This video uses quotes from Schopenhauer’s Essays and Aphorisms arranged by R.J. Hollingdale. His writings on the suffering in the world bring up many points that justify a pessimistic outlook on life.
Firstly, he sees a constant striving in life, a becoming without ever being. In our life we have things we work towards whether consciously or unconsciously. However, is there ever a point of non-striving? A point of rest? Even in retirement wouldn’t we be striving to have a good retirement? It seems as though there is no point in our life where we aren’t striving after something.
Secondly, Schopenhauer posits the attitude that life is merely a disruptive bump in the “calm of nothingness”. Essentially, before we were born and after we die we are in this state of nothingness where stress and suffering can’t harm us because there is no “us” to experience it. Life, on the other hand, provides the opportunity to suffer.
Finally, Schopenhauer addresses the question of happiness by thinking of happiness not as a positive phenomenon but rather as the absence of suffering. Suffering on the other hand is the positive phenomenon. He gives an example of how we aren’t usually conscious about how healthy our body is but our attention races towards any small irritation that body may face.
Practically, this conception of life might lead one to be kinder to others. If life is suffering, then we’re all fellow sufferers in need of care and compassion from one another. #philosophy #schopenhauer #pessimism

Music by: HoobeZa

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