Addiction

Absent metaphysical certainty, how are we to proceed?

Maybe this is the function of a society. We still want things, so we construct a political body that defines our desires as rights and the uneven distribution of those desires as injustice. We do so at the expense of all other life of course, but we’ll ignore that for now.

What is the use of humoring a project whose purpose is to satisfy the arbitrary wants of its populous though? “Arbitrary?” you might say. Access to basic necessities is not an arbitrary want. Wishing to not die of starvation or preventable disease is not an arbitrary want. I understand that your feelings are strong, but it’s a mistake to see them as necessary to satisfy. Doing so will not save you, and it is precisely those wants that are the cause of your pain. This is the game. We chase our addictions and persuade ourselves that they are more.

And though I can write these words honestly, I will continue to behave as I always have. I’ll take my walks. I’ll drink my water. I’ll lend a hand to the people I care about. I’ll bitch about remote workers and income inequality. Because I am an addict. Because the lie is all I have to keep going.

I used to laugh at the idea that people could just choose a religion and move on. Yet here I am. I’m no different. I suppose that’s the use in humoring a project like ours. What else are we going to do? Regardless of our metaphysical justifications, we will continue to fight for what we want. If we were to stop, we would cease to exist.