Chapter 11 Chapter 9 Pessimism and Optimism

We should have an overall understanding and a fundamental attitude towards the universe and life.This understanding and attitude is the standard and guideline for all our actions.Otherwise, one thing today can make you sad and disappointed enough to commit suicide, and one thing tomorrow can make you happy and complacent to the point of madness, and life is turbulent every day.What's more, we are now in an era full of sorrows and joys. If we don't have a correct understanding of life and unfortunately wear colored glasses, it is more likely to lead to a major crisis in life.German philosophers often talk about the outlook on life after talking about the outlook on the universe, which is really very reasonable.

Pessimism and optimism are both personal feelings and can happen at any time.Especially when a person is in adversity, it is more likely to cause this kind of question: What is the meaning of my life in this world?Looking up at the sky, the sky is full of countless stars; according to astronomers' speculation, there may be living things on some planets.A part of a creature in this small planet is really insignificant.Is this life worth living?Besides, life is nothing more than dozens of cold and heat, birth, old age, sickness and death are nothing but pain and trouble.Life is too impermanent, why bother to ask for trouble?This kind of emotion may not be present every day, but if it is assumed, the mystery of life cannot be solved, and danger will follow.

Both pessimism and optimism originate from personal feelings, and they are often subjective feelings; however, they have the power to control the people who feel this way.If it is further evolved into a kind of theory, it is not limited to the scope of feeling, but becomes an intellectual problem.I now want to intellectually discuss the two schools of thought, pessimism and optimism. In the history of Western thought, there are three major factions of pessimism.The first is hedonism.Democritus of Greece advocated atomism (atomism), saying that the universe is composed of countless atoms.Later, Epicurus (Epicurus) denied the so-called purpose and morality of the universe based on this atomic materialism; he believed that happiness is good and pain is evil.Life should be fully enjoyed and fully pursued, without hard work or toil.And with joy, and with eternal sun, I will not read it, let alone sympathize with my queen!This is exactly what the hedonists say.The Qingtan faction of China's Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties also had the same attitude towards life.The mistake of this school of theory is that suffering and happiness can be compared.Comparing the amount of happiness and suffering requires calculation, but calculation of happiness and suffering is impossible.Can we imitate a store, open a balance sheet, and record the happiness and pain separately, and make a balance?The first difficulty is pleasure and pain, what units are used to compare?If I slept well last night and was happy, how many units should I make?If insomnia is suffering, how many units should be calculated?This kind of unit cannot be fixed, and this kind of unit calculation method is even more unsuitable for life.The second difficulty, that of pleasure and pain, is often tied to individual attitudes.Some people take pride in receiving compliments, while others take pride in not being praised by popular customs: pride in loneliness is something that an expert can appreciate.How can these two people compare? (Huang Zhong’s jokes from thousands of families are slow to leak, worries are hidden from outside things, people don’t know when they stand quietly on the bridge, one star is like a moon for a long time, and one poem is quite enough to express the pride in loneliness.) Also, this school of thought is often Think that happiness is negative and has a negative sign, and happiness is freedom from pain; that pain is positive and has a positive sign.In this way, under the happy item, there is no account to keep.Since both pleasure and pain are sensations, why is one false and the other real?It can be seen that there are too many places where this school of theory cannot withstand criticism.

The second is the will faction.Schopenhauer, a German philosopher in the nineteenth century, is the main figure of this school.Schopenhauer believes that there is a will behind all actions in the universe and life.He compels people to move aimlessly and move forward aimlessly.People don't want to live by themselves, but their will forces you to live.But when the will is not satisfied, even if it is satisfied, it is only for a moment, and it will disappear in an instant.Life as a whole is blind, empty, a struggle for irreparable failure.So life is full of disappointment, boredom and distress.There are only two ways to get rid of the sufferings of life: one is to seek dissipation and sustenance from art; the other is the most fundamental method he believes is to escape the persecution of the will and enter Nirvana.The mistake of this theory is that life is a function of another purpose (will), but it does not know that will is a function of life; it is attached to life and coexists and prospers, not hidden behind life to blindly spur. (This is the theory of will I advocate, which is fundamentally different from Schopenhauer's theory of will.) He believes that life is a means of will, not an end, but he does not know that life itself is an end.Life seems to be an eternal process, yet his purpose is constantly being realized in this process.For example, when traveling in mountains, it is not necessary to say that you must reach a certain temple or a certain historical site to be considered a mountain tour; those who are good at mountain tours can enjoy the scenery for a certain period of time after walking a certain distance.The purpose of his mountain tour is in this whole journey.He is always ready to have a friendly pleasure, a full satisfaction, and when is this not true to him, what is the use of pessimism?Schopenhauer's theory was quite influenced by his own life.He was very unhappy all his life and often complained.He believes that the treatment of people by society is too unfair.He is not married, so he is lonely in his old age and has no one to take care of him, so he hates women.He only sees a part of life, not the whole of it.He only sees the shadow aspect, not the light aspect.So make such a pessimistic and pessimistic argument.It is important to know that although there are hail, frost and snow in the world, there are also rain, dew and spring sun.

