Introduction
I often think about the pain of the collective human existence. I consider the state of mind of a man plotting suicide. I wonder about the pain of a widow whose family is no more. In contrast, I think of animals. Animals are interesting, they clearly feel and experience pain, emotional and physical alike. This, on the surface is not dissimilar to the human experience. However, animals seem to me to only experience pain as a result of an external stimulus. This is distinct compared to humans. Humans can feel pain even when their life is objectively good. You can have all of your physical needs met, and yet, still end your life. So, if in a hypothetical scenario, where you could trade your ability to contemplate the existential world, and instead live in the consciousness of a beautiful golden retriever, would you make that trade?
Simplicity
Consider, for a moment, the life of a dog. Their happiness, seemingly unaffected by the existential quandaries that often plague human minds. This happiness or contentment, is rooted in the immediate: a warm spot in the sun, the joy of a returned owner, the simplicity of a meal. This isn’t to say house pets do not feel or express emotions such as sadness or joy; rather, their experience of these emotions is directly tied to the immediate context, unburdened by the self-generated complexities of thought that humans often face. It’s easy to imagine the spectrum of negative emotions that one might experience throughout life, and how it massively outweighs the house pets capacity for pain.
Human Consciousness and Its Burdens
Human beings, on the other hand, possess the unique ability to transcend the immediate, to ponder existence, to question the why of being. The questions we ask ourselves are often met with with silence. You don’t have the answer, few do. Finding the few is nearly pointless because their answer is different then yours. So we are stuck here then, trapped in the cage of our mind, thinking of imaginary things that cause us imaginary pain. The depth of human consciousness is unique in our current observation of the world. So we’re smart, and in pain. Our pain is, in some degree, the result of the intelligence we posses. Our lives are fantastically more comfortable in the modern world as a consequence of our intelligence. Yet so many people are in such significant despair that over twelve million American’s seriously considered suicide in 2021.
The Impact of Modern Society on Existential Thought
Modern society, with its advancements, has paradoxically contributed to the exacerbation of these existential dilemmas. The luxury of time, freed from the immediate concerns of survival that preoccupied our ancestors, has opened the door to deeper contemplation of life’s purpose and meaning. Yet, this contemplation often leads to a recognition of a potential absence of purpose. This results in endocrinological havoc. The very systems that kept us alive with instinctual pursuit of basal needs has been weaponized. This of course is not malicious, at least not entirely. It is, however, a problem.
The Trade
In the absence of a religious context I find it exceedingly difficult to value the complexity of the human experience. I often struggle to rationalize the outcome, any outcome. It’s in these moments that I think I may opt to take the trade.
Echoes of Thought 