Desire, Envy, Violence, and Worship.
How did our ancestors manage to survive and work together with all this chaos?
Next up on Psych Reviews, I'll provide a summary of one theory by the work of the French master
the late René Girard.
At the beginning of human communities, there is a mystery surrounding how our ancestors
created human societies and religions.
Some theories focus on how human groupings aid survival for the individual human families.
Others focused on how a larger brain allowed the ability to understand the intentions others,
and hence group coordination.
With a larger brain, and the ability to reflect, early humans could reflect on their place
in human society, mortality, and the meaning of life.
Being able to benefit from sharing knowledge made humanity flourish.
Yet despite the benefits of increased group living, humans have always had a sense of
danger that came with the price of living in groups.
One theory in particular, by the social science philosopher René Girard, clarified the reflective
part of the mind that allows for humans to learn from others.
He called it Mimetics, or the ability to imitate.
For René, social institutions and religions were born out of necessity from violent origins,
to help direct the intentions of all members of the group towards an imitated harmony.
The disharmony that regularly occurred was motivated by power differences in the human
groups, and how it allowed for unequal consumption of resources.
These benefits of status and consumption constantly tested the group harmony, motivated by envy
and competition among its members.
There was a need to create social institutions to monitor unfair power dynamics, and to met
out justice, and these were the seeds of our religions and our modern justice system that
we take for granted.
On a negative note, some of these institutions involved Factionalism, Bigotry, and War.
Coming from an odd mixture of Sigmund Freud's ideas in Totem and Taboo, and Christian influences,
René carved out a middle path that modernizes Biblical interpretation and helps us see our
unconscious imitation, envy, politics, and violence.
By illuminating our human tendency to escalate war to the point where civilizations end,
René was able to take our past and make it relevant for all future generations.
The test for every generation is to succeed in creating happiness for its members, without
destroying it with those very same efforts.
Happiness is an abstract term, and is mocked in our jaded modern world.
It means different things to different people, but for Girard happiness that people are generally
looking for, is something very specific.
One of the ways to understand human desire is to look closer at the influence of role
models.
When we are children, our parents are our role models.
The world is a confusing place, and other than parents, our desires are based on seeing
role models in the community react to objects and situations.
Their preferences for one object or another becomes a guide for us.
A parent savouring an object and then sharing with us, is a perfect example of how our typical
attitude, that the characteristics of an object are what attract us to them is in fact backwards.
We learn about objects from our role models often before we actually engage with the object,
hence the desire for an object is mediated by role models.
Much like advertising, there is a promise of happiness suggested by the reaction of
role models to these objects.
From an early age, we are conditioned to look to others, surrogate parents, who have status
and authority to suggest what we should like, and in turn we become conditioned to abandon
ourselves and imitate the being of others.
This Being-In-Savouring, becomes a marker for all of us on how to be.
Like pictures, our brain freezes the moment of savouring that we vicariously observe our
role model enjoying.
In turn, the role model will also increase their desire for the object if they find that
imitators are watching with envy.
Like a triangle, each object includes a subject, and a role model.
Each role model suggests to the subject whether the object should be valued more or less.
Role models also have their role models, so these triangles can spread throughout society.
The farther away the subject is from the role model, René calls External Mediation, and
the more plentiful the object is in society, the less rivalry and conflict.
A modern example would be consumer society, celebrity advertising, and mass production.
On the other hand, the closer the accessibility of the role model, René call this Internal
Mediation, and the more rare the object is, the more likely there will be conflict.
The role model is addicted to the attention and the confirmation of their status for possessing
the object, and the imitator is in desperate need to be in that position.
The intensity of our desire for an object increases when we feel it is a scarce object,
and someone else will get it if we don't pounce on it right away.
Just like modern sales techniques, most of us are conditioned to "Act now before it's
too late!"
Right at the beginning of our lives, we are fighting with our siblings over dwindling
food in our fridge, or fighting over toys we don't want to share.
