Wisdom Notes (Social Exploration Volume) - Yilin

Author: Xiaoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The comfort that becomes possible due to the transformation of traditional life philosophy has now developed on its own. Because the pursuit of comfort has become a physiological habit, a trend, and an ideal in itself. The more comfortable things there are in the world, the more people cherish them. Those who have experienced the taste of comfort find discomfort a true torment. The trend of worshipping comfort is as powerful as any other trend. Moreover, there are huge material interests closely tied to providing comfortable conditions. If the habit of comfort declines, furniture manufacturers, heating equipment providers, and pipeline equipment suppliers will suffer. With the help of modern advertising techniques, they can not only maintain but also promote this trend. After briefly tracing the origins of the modern spirit of enjoying life, I also want to say a few words about its impact. We always have to pay a price for what we want, so to be comfortable means giving up something equally valuable, or even more valuable. Nowadays, a wealthy person building a house usually prioritizes its comfort in the future. They spend a significant amount of money. Because the cost of comfort is high: in the United States, people might say, "fully equipped with hot water and heating, the house is up for sale." They spend this money on things like bathrooms, heating equipment, and padded furniture, and then feel that their house is perfect. In previous eras, people like him would first consider whether their house was grand and impressive—in other words, they would prioritize aesthetics over comfort. Money spent by our contemporaries on bathrooms and heating would have been spent on marble staircases, grand exteriors, frescoes, a suite of gilded rooms, and paintings and statues in the past. To a modern banker, the living conditions of the Popes in the sixteenth century would be unbearable; but they had Raphael's frescoes, they owned the Sistine Chapel, and they had corridors adorned with ancient sculptures. Should we feel pity for the Popes because Vatican City lacks bathrooms, heating, and soft chairs? I somewhat think that our current passion for comfort is a bit excessive. Although I personally enjoy comfort, I am happy to have lived in a house that lacked almost any modern amenities considered indispensable by the British. Easterners, and even Southern Europeans, are not very familiar with the concept of comfort. Their lives are similar to those of our ancestors centuries ago, yet despite lacking our complex and expensive soft luxuries, they seem to live quite well. I am a traditionalist and still believe that there are both refined and vulgar things, and I see no reason why material progress that elevates people's minds should be wrong. I like labor-saving devices because they allow people to save time for intellectual activities. (But this is because I enjoy intellectual activities; many people may not like this, and they enjoy labor-saving devices just as much as automatic dishwashers and sewing machines.) I like fast and convenient transportation because expanding the range of the world people can move in also expands their horizons. Similarly, I think seeking comfort is justified because it can enhance spiritual life. Discomfort hinders mental activity: it is difficult to think when one is cold and aching. Comfort is a means to an end. But today's world seems to treat it as an end in itself, as something absolutely good. Perhaps one day the earth will be turned into a huge padded bed, with people dozing on it while their souls are crushed underneath, like Tessrima. P7-8