The source of our dissatisfaction

The surce of our dissatisfactionThe source of our dissatisfactionLudwig Wittgensteinwas a genius like few others. Born into one of the wealthiest families of his time, he donated his fortune and instead went on to become one of the giants of 20th-century philosophy.He was commanding and passionate and, quite often, misunderstood. As his friend Georg Henrik von Wrightrecalledin a conversation about himFollow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreHe once said he felt as though he was writing for people who would think in a different way, breathe a different air of life, from that of present-day men.Given that his primary subject was the philosophy of language, which is notoriously messy and contradictory (in no small part due to Wittgensteins influence), this likely isnt the biggest of surprises.But more so than perhaps other philosophers, as much fascination as critics and historians take in his work, they also find much appeal in how he lived.Beyond growing up wealthy, he was mentored by the great Bertrand Russell, he once stepped away from philosophy to teach in primary schools in Austria, he was an officer on the front lines of the First World War, and he once again left philosophy to help out in the Second World War.There little doubt that these experiences shaped his views on life, too. At 27, for example, when he was fighting in the First World War, he wrote some thoughts in hisnotebookthat partially illuminate his laterbeliefthatlife (and philosophy) wasnt about made-up problems but about living.This is illustrated by one of the most striking passages he ever pennedOnlya man who lives not in time but in the present is happy.For life in the present there is no death.Death is not an event in life.It is not a fact of the world. If byeternity is understood not infinite zeitlich duration but non-temporality, then it can be said thatamanlives eternally if he lives in t he present.The Problem of Indulging StorificationHuman beings are storytellers.We dont see or observe things as they are but we impose a narrative line on the events in our life to add order to them.Like all great stories, our stories, too, have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It createstheillusion that we are living in the temporal duration, as Wittgenstein called it - one that exists in the flow of time.There are theories in both philosophy and in physics thatsuggest thatthis flow of time is a blurring in ourperceptionthat stops us from seeing reality as it is- that time doesnt exist- but we can look to an even simpler line of reasoning to understand Wittgensteins point.Given that we are theomniscientnarrators of life, we trust that the existence of the past and the future is as real as the existence of the present.After all, our imagination allows us to both see the past and envision the future.We can look back on regrets, and we can construct a world in which we are not al ive or happy or successful or fulfilled or (input a different desire here) even thoughboth of these are abstractions that concern us with a made-up internal world with all its problems while ignoring the real, outer world.Any lack of satisfaction we experience in life is born from this predicamentWe are so attached to an imagined inner story about who we are, causing both anxiety and fear, that we forgetthatthe world in front of us isnt at all dictated by this story it simplyis, in both its beauty and its simplicity.The biggest problem, however, is thatthis outer world (that is only truly experienced in the present),while stunning and complete if attention is paid to it, is also - in a way - empty and silent and, sometimes, lonely.What, then, do we do? We create an imaginary friend in our mind to continue telling us the story about this and about that.Think of how often, when by yourself, you are simplytherein a particular moment rather than stuck in a loop of thought dominated by a voice in your head that keeps you company. Its likely not very often.While this voice can bring with it occasional pleasantries, like a treasured memory or a meaningful daydream, most of the time, what it does is make us feel self-conscious and insecure, stressed and fearful.In the present, none of these things exist because none of these things are real.What exists is simply your environment and what it has to offer.And often,what it has to offer is far more important than a false narrative.There is nothing but now, and in that now, there is rarely dissatisfaction.Death as a Means to EternalLifeWhen you think about it, contrary to Wittgensteins reasoning,being truly, utterly present is a form of death.It means that you have tokill the voice that tells the story in your mind- a voice many of us are intimately attachedto.At the saatkorn time, however, Wittgenstein is rightThere is no such thing as real, tangible death that happens in our life and because this death doesnt happen, neither are many of our future anxieties (which are often directly and indirectly influenced by a fear of death)based in any objective realitythere is only the death of the narrator.When you dont live linearly in time, or in non-temporality as Wittgenstein termed it, then there is just a universe of change.This universe doesnt bother drawing artificial boundaries that distinguish between our idea of past and future, nor is it concerned with what we call life and death.It just moves and acts according to processes that govern it, turning from one state to another.This alteration of states is something that we are a part of, and this something can be loosely termed the eternal, as Wittgenstein also referred to it.Unfortunately,until we stop the narration, this eternity passes by us every waking moment without us noticing.Instead of seeing ourselves as a dance of this majestic process, one that isnt defined by made-up problems, we revert into the company of the voice we are too scared to detach ourselves from.But the truth is that the only way to get out of the cycle of dissatisfaction is to firstaccept the death of this voiceand sacrifice its company so that it no longer blocks us from the actual reality.This is, of course, not easy, and for most people,always keeping the voice quiet is a skill that lies beyond feasibility.That said,everyone can do a little more to at least pay attention to the right thingswhen the reminder strikes rather than taking the easy way out.Its been commonly noted in psychology research thathumans report the highest satisfaction when they are completely lost in some activity around them rather than in the imagined struggle that goes on in their mind.When they are in harmony with the universe as it continues to transition, they are able to look beyond the incomplete stories constructed by their mind to fully engage with the real story that is unfolding all around them.Whatis important and eternal is in front of us, but to really connect with it, we need tosacrifice the comfort of our imagination.The TakeawayThe truth be told, this is a taxing way of saying what we have all already heard or realized at one point or anotherWeshould be more present.Do the lives that many of us lead, with our jobs and our daily demands, make this easy? Of coursenot.Modern societies are designed to compromise now for tomorrow, and the choice has already been made for us.Nonetheless, many of us can do more than we currently do - we can make a greater effort tolive in the real worldrather than the narrated onebecause its ultimately the latter that is the cause of the problems that dissatisfy us.Byoccasionally welcoming the death of the voice we so closely associate with, we can,paradoxically, live beyond death, and we can experience the change and the transitioning of the universe as it occurs around us in a way that is striking and meaningful and truly, utterly captivating.Wittgensteins conclusion was that philosophy had spent so much time making up its own problems that it gotdetached from the only problem that truly mattered - the problem of being and living.We, too, are habituated from birth to do this.We make up things in our mind, we add coherence and reason to what we make up, and wethen spend so much time living there that we forget that none of it is grounded on a solid foundation- that we are looking in the wrong direction.Its often beensaidthatwhat we most want we already have.This couldnt be truer when it comes to living in what we think of as the flow of time.We are not here to groe nachfrage from one illusionary problem to another we are here to see, and experience, and love, and trust what is present - right now.This article first appeared on DesignLuck.com.