The third is the historical school.This school believes that the evolution of society is that good and evil grow together, and evil outweighs good.At first, the Jews had this concept, thinking that the more civilization progresses, the more morality will be degenerated, and human beings will gradually degenerate, so the original happiness will gradually be lost.Rousseau advocated a return to nature, thinking that ancient times were the golden age, and the evolution from ancient times to modern times was a fall from the golden age to the dark age.Man fell from the garden of Eden, so every day he looked up and prayed for his return.To examine the pessimistic thinking of this school, we start from the following four arguments.First, he thinks that the more complex evolution becomes, the more sensitive human nature will be to pain.For the more desires there are, the more sorrows and disappointments there will be.Therefore, the more life develops, the more suffering increases.But I don't know the result of the development of life, desires are increasing, and at the same time, the methods and abilities to satisfy desires are also increasing, so happiness is also increasing.Happiness comes with work and its results.Especially the joy after the pain is the greatest joy.British poet Dryden said: Sweet is pleasure after pain.This poem has a deep meaning.Many celebrities who came from a difficult background like to write their autobiographies. There is a kind of mentality that they forget the pain after going through the pain of struggle, and the happiness after the pain still exists.In the course of life, who can prove that pain outweighs pleasure, even if it cannot be proved that pleasure outweighs pain?Second, think that the more wisdom is developed, the more thorough the understanding of the future will be.Humans are different from ordinary animals. The pain of ordinary animals is temporary, but the pain of human beings is permanent.People are far-sighted. When they reach middle age, they often think about birth, old age, sickness and death, and have a kind of fear for the future.I don't see the ancients in the past, and I don't see the comers in the future. I think about the long distance of the world, and I feel sad and tearful!This sense of wandering life experience will happen unexpectedly.However, as a result of the development of wisdom, although the fear of the future increases, the hope also increases.Hope gives a kind of anticipatory pleasure.People are far less sensitive to fear than to hope, so there is still happiness.Moreover, even if there is pain, it can be expressed in various ways in literature and art, so a lot is subtracted.Third, they think that in addition to the real life, human beings also have an ideal life; in addition to the pain of the real life, there is also the pain of the ideal life.Moreover, the pain of pursuing an ideal life is especially greater than the pain of real life.The higher the ideal, the more setbacks.Can the blow of career and the disappointment of love not make people suffer?But I don't know the ideal, but there is also a lot of fun.The highest development of mankind, which one does not come from the pursuit of ideals?Only those who don't follow the trend and pursue the realization of their ideals can accomplish great things and feel the joy that others can't.When the ideal is realized, if it can be recognized by others, it can increase my happiness. Even if others ignore it or think it is worthless, my own self-esteem is also enough to heal my pain.Fourth, thinking that the more life expands, the more chances of being scarred.At the same time, due to the development of compassion, the pain of others becomes one's own pain.Therefore, the pain I feel increases.But sympathy, though it can cause pain, can also give pleasure.One's own pain can be reduced by others' sharing, and one's own happiness can also be increased by others' sharing.So there is a saying in Germany: shared pain is half pain, shared happiness is double happiness. ("Geteilter Schmerz ist halber Schmerz, geteilte Freude ist doppelte Freude") With the advancement of social civilization, although pain can be enhanced, happiness can also be enhanced.It can be seen from this that the above four arguments, although plausible, all see one body but not the whole body.

