Dreaming To Some Purpose

Ronald H. Coase was just another varsity student in London looking out of the window when he had a light bulb moment. “Why do firms need to grow big?” Ultimately, his answer to that question would lead to him being awarded The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel in 1991.

In pale comparison to the great man, I too, was day-dreaming at office today. So what’s new? :) Well, for starters, instead of contemplating about The Myth of Sisyphus or anything pessimistic along those lines, I thought instead, about something positive. And as the day-dream rolled, I recalled a certain discourse in one of my forays into literature.

The philosopher Schopenhauer was arguably the only major European philosopher who focused on boredom and cumulative stress. For the sake of referencing, I shall do injustice to the great man by setting and summarizing the argument out in a formal kind of way.

1) To live is to want.
2) To want is to will.
3) To will is to set an objective and to pursue that goal.
4) Someone’s goal may end in success or failure.
5) If that someone fails, he or she is inadequate and suffers a lack. (Suffering)
6) If he or she succeeds, he or she gets bored after a while. (Suffering)
7) Life is suffering.

While I was an early reader of philosophy, I was taken aback when I first came across this train of thought. From first glance, it seemed to be an acceptable portrayal of life. After all, myself, and quite a number of acquaintances did, after all, go through stages (1) to (5) and (6). But is number (7) pushing it? Or is it an accurate description of reality? After all, Solomon with all his wisdom and accomplishments said with age old cynicism in Ecclesiastes 2:11 that “… everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.”

However interesting and compelling this argument is, it is possible to raise a myriad of objections against it. While (1) and (2) are valid, one might point out that against (3), as human beings, we are likely to pursue many goals simultaneously rather than betting on a sole race horse. Of course, one may argue that all other goals may pale in comparison to a certain goal that takes dominance over all others but for the strong statement in (7) to hold, the entire life of an individual must be put to the litmus test and not just the life and death moments which in truth, are a rarity.

Against (4), we might interject that satisfaction is not a zero sum game (all-or-nothing business). When one’s goal is unfulfilled or crashes and burns, it may very well ward off boredom. In fact, one may be spurred forward with renewed rigour to reach higher. Moving on, the goals that are satisfied could lead to a state of mind where one is not bored but in fact, pleasant.

Against (5), many an unsatisfied desire have bitter-sweet qualities that can be likened to two sides of the same coin. For example, I remember the time when my friend Terry kept his wife and myself hungry when he suggested that we wait 2 hours on the TGIF waiting list. While our hunger pangs (especially mine) was a big minus factor in our pre-dinner condition, the anticipation of the aroma of a big fat Jack Daniel’s steak outweighed those pangs (I’m not sure about his wife though. ^.^). Illustrating further, one may certainly pine for an absent beloved, but the thought and pleasure of a future meeting together, gazing into each other’s eyes, a romantic getaway, under the sun, under the moon, surely outweighs the suffering derived from the waiting and the crying game. I, myself, look forward to that moment and I can testify that the anticipation of this yet unfulfilled dream is in fact, fulfilling. And while I would be most willing to bomb Pearl Harbour for her, that day can wait. Oh dear, this is one long paragraph.

Schopenhauer makes an assumption in (6). His argument assumes that the satisfaction of a goal or desire constitutes immediate elimination. And with it, it takes along the original goal that it is derived from. I conclude this because boredom and goal-lessness would otherwise not be the automatic consequence of the satisfaction of desire. And assumptions are like @$$h***s; everyone has one. While this is true of certain desires especially of the physiological kind (i.e. Forrest Gump telling President Kennedy that he needed to pee. After answering nature’s call, the desire to pee disappears), it may not be so for others. There are a range of goals and desires that may be satisfied without elimination. A man may achieve his goal in winning the heart of the lady of his affection and that desire does not end. It goes on. It evolves. It grows. It lingers. The dynamo of love will hum and he will have to meet the evolving needs of the relationship in different roles in response to the changing seasons of the relationship. And amidst all the change and wrinkles that appear over time, the fact of the matter is that he loves his wife and he wants her to be the first thing he sees when he wakes up and the last thing when he closes his eyes. Okay, here I go again.

At this point, it seems that Schopenhauer’s cause for pessimism is unfounded. But why does the modern economic man and woman face depression in their everyday lives? Why do thousands of people die “on the job” in Japan each year regardless of their high position and social status? My guess is that they live their lives in an absurd fashion. Borrowing some inspiration from Camus, they kill the man of today in the name of the man of tomorrow. When one sacrifices one’s present self on the altar of some future goal, one will surely be disappointed when the desired result is not to his or her original expectations.

With that, it can be concluded that while Schopenhauer’s argument for pessimism may carry weight, it cannot be accepted as a general law. All the more importantly, a theological perspective will call for one to align one’s goals with the goals of his Creator. Quoting from John Piper, “the chief aim of man is to glorify God and to delight in Him.” For if goals with some sort of continuity in mind bring greater and lasting fulfillment, what more can we say about goals with eternity in mind? From a Hebrew and theological perspective, we are created in the image of God. Sin, then, is what prevents us from being and living as that image. Hence, individual goals must be conceived as how the Creator would have conceived them. And finally, while the opening of Ecclesiastes may lament the futility of man and his attempts to find meaning, it ends with the call for everyone to heed and to remember their maker. Do you remember?