Posted by mist on June 14, 2002, at 23:44:06
In reply to Re: I wish we were still hunter-gatherers. » mist, posted by paxvox on June 14, 2002, at 21:48:25
I meant civilization as in buildings, cars, cubicle jobs, bills to pay, etc. versus living in tune with nature and meeting one's basic needs in a more direct, immediate, less complex way.
By the way, I don't think hedonism is bad. There's nothing wrong with pleasure. I could use more of it but I have anhedonia. I don't think the society is hedonistic enough. Aggression, competitiveness, violence, undervaluing of creativity, wage-slavery, are not about pleasure, and they are the problems. I believe a society that was truly pleasure-oriented would be a more peaceful, healthier one.
Also, out of curiosity, what do you consider decadent? What one person thinks of as decadent another might not (some people think of dancing as morally decadent behavior!) I ask because I see a lot of people suffering and I think that's what stands out for me more than what I would call decadence. But it depends on how you define it, I suppose.
> Civilization? Where? We live in perhaps the most hedonistic, self-centered time in history. We could not be much more decadent, might even embarass some Romans. It's the end of the world as we know it............
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> PAX
poster:mist
thread:25343
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020531/msgs/25350.html