People age, some trees regularly shed their leaves, ice melts with the coming of Spring, and wood, when burned, gives way to fire and ash. The World seems to be in perpetual flux, undergoing ceaseless transformation. Yet in spite of the alterations we notice, we want to say that this is the same tree which shed its leaves last month, that this adult is the same person we knew as a child, and that this water is made up of the same stuff as the piece of ice which melted there. Philosophical reflection about the nature of change, about the problem of identifying or reidentifying something or someone gives rise to a set of issues which cluster under the problem of identity.  Our enquiry concerning happiness has not so far taught us much that is not already common knowledge. And even if we proceed from it to the problem of why is can be so hard for people to be happy, there seems no greater prospect of learning anything new. We know that there are three sources from which our suffering comes: the superior power of nature, the feebleness of our own bodies, and the inadequacy of the regulations which adjust the mutual relationships of human beings in the family, the state, and society. #RandolphHarris 1 of 10

We are forced to acknowledge the sources of suffering and we must overcome them or learn to adapt. Of course, we shall never completely master nature; our bodies are part of nature and we can do certain things to make sure they are well protected and keep them safe, in much the same way we can learn to work with the environment to make sure resources are properly distributed.  If the Earth is 90 percent water, it makes no sense that we should ever have a drought, or drain rivers to ship water to other regions. The rational solution, with such great technology that we can ship cars into outer space, would be to learn to filter more sea water to make sure we have enough to drink. The fact of the matter is the World is changing, seasons are changing, the population is growing, technology is increasing, but we are still waiting on diminishing snow packs to supply the state with water, which is in short supply. Since we have so much technology, we should not be focusing on fees and taxes as a way to control our resources. Why is it we do not know how to clean our air? Why is it Los Angeles has so many oceans, but they need billion-dollar tunnels to funnel the water from the Sierra and America River? #RandolphHarris 2 of 10

The word “idea” is a translation of a Greek word which the root meaning is “see.” In classical Greek it never lost the possible meaning “visual aspect.” The more technical use of the word idea is always spoken of as the objects of intelligence, in contrast with the objects of perception; things which truly are, in contrast with changing objects of perception, which are in a state of becoming; eternal, in contrast with the perishable World of change. If we cannot remove all suffering, we can remove some, and we can mitigate some: the experience of many thousands of years has convinced us of that. However, we do not see why the regulations made by ourselves should not be a protection and a benefit for every one of us. And yet, when we consider how unsuccessful we have been in precisely this field of prevention of suffering, a suspicion dawns on us that here, too, a piece of unconquerable nature may lie behind—this time a piece of our own physical constitution. When we start considering this possibility, we come upon a contention which is so astonishing that we must dwell upon it. This contention holds that what we call our civilization is largely responsible for our misery, and that we should be much happier if we gave it up and returned to primitive conditions. #RandolphHarris 3 of 10

However, in whatever way we may define the concept of civilization it is a certain idea or fact that all the things with which we seek to protect ourselves against are the threats that emanate from the sources of suffering, and are the very reason why we formed a civilized society. Therefore, how has it happened that so many people have come to take up this strange attitude of hostility to civilization? The word “civilization” was derived from an actual social condition, that of the citizen (Latin, civis). The word “culture” in its social, intellectual, and artistic sense is a metaphorical term derived from the act of cultivating the soul. In the case of civilization there was an apparently simple contrast with barbarism, another social condition, which was originally a description of the life of a foreign group. The culture of the mind was seen as a process comparable to the cultivation of the soil; hence, the early meanings of culture, in this metaphorical sense, centered on a process, the culture of the mind, rather than on an achieved state. The first important development from this metaphorical use of culture was a description of certain people as cultivated and then as those who are cultivated. In this use the meaning is very closed to civilized. Culture came to mean a general state or habit of the mind, with close relation to the idea of human perfection. #RandolphHarris 4 of 10

Culture also came to mean a general state of intellectual and moral development in a society as a whole. It also means the general body of the arts and intellectual work and culture also means the whole way of life, material, intellectual, and spiritual, of a given society. So why is it in modern times that people are so upset with civilization? Why have the minds of many people not evolved to me more reasonable, sane, and peaceful? There are still people on this Earth that believe their perception of your conditions or the look in your eyes hold more truth than your words. And that is why so many people have to speak up and explain that no means no. Some people think that they are so desirable that their desires overrule whatever you think or feel and are more powerful than the laws. This complex development represents an attempt to think in new ways about the human social, moral, and intellectual life at a time of profound and many-sided change. It is an unconscious prejudice. The prejudice was correctly diagnosed as ethnocentrism. It is evidently wrong to interpret all cultural phenomena in terms applicable to one’s own beliefs and societies, and it is arbitrary and dangerous to attempt to evaluate very diverse cultures by references to a fixed value system that was likewise derived from a barbaric society of heathens. #RandolphHarris 5 of 10

