Jul 4, 2022
We, humans, like to think that all of our desires are intuitive, but it's not the case every time. Most of our desires are mimetic, and we all function as infinite mirrors.
Whatever I am doing in life, I always have endless desires, but I rarely understand why I want something. However, I know I want it. Despite extensive introspection and digging, I cannot pinpoint the true reason for desiring something. Some seem superficial, but most don't appear deeply intrinsic, and they all seem to be shaped by my environment and the people in my life.
Historically, René Girard argued that most human behaviour has been based on imitation and imitation leads to conflict, which is eventually handled by using scapegoats as a means to restore peace. Girard called this the scapegoat mechanism.
I wonder how much of this theory holds true today? We live in a world that is increasingly connected by social media where algorithms drive our entire experience that makes everyone live in their own bubble, while mainstream media drives a lot of polarisation by presenting bogus narratives. As a society, we are so far off the truth without having the ability to think independently. Today, people think that changing opinions is a weakness and they have little tolerance for those who disagree with them.
There is no escaping this, this is just fundamentally how we are. There must be a reason why we sometimes feel unfulfilled even after achieving things we've always dreamt about. Look more closely and you will notice a lot of unhappiness is caused by wanting what other people want. As much as we can't escape the influences of the world around us, surely we can all pay a little more attention to our desires, reorder them from time to time, find better role models, and eventually embrace the fact that we are all interconnected and that our good and bad desires are reflected in each other.
