The Social Contract

[DeletedUser8396]

The Social Contract​

In society we have responsibilities. We have lives than run through a specific course and demand certain things toward others. We also have emotions: love, hate, anger, empathy, etc. But how exactly do these emotions fit into the puzzle that is The Social Contract? Quite simply, if you can follow logical pattern.

First we must operate under the assumption that everything is motivated primarily by self. Yes, actions may have some semblance of selflessness, even insomuch that the action itself appear to be entirely selfless. We must learn to cast aside any inclination that an action can be 51% selfless and 49% self-gratifying. Selfless must become only a partake in 49% of our vocabulary when discussing this.

If you do not subscribe to the above assumption, allow me to explain in further detail:

Let us say you go out to eat with a friend. You hold the door for them, pull out their seat, carry a pleasant tone, carry a pleasant conversation despite the surroundings, and even go as far as to pay for the meal. Let us assume this all occurred as I have said and exactly as I have said.

The first step in seeing and accepting this viewpoint is by taking a constant stance to everything with the question 'why'. Apply this question to every answer you get, until it can go no further until it becomes circular. Let us apply this to our current situation.

--
Why go eat? You are hungry // You want to socialize with said friend.

Why are you hungry? Instinct. Final outcome pt. 1.

Why do you want to socialize with the friend? To have fun / a good time. Why do you want to have a good time? Instinct. Final outcome part 2.

Going out to eat was to both satisfy your instinctual desire to satisfy hunger and pleasure. While not necessarily selfish, it is self-pleasing more so than other-pleasing.
--
Why hold the door / pull out the seat / carry a pleasant ton (and conversation) / pay for the meal? It is polite. Why be polite? Social obligation to be polite. Why fulfill this obligation? To be a functioning member of society. Why be a functioning member of society? To be accepted by that society. Why do you desire to be accepted by that society? Instinct.

You were doing this to satisfy your instinctual desire to be accepted. You satisfied a personal desire. More self-pleasing than other-pleasing.
--

Do you now see? If not, ask me for further examples and I will provide additional ones.

Now we will be assuming you subscribe to this 'selfish > selfless' idea.

Back to the emotions fitting into the Social Contract. Let us define the Social Contract. I define this (as I am the one presenting the theory and am allowed to define variables) as an apparent or hidden obligation to do and carry out any and all aspects of life, which may be disregarded or accepted. Accepting the social obligation does not need conscious consent, and one may not be aware of consenting to the Social Contract and only fall into the mold. Disregarding the Social Contract may or may not need consent, but, unless the individual is mentally insane or put through rigorous circumstances, the subject generally is aware of breaking the Social Contract (and is looked down upon by society for doing so).

Now that the puzzle is defined, let us map out just how the pieces fit in – specifically, emotions.

Let us look at love, the most (in)famous of all emotions, and arguably the most powerful.

Apply the filter of 'why', and we find one of two options:

Why do we love: Instinct / Social obligation to love

Let's discuss the first possibility. This possibility is generally taken by those that are unaware of their subscription to the Social Contract. I personally disregard this possibility (as you should as well), for this reason: one has reasons for loving someone. These reasons may be that the individual is beautiful, funny, kind, or thoughtful. No matter what the reason is, there are reasons. Now follow the 'why' pattern for those reasons:

Why do you love their kindness? You desire to be treated kindly. Why do you desire to be treated kindly? Instinct, however, this instinct is based in a desire to be treated kindly. This self-motivated desire makes it less about loving the person, but more toward what the person does for you as a reason to love them. This causes your love to be more self-motivated than other-motivated. Follow the same pattern for the other reasons for loving said person.

-OR-

We could subscribe to the secondary option, which has basically been provided in the explanation of the first: the social obligation to love them. Apply the 'why' filter:

Why do you have a social obligation to love them? Because they are kind. Why obey the social obligation? To be accepted by society. Why be accepted by society? Instinctual desire to be accepted.

Also- Why do you have the social obligation to love them? Because they are kind. Why does this make you love them? Because I enjoy kindness. Why do you enjoy kindness? I desire to be treated kindly. Why do you desire to be treated kindly? Instinctual.

Either way, the love for said person is based on an instinctual desire to satisfy a certain self-motivated need. Thus, love is not an outward, selfless display of affection for another, but rather selfishness masquerading under the beauty that is love.

That is the Social Contract for emotions.

_______________________________________

The first edit I have made to this theory of mine:

Thus, since everything inevitably links to an instinctual desire to perpetuate one's own self, one must continue to ask why- as we are not yet done. The question is: Why do you desire to follow your instincts? The answer I have found is the only answer that I feel makes sense and makes the theory beautiful. The answer is: I have a will to live.