Human beings in industrial societies no longer live in caves and compete with dogs for food. Most people are now literate and verbal and for the most part, many can articulate their feelings and desires verbally. However, it has never been wholly possible to separate such interests from the primitivism that has taken many forms in modern industrial societies. It also seems to be the case that the demonstration of relativity, not so much as a method of study but as a conclusion about human nature, is directly related to a liberal ideology that also taken very varied forms in modern industrial societies. In any case the fundamental disputes about social evolution and about the determinative effect of different elements within a culture reflect, more or less directly, contemporary arguments about the nature, control, and development of our own societies. It is thus always possible that an ethnographic prejudice has been replaced by an ideological prejudice that in its turn requires cultural analysis. Dr. Sigmund Freud pointed out that many psychological dysfunctions and addictions can be traced back to childhood. And I did some research and it seems in most cases it is true. People who have unresolved or repressed issues in childhood tend to take their issues out on innocent people. #RandolphHarris 6 of 10

It has been discovered that a person becomes neurotic because he or she cannot tolerate the amount of frustration which society imposes on that individual in the service of its cultural ideas, and it is inferred from this that the abolition or reduction of those demands would result in a return to possibilities of happiness. That is why many people go to therapy and are deeply religious. The World has changed and they are finding healthy ways of adapting, until they are in a place that is to their liking. Another reason people are so unhappy with civilization is because of a deep and long-standing dissatisfaction with the then existing state of civilization and on that basis a condemnation if it was built up, and perpetuated by certain specific historical events, public figures, and families. Later experiences and education has corrected some of those judgments. However, prejudice and fear still exist. People fear certain towns and certain cultures because they do not know how the people will respond to them. However, people also fear immigrants because they can sometimes bring negatives ideas and behaviors to an area that has not seen those kinds of behaviors in centuries.  #RandolphHarris 7 of 10

 Because of ethnocentrism, when a group of new people come to a region, who are not from that particular area, mass migrate, they may think their customs and traditions are normal. And because they are trying to take over and not integrate, they may not notice that they stand out. It is the same kind of thing like sometimes when people from underprivileged neighborhoods move to a privileged community, they will often times bring their culture with them and it may not blend with the norms for the community. And that can threaten to undermine the modicum of happiness enjoyed by civilized people. Besides ethnocentrism, there is also an added factor of disappointment. During the last few generations humankind has made an extraordinary advance in the natural sciences and their technical applications and has established human control over nature in a way never before imagines. The single steps of this advance are common knowledge and it is unnecessary to enumerate them. People are proud of those achievements, and have a right to be. However, they seem to have observed that this newly-won power over space and time, this subjugation of the forces of nature, which is the fulfillment of a longing that goes back thousands of years, has not increased the amount of pleasurable satisfaction which they may expect from life and has not made them feel happier. #RandolphHarris 8 of 10

There are other fixed limitations in life that technology cannot yet cure or care for. For instance, some have allotments including physical, mental, or geographic constraints. There are those who are unmarried, through no fault of their own, or yearning but childless couples. Still others face persistent and unreconciled relationships within their circles of loved ones, including offspring who have [become] for themselves, resistant to parental counsel. In such and similar situations, there are so many prickly and daily reminders. Being content means acceptance without self-pity. Meekly borne, however, deprivation such as these can end up being like excavations that make room for greatly enlarged souls. Suffice it to say, such mortal allotments will be changed in the World to come. The exception is unrepented sin that shapes our status in the next World. Thus, developing greater contentment within certain of our existing constraints and opportunities is one of our challenges. Otherwise, we may feel underused, underwhelmed, and underappreciated—while, ironically, within our givens are unused opportunities for service all about us. No matter how varied as our allotted circumstances may be, we can still keep the commandments of God! #RandolphHarris 9 of 10

As I look out into my World I see that there is nothing to fear. And as I look back into my own mind I know there is noting in me that is afraid. My thought is filled with confidence, with hope, with trust, and with the acceptance of God. I expect the mirror of my experience to be filled with joy, and as I turn the magic lantern of my mind into the great mind and spirit of the Universe in which all things exist, I know that I am one with all peace, all power, and God. However, I would also like to point out that while it is good to be uplifted in faith, we also have to be reasonable. Some of us grew up in really good neighborhoods where we can trust people, and most people have never been a victim of crime. Therefore, it is good to be reasonable and obey the rules you grew up with, like, get home before the street lights come on, if you are out at night be with a group of people you can trust, look both ways before crossing the street, never accept a drink from someone you do not know and obey the laws of the land. Although the presence of God is with us in all we do, we also have to do what we can to make sure we stay safe. It is just that not everyone is as kind as the people you grew up with and the community has changed. Still, do not be fearful and know that strength, enthusiasm, love, and vitality are forever with you. #RandolphHarris 10 of 10