When objects are left us on their own merits, there is desire, but the recommendation of
others, demonstrated by how much interest they invest in the object, increases the intensity
of how we feel about the object.
For example, if you watch a movie with your family, and you are the only one who likes
it, their dislike of the movie will naturally affect your opinion of it, and vice versa.
This is also true of movie critics that you respect.
Experts replace our parents over time, and the worship of parents can then transfer to
the worship of experts.
This is the typical kind of religious attitude that most people have, but they don't believe
it is worship.
They call it fandom.
Experts then become the ideal example of how we should imitate to get our needs met.
Girard takes this envy and goes beyond Freud in Totem and Taboo.
Children can envy their parents and want to replace them, like Freud Oedipus Complex theory,
but this triangle can manifest in any area where the subject is convinced that there
is someone worth imitating, and something worth savouring.
A recipe for desire includes, a role model that the subject respects, suggestions communicated
by signs of savouring and basking emanating from the role model, deadlines for action,
and enough skill to imitate.
Objects of desire can include people as well, like romantic partners.
The qualities of the object, and the qualities of the romantic partner, do matter, but competition
has a way of motivating insecurity based on fears of scarcity, and the attention moves
away from those objective qualities to jealousy of the possessor, and envy of the person who
lacks.
As Girard explains so well in Deceit, Desire, and the Novel, the objective qualities of
an object, or person, are often quite boring when the mystery is gone.
The conquest is more thrilling because the desire was actually metaphysical.
Girard says, "the desiring subject, when he takes possession of the object, finds that
he's grasping at a void.
The subject discovers that possession of the object has not changed his being.
The greater the apparent 'virtue' of the object, the more terrible is the disappointment, thus
disappointment deepens as the mediator draws closer to the hero."
Girard is aware of the illusion most of us have of achieving a permanent, intensely felt
desire, that never fades.
He says, "everyone in the universe of internal mediation, heaves on a chain of desire, and
the dreams of a retirement he will enjoy, not out of the world, but in a world he has
finally conquered.
A world possessed, and still desirable."
As rivals debate, misinterpret, insult, slander, justify their positions and make claims, the
desire increases to threaten, and escalate conflict.
Like in Totem and Taboo, rivals are tempted by ambivalence.
They would like the object or situation if they can get away it.
Then their justifications become distorted to righteously act to possess the object,
or situation, creating a scandal that triggers a conflict.
In the ancient world, there was no formal justice system or mediation that we take for
granted in our modern society.
As people see opportunities for theft and appropriation, they all can find self-serving
justifications, and the conflict can spread like fire throughout the community, threatening
to destroy it.
What is often not seen in desire and conflict, is the need to be somebody else.
In Sadomasochism, there is Masochism first, when the subject is feeling envy of a mediator,
and sadism next when the subject becomes a mediator.
Subjects feel like the role model is a... as René says.
The obstacle the rival creates increases the desire, but at the same time, the subject
is developing self-hatred.
To want to be someone else means you don't want to be yourself.
Yet unconsciously the subject is not convinced of his or her own value because of the illusion
the mediator generates.
Girard says, The obstacle signals to the
subject the value of the object or situation sought after.
The masochism arises when the subject forgets the actual properties of the object or situation,
and repeatedly seeks after situations of loss, precisely because, the subject dealing with
ever bigger obstacles, knows that those obstacles signal that they are near a deity of competence
and self-sufficiency.
That's why to onlookers, they may appear masochistic or self-defeating, but the onlookers don't
see the illusion they are caught in, which makes them think they're pursuing something
meaningful.
Being the opposite of masochism, Sadism still has a connection to it.
René says that the masochist is, René continues, This is how a victim can identify with the
abuser.
The victim is not completely innocent, but is in fact infected with the same desire to
be a deity.
There is still masochism motivating him.
