Why is a life happy if it is not stirred up by philosophy? Hehe, I heard that Professor Yang Lihua of Peking University and I have the same idea, so I firmly believe in this even more! After all, the more immersed we are in abstract thinking, the harder it is for us to truly enjoy life.
Let's think about whether people's experience of the world depends on the brain or the senses. You might say that we rely on our senses, but of course, we perceive the world through our five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. But in fact, thinking plays a big role!
For example, when we take a sip of coffee, do we just taste the taste of the coffee itself? Hey, not necessarily! Maybe we are pursuing petty bourgeoisie, or we may yearn for a quality life. Therefore, our experience of coffee is not limited to its taste, but contains a symbol of culture and attitude towards life.
Mr. Baudrillard is right when he says that what we consume is not only the commodity itself, but also the symbolic value behind it. Things are abstracted into symbolic symbols, and our feelings about things depend on the values they represent.
You may ask, why is the value of symbols still influenced by other people's eyes, social values and culture? Haha, that's the result of our thinking! Symbolic values do not work alone, they exist in a complex network, influenced by various external factors, and are the product of our thinking, not of real perception.
Therefore, the higher the level of cognition and the richer the thoughts, the more likely people are to be trapped in the network of meanings constructed by symbols, far from real things and real feelings.
Master Schopenhauer said well that the key to distinguishing humans from animals is the strong sense of perception, which manifests itself as a spiritual power that allows us to enjoy the pleasure of feeling. The more perceptual we are, the more happiness we get. Therefore, those who do not have selfish desires to experience the world can attain joy and happiness through a strong sense of perception. Meaningful work, high-quality social relationships, and warm family gatherings all bring us joy.
Let's be honest, most of our troubles come from thinking, not from feeling. Once we accept a certain idea, conclusion, or idea, it is difficult to really perceive things anymore. Especially when these ideas are narrow-minded and biased, they often cause us pain and confusion. For example, love that is supposed to be beautiful, once we take it as an object of contemplation, looking for meaning and value in it, love becomes a comparison, calculation, transaction, and utilitarian goal, thus losing its original beauty.
Therefore, if we want to live a happy life, we have to return to the real world and use real perception to construct our experience. Don't let too much philosophical thinking make us dizzy, true perception is the key to happiness!
February** Dynamic Incentive Program