Love, hate, politeness, kindness, cruelty - any interaction we ever do or did was done because through a mental process that we were either aware of or unaware of led us through the process described above that the self benefit leading inevitably to the fulfillment of our instinctual desire to better our own selves inevitably concludes with the profound statement and reason of life.

We love because we want to live. The reason we do not love everyone or choose to not love everyone is because we feel or know that loving the person will not bring us a more fulfilled life. Everything we do translates invariably back to our burning passion to press on in the farce that is The Social Contract.

 

[DeletedUser18132]

Stop making my life so miserable!:supermad:

But a Very Very good piece. With a capital V.

 

[DeletedUser8396]

Stop making my life so miserable!:supermad:

But a Very Very good piece. With a capital V.

haha, thanks mate. Look on the bright side, you probably don't have this as your worldview I do lol

 

[DeletedUser33530]

This sounds like one of those theories that mass murders come up with when they are in college, and is later used to prove their insanity.




Oh and I suggest you stop trying to rationalize the irrational as you will ALWAYS come up with answers that you don't want to know. In the end you either become as depressed outcast (a grepolis player ) or you come to some shocking religious epiphany.

 

[DeletedUser8396]

This sounds like one of those theories that mass murders come up with when they are in college, and is later used to prove their insanity.

You would truly be surprised how sane most insane people are. Simply their view is misunderstood by society and then labeled as stupid, asinine, and, as you have said, insane. I discussed this with my Father and he thinks it is the most idiotic asinine thing he's ever heard, when he simply fails to understand it. Our conversation ended with him cursing at me in a fit of rage.

I then discussed it with my mother, actually yesterday (which motivated my writing it), and she maintained a circular argument of loving me because she loved me. That conversation ended up with her in tears, something I didn't want or intend. She thinks I don't love her and that she doesn't love me as I think she loves me out of a social obligation to love me, whereas I believe she loves me in the fullest capacity she is able to, but that that love is self-motivated on her part more so than it is selfless, which makes her sad/mad as she doesn't want to appear selfishly loving me.

It's a dangerous topic that can shatter any relationship if you choose to claim it as your own. Luckily, those of us that accept the above doctrine, realize that some are not capable of seeing or simply reject the possibility of the above doctrine to be true. We know they want to hold their idealistic world and put it in a glass bottle floating in a can of windex with tape markers around it to keep it safe. We realize this, and then realize we shouldn't judge them with all that much animosity. We may judge them still, but our judgement is only because of their acceptance to be blind.

 

[DeletedUser33530]

I didn't mean that in a way that discredited what you wrote pebble I'm simple saying that this is what the piece reminded me of.

Really though pebble you are only hurting yourself and those that you love when you consider the workings of humans. Minus the telling people part I came of with similar ideas to this a while ago and I although I still see the truth behind them I have found them not to be true.

 

[DeletedUser8396]

I didn't mean that in a way that discredited what you wrote pebble I'm simple saying that this is what the piece reminded me of.

Really though pebble you are only hurting yourself and those that you love when you consider the workings of humans. Minus the telling people part I came of with similar ideas to this a while ago and I although I still see the truth behind them I have found them not to be true.

I know you didn't, don't worry

And I don't love anyone mate. I know most hear that and think, "Oh, he's just looking for pity and is over-exaggerating." Most of the time you would be correct in that assumption, but not in my case. I legitimately love no one. I like certain personalities and enjoy their company, but it isn't love. I know I should, but I just don't. You see me write poems about love, but those are always from a third person view or is simply an over-exaggeration of a...'crush', if you will.

Sad fact of life, but a fact of mine nonetheless.

 

[DeletedUser33530]

I can give no reasonable response to that in which I wouldn't be somewhat encouraging suicide

 

[DeletedUser8396]

I can give no reasonable response to that in which I wouldn't be somewhat encouraging suicide

Trust me, if I wasn't such a narcissistic scaredy-cat, this wouldn't have been written years upon years before now. I'm stronger emotionally than you all think. Deny love its power and you either destroy yourself or make yourself capable of not needing it...or feeling it. Trade-offs.

 

[DeletedUser33530]

In a trade off you get something in return. Here you get nothing in return and lose everything. Whether or not you admit that is not my decision or problem, but you have not lived until you have experienced love even in its most unnoticeable form. You have experienced love pebble even though you refuse to return that love.

