Do we really have free will? Are we really able to choose as we please? A previous comment caught my attention questioning the idea if it is completely our fault that we (humans) have sexual intercourse for pleasure and not purely procreation. This rose many questions in my head, it made me think that we are somewhat bounded in our choices by Nature’s will. Now of course there are physical laws which cannot be broken, however, we are born with needs and wants. A need being; food, water, shelter, etc. A want on the other hand is often more vague i.e. success, beauty, sex and so on.
It became apparent to me that the majority of living species on this planet share these same emotions that we humans do. I guess my question here is; why are we all born with these wants and emotions when we don’t actually need them? Why am I born wanting to compete with others when it’s not necessary for my survival? I guess it all comes back to the question of nature versus nurture, however, if our nurture would our physical wants really be so different? I mean if we lived in a communist world with communist values, would human competition seize to exist?
I know it seems like a bit of a stretch but how far can we go out of our emotional needs, one thing for sure is that every living thing on this planet wants to survive and wants to be happy, while we may think that we are all different it’s very possible that it’s same things that make us all happy.
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I would also tend to think the same things can possibly make everyone happy. The things that come to my mind are pretty vague... love and compassion, kindness, a sense of belonging and purpose. But success, money, and being the best is too specific. I really don't think everyone wants that. Like you said, I think a big part of our inherent desires can be attributed to the way we were nurtured.
ReplyDeleteTo grow up in a poor family and have an unhappy childhood might be enough to make a person want to make lots of money (in hope of finding happiness). But a person could also grow up without having much money, and be completely content with their family and the life they were given. To that person, having money isn't really a life goal. However, in both of these cases the goal achieved is happiness. I think happiness something everyone wants to feel, by nature.
I guess desires come naturally to anyone who interacts with other people. Needs are things we know for a fact we cannot survive without, but when it comes to desire, one must be exposed to something that they consider blissful or superior, and that something has to provoke the person to want it. If we lived in a world of solitude and had no interactions with other people, and were not subjected to the beauty of anything, we would not have desires because we would not know the things that please us. When one grows up in a world filled with the media, telling society that money, power, beauty, and control are all necessities, it becomes an instinctive need by humans to obtain these things. What used to be considered only mere desires now become needs because that’s what we are told leads to ultimate success in life. My question is, do you guys think this only happens in America due to our obsession with these elements (money, power, beauty, control), or does every country and culture share the same desires?
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Morgan is saying. Even though we may all have the same basic needs. The exact way we use and need those need I think is different from person to person.
ReplyDeleteI like what Kevin said and I agree with him. We are at the mercy of the environment we are raised/live in. I believe we are born with certain instincts that have been written into our DNA over time. Most of our desires, aside from those that are necessary for survival, are not instinctive but are taught and learned through experiences.
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