Recently, I have introduced historical cycles to prepare for the future. Looking at people’s lives from this perspective often frees us from trivial restrictions.
Today, I will explain why we don’t have to force ourselves to make the world better.
How to have a peaceful life
Sometimes, we want a peaceful life, such as a secluded life in the countryside, because many disgusting things exhaust us.
If we are empathic and creative, the obsession with contributing could be one factor. In society, there are many conflicts and negative emotions. People, especially less empathic people, soon make enemies everywhere. They get angry with those opponents, complain, envy, curse, and try to take away from them. Struggles and strife are usual in society.
Those endless conflicts make us mentally exhausted. Our empathy forces us to want to stop discords and try to stabilize the environment as well as possible. Our creativity makes us think of how to solve these problems.
The human nature that conflicts with each other endlessly
However, we usually cannot make it happen because it is human nature. Society is a place of conflict.
In other words, one of the best ways to relieve stress is to distance ourselves from society if we can live independently.
However, we sometimes cannot do it due to our beliefs. We believe we have to contribute to others and make society better. That prevents our ideal lives.
Today, I will explain why we don’t have to force ourselves to make the world better. This knowledge might free us from obsession with contributing and allow us to change our lives.
The historical perspective to think in the long run
Historical cycles tell us we don’t need to rush to evolve.
Historically speaking, humans have developed by repeating similar mistakes, such as wars, a state decline, recessions, or monetary value losses. Many people forget the distant past and judge by recent experiences. That tendency creates historical cycles.
Although people forget many past failures, they can remember several critical failures in the past. That allows people to improve gradually.
The laws of nature that tell us the moderate efforts
Improving many things at once does not always prevent historical cycles of failures. This is because the more impressive an improvement is, the easier it is to forget the past.
For example, if we suddenly get rich, we soon forget the poor past state or the spirit we had at the beginning.
There are laws of nature, as follows:
- If unnaturally raised, it will rebound and significantly fall later.
- If unnaturally suppressed, it will rebound and significantly rise later.
These laws tell us that our enforced contribution will not make much difference in the long run.
For example, even if we force ourselves to satisfy our surroundings, they will soon forget the past and come to take our efforts for granted. We will suffer and stop our help. That makes them more dissatisfied. If unnaturally raised, it will rebound and significantly fall later.
Stress-free contributions we can make naturally would be moderate. We don’t have to force ourselves to stay in a stressful environment. Even if we live a secluded life in the countryside, it is no problem. We can contribute in several areas, even in such a lifestyle. That is moderate.
The lies of ‘making the world better’
People often say, “Make this country better,” especially in politics.
However, it is a lie. The correct is, “You should make my life better; I don’t care about others.” They only care about themselves.
Of course, they cannot say so clearly because it sounds too greedy. To justify that, they cover it up with the superficial, selfless words, ‘Many people will benefit from it.’ Although it is for themselves, it sounds like justice.
One of the most arrogant lies
Perhaps the words ‘for the earth’ and ‘for all humanity’ are the most arrogant, greedy, and selfish lies. Even if humanity perishes, the earth is still the earth. Other species will thrive. Even if our state declines, other states will rise. From a historical perspective, we can understand we never know what will be good for the universe or the earth.
Similarly, we don’t know the common humanity goal. Even peace is not the goal. Some want a life without war, and some want to invade to use their territory more efficiently. Both are humans. People have multiple aspects. Ignoring other aspects and forcing only one side causes discord. That is why some peace organizations become violent.
As I often say, we don’t know what would be good or bad in the long run. A failure could be a treasure in life. There is happiness in disguise. Not only our individuals but also our species are small compared to eternal history. It is too arrogant to speak as a representative of the Earth or all humanity.
Humble people who can predict the future
That arrogance creates historical cycles of failures. They think they are the supreme justice. That causes conflicts or wars.
Humble people can predict those historical cycles because they can see from a historical perspective.
People with empathy and creativity tend to love such a perspective. If we have such a personality, the perspective of the historical cycles would give us calm and allow us to change our lives to live our own ways.
Conclusion
That is why we don’t have to force ourselves to make the world better.
Stress-free contributions we can make naturally would be moderate.
This knowledge might free us from obsession with contributing and allow us to change our lives.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
