Civilization And Its Discontents

“Unbridled gratification of all desires forces itself into the foreground as the most alluring guiding principle in life, but it entails preferring enjoyment to caution and penalizes itself after short indulgence.”

The price of self-indulgence is rejection by society. People must curb their instinctual yearnings and aggression to get along with others. Pressures to conform can be great, and many people respond by rejecting conventions and living a devil-may-care lifestyle, which, in time, costs them healthy social connection.

The feeling of happiness produced by indulgence of a wild, untamed craving is incomparably more intense than is the satisfying of a curbed desire.”

There is nothing quite so wonderful as indulging a deep urge. Such satisfaction is hard to obtain by the sublimated, restricted, socially acceptable use of a person’s energies. Even though indulgence can lead to recriminations from others, the intensity of the pleasure of abandon tempts the perpetrator to further excesses.

“The religions of humanity, too, must be classified as mass-delusions. […] Needless to say, no one who shares a delusion recognizes it as such.”

Religion, even with its high price of obedience, is a salve to many, granting a (false) sense of belonging and protection from the evils of life. Its benefits are so alluring that people will hold steadfastly to their beliefs rather than invite the chaos of doubt and uncertainty.