All in all, the more civilized the society is, the more intense the pain and pleasure will be.A pessimist cannot prove that there must be much pain.He had at least tasted an olive!Moreover, judging by common sense, there are many sufferings that civilization can conquer.For example, modern medical science and production skills can reduce the pain of life and increase the happiness of life.The pain of civilization requires a more advanced civilization to heal.Furthermore, pessimism is the expression of fatigue, relaxation and retreat in life; the highest peak of pessimism is Nirvana.But can nirvana free from suffering?cannot!Nirvana is still a state of death, it is just another name for death.Furthermore, we have ready-made rich natural products and human creations for our enjoyment; there are beautiful and majestic poems and music for our entertainment; there are great and vivid sculptures and paintings for our appreciation; Our great ideas and beautiful culture are inexhaustible for us; what else can we be pessimistic about?If we don't work hard to develop our lives and continue to create, are we worthy of pessimism?

Optimism is different from pessimism; it gives people a happy and uplifting mood, which is indeed much better than pessimism.However, optimism must also be based on correct beliefs, so that there is no abuse.Although I am in favor of optimism, I do not agree with blind optimism. In the history of Western thought, optimism can also be divided into three factions: the first is religious optimism.Western religions are more optimistic.Its basic idea is that the universe has an all-American and all-powerful master.People are born with sins, but as long as they are redeemed, they can reach the most perfect state.The concept of original sin (original sin) originated from the Hebrews.The idea of ​​atonement is a consolation, a hope, to the weak soul, the guilty conscience.But it is difficult to justify it by examining it rationally.Assuming that the world was created by an all-good and all-powerful master, since he is all good, why does he do evil?Since there is evil, how can the theory of perfect good be established?Since it is omnipotent, why can't it get rid of evil?If it is said that evil is arranged to temper people, the intention is to make people abandon evil and do good, but why not get rid of evil as soon as possible, why bother to make a big circle and joke with people?As for the theory of original evil, it especially makes people feel horrible and complain about their ancestors.It is difficult for us to understand what sins a child is born with?It would be too cruel to say that this evil was passed down from Adam and Eve who ate an apple.Could it be that parents are criminals, and children and grandchildren are criminals?This is really a terrible theory of evil inheritance.It is a good idea to encourage sinful people to repent.The Buddhist theory of laying down the butcher knife and becoming a Buddha immediately is also to encourage people to change their mistakes.But religious confession must never be regarded as a shortcut to heaven in one step.In the Middle Ages in Europe, monks used it to collect money a lot.In Chinese society, while chanting scriptures, people are doing evil things at the same time, and everyone can see it when they open their eyes.Many warlords in China killed people and set fires when they were in power. When they were in the wild, they would fast and worship Buddha.This is a confession based on religion, a guarantee for wanton evil.In order to seek the steady progress of mankind, there is no need for prior terror, nor easy optimism.

The second is the optimism of rationalism.This school believes that the world is rational, even rationally constituted.Because evil is irrational, the existence of evil is not recognized, so evil is not real.This concept, inferred, is really dangerous.If the evil is not true, why bother fighting against the evil?Isn't it troublesome to be aimless?To take evil too lightly is to relax yourself.Whether the evil is true or not should be determined according to the objective state of mind.Both good and evil exist in nature.It is true that the weather is smooth and the country is peaceful and the people are safe, but it is true that the floods and beasts, the storms, and the storms are not true?We don't have to deny the existence of evil, we should conquer it.This is where human effort lies.Evil is an obstacle to a perfect life, but all human work, all civilization, is due to the overcoming of these obstacles.If the fields produce their own crops and the woods produce their own fruits, there is no need for agricultural and gardening work; There is no need for industry and commerce.Flowers everywhere, streams full of milk, sea water turned into lemon dew, are just poetic fantasies.Because of the existence of evil, we have accomplished many things.Human beings can not only conquer evil, but also turn evil into good.Water can flood or irrigate, depending on the power of transformation.We need resistance, we accept obstacles; there is no success without obstacles, no joy without obstacles.We dare not say that the whole world is a rational structure, but we can hope that from our efforts, we can transform the world closer to rationality.

