Baruch Spinoza: Letting go of illusions to live freely

Baruch Spinoza became famous for his work Tractatus Theologico-Politicus (A Theological and Political Treatise). It was a criticism of biblical attitudes that first spread widely in the Western world. Actually, for this, the philosopher was accused of heresy and excommunicated from the church. Spinoza himself called himself a religious man, capable of reasoning about rationality, morality, and happiness.

Thoughts about these categories are reflected in another work called A Treatise on the Improvement of Reason. The thinker asks the question: What if your desires, aspirations, and life in general are completely meaningless? The fact is that most people’s lives are ruled by vanity. We want honors, wealth, and popularity.

However, once you get some of the above, it immediately becomes insufficient, and, accordingly, satisfaction disappears. After all, there is always someone higher, more famous, and successful. The second round starts, and so on until the very end. It was this race that Spinoza considered nonsense, believing that deep down, people dream of something completely different.

A low-quality life

People are not always in control of the decision-making process. As Spinoza said, “We see the best, but we choose the worst.” Remember how many times you’ve done things that directly contradict your interests. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. It’s not from stupidity or short-sightedness. Emotions control us much more than we control them.

The most unpleasant aspect of this situation is that it has nothing to do with the feelings that should be managed. Hatred, envy, attraction, and dopamine addiction open the doors to passions. Under their influence, we choose desire instead of logic and calculation. The answer to the question “Why did you do that?” is simple: because you wanted to. Naturally, this affects the quality of decisions made and, as a result, life.

Anyone can turn on the inner philosopher, imagine the outlines of a proper life that will be worthy of respect and valuable to others. Most likely, in the course of reasoning, a bias towards spirituality rather than materialism will become apparent. Nevertheless, returning to reality, we immediately move away from bright and deep thoughts. We forget how we recently defined (at least for ourselves) what it means to be human.

Undoubtedly, there are rational and spiritually developed people who act in their interests without harming others. Such a life can be considered healthy, and often even happy. But where does this ability come from? Is it innate, or is it a special skill that can be developed? Spinoza considered sages to be people who had risen above personal emotions and external attitudes. However, their population was estimated at a measly percentage of the total global population.

The main problem

Misunderstanding the reasons and motives of one’s actions leads to slavery. This is how dependence on the external environment and desires dictated by emotions can be characterized. Ignorance makes a person vulnerable, impairing the quality of life. According to Spinoza, free will is an illusion (at least for the vast majority of people). It is convenient for us to believe in order or predestination. Call it God’s plan, fate, or Marxist dialectics. The meaning does not change; every phenomenon must have a reason.

In general, your personality is the product of an endless chain of causes. Billions of years ago, the Big Bang occurred, and stars and planets appeared. Then came life and intelligence. People have built cities and created civilizations. Your parents must have met sometime in the late 20th century, and now you’re reading this article. Remove any of the events, and everything will change. But was it an idea, or did it just happen that way? Each of us makes dozens of decisions every day and processes hundreds of thoughts. It is without pressure from the outside. In any case, no one is holding a gun to his temple.

On the other hand, the cultural environment and socio-economic factors often turn out to be stronger than will and reason. These constraints shape the way of thinking, outlook on life, desires, and goals. Add to this the inability to control emotions — you get almost complete dependence on circumstances. Theoretically, a person is free to act on their own, but in practice, it turns out to be almost impossible. Awareness of the situation is the first step to getting rid of the shackles.

Liberation through acceptance of reality

When false ideals give way before our true desires, our involvement increases exponentially. This is a revolutionary process that cannot be started without awareness of reality, the one where dozens of external factors control the relatively gentle will of a “sleeping” person. Love yourself, not emotions, social attitudes, or the environment.

Try to hate your addiction. Just imagine how much money, effort, and most importantly, time you have already spent on achieving completely undesirable things, but imposed. The discrepancy between true desires and the result you get makes you feel an inexplicable emptiness inside, even when it seems that everything is fine. It’s not good at all — your true self screams about it.

Becoming aware of reality is an act of self-preservation. Otherwise, you never know where dependence on the outside world will push you. Pay more attention to needs rather than desires. These are not synonyms at all. The first is required to improve the quality of life, the second is desirable for the sake of quick pleasure. Capturing actual needs makes you obsessed and points to a purpose. Desires are emptied almost immediately after they are fulfilled.