 

[DeletedUser8396]

In a trade off you get something in return. Here you get nothing in return and lose everything. Whether or not you admit that is not my decision or problem, but you have not lived until you have experienced love even in its most unnoticeable form. You have experienced love pebble even though you refuse to return that love.

The trade off did give me something mate -strength. I can now be the one that can take an immense amount of pain and an immense amount of rejection and still hold together and not break. I can now be the one that my friends look to for emotional security, as I am capable of providing emotional advice (despite not feeling it). I have become strong through the denial of love. Would accepting love make me stronger? yes, maybe...in some things. But I simply wouldn't be able to survive the sheer pressure placed on me by those who deem it necessary to place said pressure.

I believe I have experienced love in the sense portrayed in the above paper, but that alone (aside from religion...but I don't apply this standard to that for obvious reasons).

 

[DeletedUser44426]

I like to live my life by being my own.....God. I dont let nothing emotional, physical or mentally effect me. Makes things easier for my life, regardless if I hurt the ones that love me. Pebs, this piece has me interested.

 

[DeletedUser18132]

So you think you will never experience true love pebble? 100% sure? (excluding religion)

 

[DeletedUser8396]

I think I was loved in the truest and fullest capacity a human can love, but they did it from a self motivated position.

 

[DeletedUser]

Thus, love is not an outward, selfless display of affection for another, but rather selfishness masquerading under the beauty that is love.

You conclude your piece with this as if it's mutually exclusive, even thought you gave examples yourself clearly stating this is in fact not the case. Somewhat contradictory Regardless, you make assumptions regarding the reason people love. Assumptions that rely on a rational and analytical approach to life. I am sure you know people are not always rational, often irrational even. After admitting your inability to feel love I don't think it's fair for you to proclaim others' love as selfish.

I know most hear that and think, "Oh, he's just looking for pity and is over-exaggerating."

yeh

Trust me, if I wasn't such a narcissistic scaredy-cat, this wouldn't have been written years upon years before now. I'm stronger emotionally than you all think. Deny love its power and you either destroy yourself or make yourself capable of not needing it...or feeling it. Trade-offs.

Yeah I don't think you got anything from that trade-off mate Oh, wait, you answered this;

The trade off did give me something mate -strength. I can now be the one that can take an immense amount of pain and an immense amount of rejection and still hold together and not break. I can now be the one that my friends look to for emotional security, as I am capable of providing emotional advice (despite not feeling it). I have become strong through the denial of love. Would accepting love make me stronger? yes, maybe...in some things.

That strength does not require, in any way, to forsake all love and emotions. Furthermore I personally don't think your advice would be of any use because of your view on emotions, relationships and human life in general. Your view seems to be confined too much, of which I have accused you in the past I must say I can be guilty of this myself, especially in the past, but I have worked on this and have definitely become more open-minded. I suggest you try this too, it works wonders for your view on the world (which you could use you pessimistic bastard )

But I simply wouldn't be able to survive the sheer pressure placed on me by those who deem it necessary to place said pressure.

I survive by not caring. I'm not saying to stop caring about everything, but stop caring about 'society' or 'what others think of you.' Just care for those close to you and life will be much better.

I think I was loved in the truest and fullest capacity a human can love, but they did it from a self motivated position.

Again, see my opening statement. Also, why did you specify human? Deities? I thought you finally took the rational pov? What about animals? Do you think dogs love their owner selflessly?


PS: Do not take this the wrong way, it's really not meant maliciously, but have you considered seeing a psychiatrist? A friend of mine has a light form of autism and your way of thinking is extremely similar to his.

 

[DeletedUser]

not feeling is easier than feeling, therefore it requires less strength....

 

[DeletedUser33530]

I think I was loved in the truest and fullest capacity a human can love, but they did it from a self motivated position.

If its self motivated its not love.

 

[DeletedUser8396]

If its self motivated its not love.

Precisely.

 

[DeletedUser]

lets say i'm a drug addict who gets tossed in jail all the time, beats puppies, robs from old women, and swears at mickey mouse while stealing the kids candy. And yet my mother still pays my bail, takes me home, and tries to help me go straight, even though she knows i will not do it until she is dead, and i will never bring her joy. does she truly love me?

 

[DeletedUser8396]

lets say i'm a drug addict who gets tossed in jail all the time, beats puppies, robs from old women, and swears at mickey mouse while stealing the kids candy. And yet my mother still pays my bail, takes me home, and tries to help me go straight, even though she knows i will not do it until she is dead, and i will never bring her joy. does she truly love me?

She is fulfilling a social obligation to love you.