I've said it before, and I'll almost certainly say it again: humans are not logical creatures. However, this isn't always due to the fact that they are completely incapable of being logical. I realized that much of the lack of common sense and inability to grasp certain realities, which I see many people exhibiting, is due to the fact that on some level they don't want to grasp them. To put it simply, in order to embrace the realities of this world, you must accept the unpleasant and occasionally downright grim aspects, as well as the more pleasant or neutral ones.
This tendency to want to side with the more ideal perception, as opposed to the more realistic one, is a major contributing factor to rampant moral hypocrisy in our society. So many problems would be solved if people would be willing to accept and even embrace the cruel realities of this world. As I said in my Myth of Goodness rant: "Things which we call good, make up only a small sliver of existence, in a massive sea of opportunities for pain, fear, confusion and destruction. But even that sliver is tainted, it is imperfect. There is no pure good and no possibility for it. And if you go too far in any direction, it will result in negative consequences, even if the intention is to make things better. It's a tedious scale, and one in which it's impossible to find the "perfect" balance; if this wasn't the case, we probably would have found one already. Our ideas about goodness are only pieces of the entire makeup of things, parts which we have chosen as preferable. Of course, this does not mean that the other stuff just goes away, and like it or not, we're stuck with it all."
My reason for repeating this is that it's so vital to understanding many of the social problems which we experience on a day to day basis. When I was younger, (around age ten or eleven) I used to feel very bad about many of the injustices which I saw in society. I used to wonder "why can't every one prosper and just get along? Why do people have to suffer, and why must there be so much conflict?" I noticed that these same basic issues seem to continuously resurface throughout human history. Why hasn't anyone found a permanent solution to these types of social problems which seem to have plagued humanity since the beginning of time? Many people continue to ask themselves these questions, today. The difference between me and many other people is that I wanted a rational answer. I was willing to peer over the wall which separates naïve idealism and dark reality. And what I saw there was the terrible truth. Then, something wonderful happened...
One big problem that I have with a large percentage of the population is that they're not willing to look over this wall. And for those of us who are already on the other side, it is clear that this wall serves as an obstacle in the pursuit common sense and reason. Furthermore, when dealing with others, no amount of common sense or reason will ever be enough to surmount this barrier. This wall is an emotional construct, designed to protect individuals from the terrifying logic which lay beyond. People refuse to let go of their idealism, and accept the fact that life is even farther from perfect then they care to think. The idea that, perhaps nature or "god" or the universe is not only indifferent to our suffering, but in certain ways, expects it of us. That this world is not concerned with our comfort and stability; and that fairness and equality are optimistic myths which cannot be reasonably manifested in reality. Like morality itself, there are many people who understand this fact on a logical level, but who emotionally refuse to grasp it.
This failure to comprehend many of the bleak realities of the world is partly due to the fact that many have gotten very comfortable with their optimistic delusions. They were taught them from birth and can't stand the thought of letting them go. To except what is over that wall, is to warp your perception of reality in a way which society does not approve of, and could potentially lead to some frightening conclusions about one's self and their place in the world. And considering the fact that society generally tends to support these delusions, most people have no real motivation for letting them go.
It should be no surprise that our society often seems to have so many problems. So much of the "problem solving" which occurs, is based on the idea that we know what the problems really are. We say "this stuff is bad; that stuff is good, so let's try to make everything good". Extreme Darwinist principles, for example, aren't even given any serious consideration at all. So many of our social principles are in direct violation of what is clearly present within nature; and yet most refuse to see it. What if these "bad" things are supposed to happen? What if its right (in the whole scheme of things)? Have you ever consider the idea that unpleasantness may just be a part of a life and that some people have to suffer and die in order to maintain the stability of this world? Most people would rather not think about such things; but if there is any truth here, then ignoring it will inevitably keep people from any real answers. Though, perhaps, that tendency will prove to be an engine for natural selection, in and of itself.
And what is it exactly that you find over that wall? Freedom and enlightenment. Emancipation from the stress, confusion and frustration over issues of what should be, versus what is. You find an excellent starting point for understanding the truth of reality, which will help provide you with many real world solutions and applications. Excepting these hideous terrors, which are a part of our lives as humans, will bring you that much closer to glorious truth! You will be able to use this new information to great advantage and enjoyment. Unlike those fools who continuously try to find reasonable solutions to problems in their own lives and the world, by using their decisively unrealistic, idealistic delusions and end up only more beaten down and frustrated then before; you will have a no-nonsense understanding of reality and ability to leverage that information in order to accomplish your goals and serve your needs.
All you need to do is truly embrace (on an emotional level) the idea that life is not fair, that there's no such thing as equality, that morality is not an absolute principle, nor necessarily a natural state of being and that the predator and victim dynamic is alive and well in our human society; as it should be. You will see that a coldly logical examination of the situation points to these conclusions. And once you embrace these concepts, you will understand that there is really nothing to fear from them. This realization will not cause any great turmoil in your life, nor will it cause society to crumble and burn. By adopting these principles, you will find that the world has not changed, only your most basic understanding of it. It hasn't changed because it was always this way, and you're just realizing it! Let go of your irrational idealistic concepts, and refuse to avert your eyes from unpleasant realities. Isn't it about time that you scaled that wall and awaked?
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