The third is the optimism of biological evolution.This school still represents the optimism of the early evolution theory, and it can also be said to be a naive concept.He thought that the world is always evolving when counting the ledger, so he took a huge logical leap and thought that the world is always progressing when counting the ledger.He confuses the concepts of evolution and progress.Evolution is just change, and it is not necessarily good or bad, so evolution is by no means equal to progress.When the concept of the golden age in ancient times prevailed in the West, the concept of progress was naturally weak.Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the Italian Vico used the philosophy of history to prove the progress of the world; in the early eighteenth century, the Frenchman Abbe de Saint︱Pierre believed that progress was real; the German philosopher Hull Germany (Herder) actually stipulates the law of progress from the perspective of history and literature.But these are mostly romantic and passionate expectations.After Darwin's theory of evolution was established, the intellectual world was shaken, so the scope of the theory of evolution expanded beyond biological science, and even the evolution of celestial bodies and stars was discussed.From the signs of evolution, many facts of progress were discovered. People at that time were shocked by the progress of natural science and industrial civilization, so they often confused evolution and progress without realizing it, which became the optimism of the Victorian era.This kind of optimistic concept of progress has given modern civilization a lot of encouragement; if it is just regarded as a dogma to be accepted blindly, and progress is regarded as an inevitable phenomenon, it will be very disturbing.This not only fails to motivate people, but also makes people lazy.It should be known that the phenomenon of progress is inherent in the world, and there is also the phenomenon of regression.There are biological types that develop and some are extinct; human races, some continue to prosper, and some have only relics for others to pay tribute to;Even the existing human beings and their culture and civilization, if they do not use wisdom to guide their direction, but willfully destroy or stagnate, they will inevitably be swept away by time.Moreover, logically speaking, progress must first assume a goal and move towards it, so that the meaning of the term progress can be established.Otherwise, it's like walking around an iron ring. From one point of view, it's progress, but from another point of view, it's regressing.Another example is raising pigs. By improving a breed of pigs, a pig from three to four hundred catties can be raised to seven to eight hundred catties. From the perspective of those who study animal husbandry, fattened pigs can provide more meat, which is an improvement; You know, if he can speak, can he agree?Progress must first have direction (direction), which is logically false, and the reason is very obvious.There is also the word adaptation in the theory of evolution, which is often misused and easily misunderstood.Adaptation is not just passive, the highest creature︱human beings︱'s adaptation is automatic, active, and creative, and adaptation is by no means a compromise.We accept the reality of the environment, but never get caught up in it; the man who is most adaptable is the one who can best transform it.Going with the situation is a life that lacks the spirit of creativity.

According to the above discussion and criticism of the two barriers of pessimism and optimism, our correct attitude towards life can be determined.We don't need to be pessimistic, because pessimism does nothing but destroy our own lives.We must be optimistic in order to raise our interest in being a human being, but we must not be excessive and blindly optimistic, because it can cause dependence and inertia in life.There are sad and happy facts in the world at the same time, we don't have to deny it.Our compassion should be regarded as the compassion of compassion.It is necessary to actively fight with compassion and compassion to save the suffering of mankind.We should think of our happiness as the joy of forgetting our worries. From the music, we can relieve the fatigue and depression of work, and seek spiritual comfort and refreshment.Having fun while suffering is not a bad thing.Only soldiers who go to the front line with a smile on their faces can win the battle. (On January 6, 1931, a reporter from the Central News Agency called from Changsha, saying that at the most critical time in Changsha, the reporter met the guards on the street and played silk and bamboo when they had a chance to rest. They have this kind of spirit, so they can play the first Three great victories in northern Hunan.) Not only should this be the case in the front, but it should also be the case in the rear during the long-term war of resistance and difficult life.People who are frowning and complaining all day long will not only fail to help the country win the war, but will be decadent and demoralizing.Sacrifice in order not to be a slave, even if you have a bowl of porridge, you should drink it happily.

What I am advocating is continuous, positive, and dynamic reformism (an English term created by creation is dynamic reconst︱ructionism).We cannot erase the history and the environment, this is true in the system of the universe.The system of human life is equally true in the system of the universe.But this life system is a little different from other systems in the universe. This is the characteristic of life. It has wisdom to guide its destiny, has the will to implement its ideas, and has the vitality to promote its work. .He is the same as a fire, just put him in the fireplace, he can also absorb the oxygen of the whole room to play his flame, increase his heat, and make the four seats warm.He can absorb the vitality of the universe and increase his own vitality; he can absorb the life of the universe and expand his own life.So he accepts reality without being trapped by it.He knows the ideal, but he knows that the ideal is constantly advancing, so he keeps moving and moving forward.He is not disappointed, he is not resentful.He not only accepted life bravely, but also created life happily.He takes raw materials from all directions throughout the ages, uses his vitality, and calmly transforms this life closer to his ideal. There is a famous poem by the tenth-century Persian poet Omar Khayyam, which I title as Wish, and the translation follows: If only I could be with you, love, secret, Make a plan with good fortune children; Catch this troubled cosmic arrangement, A handful of smashed! Maybe according to our arrangement, Remade to suit our hearts!