Unhappiness
The modern concept of happiness rests upon the philosophical and psychological theories of the supremacy of the individual. I believe that the self-centeredness and individualism that follow undermine the possibility of achieving happiness at all.
The modern world is irrational because most people act contrary to their human needs and stated wishes. In order to be really happy we need to retrieve the older notions of what it means to be human, draw from our own ideology the essence of happiness. Incorporate them into modern life-acknowledging the necessary connections between people and their mutual dependencies. When we stand, not alone, but with people, when we give and take from each other in grateful reciprocity, we can begin to know what enduring happiness is.
This isn't an outright rejection of contemporary life. There is much about today's world that is desirable and a great deal about the older world that was unjust.
First and foremost humans are social creatures, not independent units. The modern philosophy that places the individual above social ties is at the root of much contemporary unhappiness.
in Am I Right?
Psychology Today
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