or seen an advert which basically boils down to - make more money with less effort? Have you observed that most of the adverts boil down to more pleasure, comfort or saving. The capitalist world that we live in is fundamentally based on maximising income, pleasure and comfort amongst many other things and rests on the shoulders of mutual cooperation as explained by Yuval Noah Harari in his book Sapiens. In order for the capitalist economy to run efficiently, we need people to strive for more. If people are satisfied with what they have or what they get from life, the current socio-economic setup is likely to collapse. This is what the novel coronavirus and the lockdown has clearly demonstrated. We are currently pausing things, but we all know that the moment the situation changes, people will be back to holidays, restaurants, beaches and so on. There was a time when food, shelter and clothing were the key things that humans needed for survival. The lockdown actually brought us down to the same basics in many ways and gave us a perspective on what we actually need vs what we desire for. Let's put our judgement about what we need and what we desire to a side and just think about this - why do we desire what we desire? Why is everyone so keen to get out of their house that many people are even ready to risk their lives?
The book Behave talks about how our genes predispose us to certain behaviours, however, our environment shapes most of our thinking and behaviours. If you're watching TV at home, the adverts are focussed on creating a craving in your mind to experience something new - food, holiday, clothing etc. because it will give you pleasure, comfort or benefit you financially. Walk out of the house and start observing the adverts on the walls, train stations, buses and they're doing exactly the same. Speak with people around you, and what do we hear the most - "I / we went to this place and it was amazing", "I /we ate this food, and it was amazing", "I /we experienced this, and it was amazing", "I /we tried this new thing, and it saved me money". Many conversations at home are also about - what should we experience next, or eat next or where should we go to next. This is what our environment is constantly feeding into our mind, and while there is a debate about what consciousness is, our current understanding of the minds suggests that it is made from neural networks which make decisions based on chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, adrenaline, cortisol etc. Based on a few books on pshychology that I have read, I've inferred that pleasure and doing can be mostly related to dopamine, giving & sharing to serotonin and human connections to oxytocin. Most of the things we hear, smell and see are geared towards triggering a desire for one of these chemicals, which we start seeking and then we go and do that thing to experience that chemical in our brain and that is what most people call happiness - doing things, spending time with family, eating nice things etc. It all starts with someone's desire and / or need to make money (hence the service) and then the service is surfaced to us via an advert or word of mouth. This triggers a desire or aspiration in other people's minds. The meaning of the word desire according to Cambridge dictionary is a strong feeling that you want something, which implicitly means that what is, is incomplete, which is likely to lead to a feeling of dissatisfaction.
I am not challenging this way of life or suggesting it is good or bad. It just is, because any judgement would create bias and that will not be a mindful activity. What I am suggesting here is to think about this cycle, the impact it has on our brain and carefully make choices with the understanding that a lot of things we do in life may just be external influence to our senses.