Yet becomes possession doesn't not change the being, Most sadistic actions are then
pursued, or the master returns to the masochistic position when chasing a new master.
This is even how sexuality can be decoupled from healthy relationships and go into an
addictive bond where, both master and slave want to transcend their low self-esteem, and
become Gods via sexual conquest.
Whether the dominant partner is more sadistic and wants the object of desire to increase
his or her self-esteem, or whether the submissive partner wants to be the desired object, to
increase his or her self-esteem, they both don't like who they are.
Now, not everyone resorts to sadomasochistic rituals to find release, but there is another
method.
The constant emptiness, disappointment, and resentment the community feels over the endless
rivalry starts to search for an outlet.
As the community starts to fall apart with scandals, the downside of not having a trusting
community becomes important.
As individuals in the community rival amongst themselves, they find common enemies to rally
around, and vent their frustrations towards.
As rivals start becoming allies, they more and more agree on a common enemy, that will
ultimate reunite the entire community.
This scapegoat is usually somebody or a group that chooses not to retaliate, or cannot retaliate.
As the distorted justifications find currency in the community, a biased judgement falls
on the scapegoat, and he or she is brutally killed or banished.
All the bigoted biases finally come out in an overt way, because the solidarity protects
people from their embarrassing views.
The majority oppresses the minority, as seen throughout history.
The relief in the community over the death of the common enemy is celebrated.
For a period of time, there is cohesion and cooperation in the community, that is until
imitation, envy, and scandals breakout again.
Then a new scapegoat has to be found.
As the justifications for the murder become forgotten, change, and develop over time,
there is a certain celebration of the scapegoat for being the reason for the harmony of the
community.
Those past justifications for the brutality become myths, and the celebrations turn into
rituals that mimic the destruction of the scapegoat.
Eventually these myths develop into religious rituals, that become harder to decipher as
they disguise the past brutality further.
These myths and religions communicate to community members what their form of harmony is supposed
to look like, and what they should imitate.
Like political propaganda, there is a chilling message contained in these myths.
When reading René Girard, myths take on a new perspective.
For example, there are often myths where there's a stranger who appears in the community, or
there is a character with a special talent that's revered by the community.
Yet these myths may disguise the original abuse.
What is often not contained is the original envy, jealousy and murder of the stranger,
or the person with the special talent.
People who are talented and stand out, and especially if they do not or cannot retaliate,
are perfect targets for the community.
Their talents threaten they hierarchy of the community, and their inability to retaliate
makes these scapegoats an easy target to rally the community around.
To avoid apocalyptic scenarios of the future, Girard hints at solutions, though unpopular
ones.
Converting to Christianity, Girard saw that imitating humans, he calls Deviated Transcendency,
was inferior to imitate Jesus, Vertical Transcendency.
He felt that Judaeo-Christian texts were aware of these self-serving myths, and by demystifying
them, the cycle of violence loses its underlying motivation.
By dropping human worship, the objects and people still retain their objective value
and character, but the sadomasochistic distortion of wanting to be a deity, is released.
By following the Ten Commandments, and by withdrawing from escalating conflict, the
Christian avoids need a scapegoat to find harmony in society.
Now if we worry about Christian superstition, Christian hypocrisy, Christian factionalism,
and violence and reject it, we still have to watch ourselves that we are not thinking
we are atheist, but all the while unconsciously worshiping experts.
Any Christian who uses their religion to bolster their self-esteem against others, is still
trying to be a deity, and ironically, they end up not benefiting from their religion.
An atheist who understands the dangers of human worship can benefit from the knowledge
without being Christian.
Seeing these dynamics in domestic violence situations, toxic friendships, and abusive
employment situations shows that any institution can have this sadomasochistic dynamic.
The challenge for a modern society that moves beyond Christianity, is to not fall back into
the cycle of imitation, envy, justification, conflict, scapegoating, and myth, regardless
of where a person identifies.
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