“We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are”
Anaïs Nin
Is life better? Or worse?
It's hard to imagine life getting much better, and at the same time, it's difficult to envision life getting worse. To those who think life is unbearable, remember that our privileged position often blinds us to the reality of our circumstances. Anaïs Nin once said, “We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are” - therefore our lives are shaped by our own unique personal experiences. Anything beyond these experiences are colored by an emotional biased perspective.
The emotional pain we endure—anger, stress, anxiety, depression—is relative to the pain we've experienced in our lives. Generally, in modern times, our suffering pales compared to the hardships of earlier eras, except for those who have faced tragic events. For the most part, life today is better than ever. Not only has our quality of life improved, but our access to information has also expanded exponentially with the advent of the internet, which puts knowledge at our fingertips.
Despite this, a paradox emerges: we claim to be more intelligent than past generations, yet we often act in ways that seem increasingly irrational. Who could have predicted that the most rational species on Earth might ultimately drive itself to extinction through its own irrational behavior? This paradox highlights the hubris of human beings. .
In conclusion, while it's challenging to foresee whether life will improve or deteriorate, recognizing our subjective view of reality and the relative improvement in our circumstances can help us appreciate the progress we've made. At the same time, we must remain strong against our tendencies toward irrationality, understanding that our survival depends on our ability to act with wisdom and foresight.
“Our sensorial perception of the world creates a false notion of reality. We are tricked into constructing a worldview and believing it to be the real thing. When it comes to understanding the nature of reality we are all shortsighted." - Plato's Allegory of the Cave
