DAY 214 - ARTHUR SHOPENHAUER: HAPPINESS FOR THE PESSIMIST

Day 214

The German philosopher Arthur Shopenhauer (1788- 1860) had a very pessimistic view of the world.  He viewed it as bleak and destructive. For that reason, he thought that finding true happiness was impossible, that all we could do is avoid too much misery. 

At the end of his career, Shopenhauer wrote a book in which he gives advice on how to live a "bearable life".  In that book, he defines happiness as being the total absence of pain, frustration and dissatisfaction as well as the fulfillment of all desires, a sort of hedonistic perfection.

Our will, or our desires, cannot always be satisfied. And so, according to Shopenhauer,  we are doomed to constantly be frustrated.  And even when our desires are fulfilled, the happiness resulting from it is fleeting, evasive, temporary.  The higher the expectation, the lower the level of satisfaction, so we should aim at having the lowest expectations possible.   Furthermore, when one desire is satisfied,  it invariably leads to an increase in our desires.  And when all our desires are exhausted, ultimately, there is boredom.

Suffering is therefore unavoidable and instead of trying to find happiness, we should try to go through life with a minimum amount of suffering in order to make it as bearable as possible. (Well that guy was really cheerful, maybe a little prosac would have helped!)

Shopenhauer's point of view obviously greatly differs from the positive psychology movement that began at the end of the 90's, which identifies attitude, frame of mind and actions as being key elements in finding happiness.  All you have to do is think positive, control your mind, find purpose and you will be HAPPY!

No matter how pessimistic he sounds, Shopenhauer does point out something undeniable, the fact that pain is unavoidable and that desire leads to suffering.  The buddhist philosophy is actually based on that.  But happiness is not merely the satisfaction of desires or the accumulation of joyful moments, it is something much more complex than that.

Shopenhauer's view is interesting for its historical perspective, but also because it probably does correspond to a vision shared by a portion of society.  Not everyone can or wants to fight their pessimistic nature.  And his advice, as dark as it may seem, maybe strikes a chord in those people who are fed up of hearing that they need to become more "optimistic" and view the world in a light they just cannot bring themselves to see.

"Every possession and every happiness is but lent by chance for an uncertain time, and may therefore be demanded back the next hour." 


Arthur Shopenhauer


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