At some point in the past several years I concluded that most human action was motivated by either fear or greed. This is really a refinement of Thucydides’ supposition that wars happen as a result of fear, honor, and self interest. I have merely distilled honor and self interest into the two emotional bins I’ve already mentioned and extended the model into all facets of human activity.
Self interest, my logic goes, can be framed as either greed or fear. Fear that one’s interests will suffer, or greed for more in order to satisfy that self interest. Likewise, I would argue that the concept of honor is less about a burning desire to be seen as honorable than it is about fear of losing honor. Greed takes many forms and the greed for power and standing within one’s society could be described in terms of “honor” as well. Those seen as honorable are respected. Those seen as dishonorable are reviled. I can see why fear might disguise itself as honor on occasion.
Thus, my conclusion does not contradict the great author of the history of the Peloponneseian War, but merely tries to further reduce human action and motivation to more basic terms. In fact, my brilliant young companion, Ms. JB, argues convincingly that even greed may be framed in terms of fear.
For example, the target of my own avarice is time. I cherish my time, and am “greedy” for more. Is this true greed, or simply a restatement of my fear of running out of time? Are those lustful souls that are greedy for carnal contact truly “greedy?” Or rather, might they fear loneliness? Might they too fear the gradual loss of their lust-making powers? Damned if I know, but it’s a good thought experiment.
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I don’t see a greed angle here. I do not crave fame or notoriety. Writing won’t make me rich, get me laid, or allow me to eat my weight in caviar. So why do it? Fear? If so, what am I afraid of?
When I unpack this question, I find the theme of fear in balance – both a fear of action and a fear of inaction. I fear society. I know what happens when humans congregate together. We are capable of some pretty unspeakable horrors. As such, I fear that the insight I have gained over time – hard won insight, the product of countless traumas and tragedies observed and endured – is wasted if not memorialized. If my pontification through yarns and allegories are sufficiently compelling and refined, perhaps I can contribute to better outcomes. Perhaps, the dystopian truths about mankind I so desperately want to share will help others find better, less dangerous path.
On the other hand, the same fear of society impels caution. Society is not tolerant of dissent and has always viewed ideas, even couched as fiction, as dangerous. Where, you may wonder, does my world view fall into the category of “dissent?” Pretty much everywhere, I think This blog post is part of a three part series examining my my own motivations, and an example of writing that should get me in trouble. I hope you are not unduly offended. Feel free to vent in the comments – even death threats would be better than the current trickle of Viagra scammers and get-rich-quick crap the robots seem to think are appropriate comments.