At first it seems counter-intuitive that mystery creates attraction. Respect comes with honesty and loyalty, however I think that attraction comes from mystery. An unread book is usually very appealing. Same goes for anything brand new and unused. I swear, I leave entire journals and sketchbooks blank because of how attractive they seem. At the same time, I'm afraid of the blank page. Perpetually being in the moment right before a movie starts. What's it going to be like? What do I expect? Am I going to be surprised?
"What if?" is the basis of most Science Fiction literature. Perhaps "What if?" is also the basis of what motivates all of us. My dreams are what motivates and inspires me to continue pushing forward. Biologically, it's probably just from the euphoric rushes that the body produces when in a dream state and how that becomes psychologically associated with the images we see and the situations we experience. Your music in movies and on the radio. Your book in stores. Your fan letters. Your big house. Your abundance of wealth. Your full attention and appreciation given by lovers.
Buddhist philosophy knows of the impermanence of material gain and joy from possessions, which we can rationalize, however human nature seems to dictate otherwise. It was way back when we learned how to live in the harsh, uncivilized world where just "having enough" was fucking difficult. Like a dog who won't stop eating, we don't stop taking and acquiring. The age in Western Civilization is mostly peaceful and prosperous, despite what the media tells everyone. On this chess board all the pawns have the ability to become queens. We're still not immune to danger, of course, though relative to the serfdom we used to live through, I must say we're much better off. Obviously there will always be the more powerful, more ambitious. The majority of us just want to enjoy life, so yearning for unprecedented greed in exchange for all of your spare time (and perhaps a change in personal ethics) doesn't seem really that desirable.
And yet we still beat ourselves up at the fact that there are certain aspects of our lives we're unable to have independence and control over. Debt. We're performing because we have to, not because we want to. Perhaps the System actually knows us better than we know ourselves. How many of us would sit back and relax if we never had to work a day in our life? Yes yes, any sane person would eventually figure out that they'll get horribly depressed if they're not out that producing and creating. Down the spectrum of wealth, from upper middle class to the very bottom, we're all working to maintain our lifestyles. Our fears directly coincide with our desire to never be without our comforts that we expect.
This may just be western civilization too. The rest of the world, from what I've read though never experienced, seems to just be happy to live each day to the fullest. They don't have huge aspirations that kill them if they aren't fulfilled. They have each other. They have those close bonds. They need each other, financially, socially, sexually, mentally, spiritually, in every which way! They yield to their environment rather than making their environment yield to them. And what's the end result? Joy! Say what you want, but all I see are content people.
So provided what I DO have, why am I on prescription antidepressants? Why do I feel incomplete? Why do I long for more to fill the void inside myself? Why do I strive to impress?
Perhaps truthfully, I lack all the essentials and have an abundance of only the non essentials?
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