Life As An Inferior Being

 

The meekness of humans is really another one of those mind-boggling thoughts of humanity when one looks at how far we, as a civilization, have come. Inventions, technology, our way of living (heck our standards of living) have all improved since man’s creation (no matter which side of science you believe). However, in all the glory of how far we have come, humans can tend to think a little too highly of themselves and forget that when you really focus on the quirks of mankind we really ought to be humbled. Amongst many thoughts that Pascal presents to his readers in his Pensées this is one of them. He states “…but since we are greater than the little things, we think we are more capable of fathoming them”(Pascal 69). Humans by believing they are superior to other smaller, non reasoning beings think we are able to fully understand everything about them and their function in society. And that thought alone can lead to humans creating a disposition about themselves where they believe they are mightier and more knowledgeable about all things when this couldn’t be further from the truth.

The fable of the Goldie locks and the three bears is popular for a reason. It accurately describes mans desire to find the perfect in between of(for the story’s sake) a chair, a bed, or a cup of porridge. However, unlike Goldie (and maybe because she’s female she’s got it all figured out) man hardly ever does find the perfect balance of what is too much and too little. Pascal likes to say “Our senses can perceive nothing extreme” (Pascal 69) giving examples of light, noise, proximity, kindness, etc. “…we no longer feel them, we suffer them”(Pascal 70). We as mankind cannot handle when things or life is too much. Nature shows who’s really boss and our mind and sense crumble beneath us. People themselves can come in extremes. We can’t handle someone who is too nice, too mean, too talkative or some who is not nice enough or doesn’t talk at all. But then there is another division of people. Once again, the stellar innovations that have come out of the 20^th century alone would not be possible without those who paved the way and were looking for change. But there are those who want too much change and those who don’t want change at all. But when stuck with the same old routine one gets bored and they find themselves looking for that change, but without having to go through the uncomfortableness that often comes with change. So we struggle with the too much, but when it’s taken away and we have too little we are left yearning for more back. And often times if man does find that perfect balance he gets bored of it after too long. Man will always be striving to reach for something else but only if that something else might lead to more happiness. Because one excess man can never seem to reach is too much happiness.

    But after all this struggle to find the perfect amount of something that pleases us Pascal says we are most content when we give up our will instead of haveing control over it. Why else do women have boyfriends, someone must decide where they are eating. But the point of contentment is not having someone make the decisions so you don’t have to think anymore, it’s the point of satisfaction where you are at. Even in giving up our will we must also find the perfect balance for no one wants to feel like they aren’t able to make their own decisions, but we also don’t know what to choose when our options are endless. Pascal points out that, “The will itself will never provide satisfaction, even if it had power over all it wanted” (Pascal 89) because we will always want more. It’s a game of manipulation in the fact that one will tell themself that going the next step will make them the happiest they can be, but they get there and realize that the next step is where people seem to be truly happy and it’s a continuous cycle of always wanting what appears to be “better”. It is when we try to have too much control (there is that state of extreme again) that we are left unsatisfied because we are responsible for the outcome. But giving that power over releases us from the pressure of stiving for constant control.

    Lucky for us Pascal points out that God is the one to give our will too, giving that power over to the highest being, the one who created us all, allows for peace of mind in the fact that no matter the outcome He is working, and we are not a failure. Our ultimate happiness rest with God and His will and not others. Pascal draws in the thoughts of other philosophers (whom he calls “Stoics”) that say “…‘Go back into yourselves. There you will find peace.’ And it is not true. Others say: ‘Go out, look for happiness in some distraction.’ And that is not true. Illness is the result.”(Pascal 9). Man’s life goal is to continuously search for satisfaction: in their jobs, homes, themselves; thinking it will bring them happiness, but it never does because they are continuously striving for something that will only ever bring them fleeting pleasure. But pascal says that “Happiness is neither outside us nor within us. It is in God, and both outside and within us” (Pascal 9) When we turn to God, who is outside us, and we give him our will and we pursue him then the things within us will be content and that will turn into lasting happiness.

    Pascal does an excellent job of connecting all his thoughts like a domino effect. To find the perfect balance in our lives we must give our will over, but not to just anyone. Giving our will over to God calls for everlasting peace within ourselves. This all shows how when we as humans get too full of ourselves, we are left struggling and sometimes alone, and no matter how far our reason and innovations take us we will never be able to do it by ourselves.