Being civilized is living thoughtfully, more so than instinctively, and barring inherent physical flaws; and if life was as simple as it can be described as being, then the following:
The less civilized you are the happier you are.
The less your sense of being alive is anchored to the thoughts in your head
which assume the mantle of you, the less civilized and happier you are.
The less civilized you are amidst civilized people, the harder it is to live a life,
that makes you happy NOW!
To begin with, the first statement above is specious, for a man cannot stay alive if he lives thoughtfully more so than he does instinctively. He can live thoughtfully at some instinct, but not much. He can skip one night’s sleep, even a meal or two, but cannot forego either entirely. Being civilized and living thoughtfully is a balancing act, and with a talent for which, (to varying degrees), each man is born.
Being civilized and living thoughtfully rather than just instinctively, makes possible man’s more or less permanent, more or less peaceful collective living arrangements. By virtue thereof has come all of the discoveries cum inventions, that continue to make his life increasingly survivable and pleasant. But in that inner terrain which men call their animal instincts, not surprisingly, something is not so pleased. Men’s thoughts have, from the beginning, recognized this, and the collective verdict, (life directed verdict), is that a life of relative peace and technology, rather than one of unbridled instinctive pursuits, is worth the tradeoff. (As Lloyd always says, “Everything has its Price.”
Nothing noted thus far is news to anyone. But as always, for those with neural air conditioning –it gets b-e-t-t-e-r! Much, MUCH better! More and MORE complicated! And increasingly simple and obvious. Men are not civilized in Athens – in Rome or in Paris. Men are not civilized in their bodies. Men are not civilized in their collective institutions and laws. Men are civilized in one place – theory.
J.