The Backwards Law - Why Happiness Is Ruining Your Life

Summary

20th-century philosopher Alan Watts' concept of the 'backwards law' is explored, suggesting that embracing life's negative experiences can lead to personal growth and a deeper appreciation of pleasure. The script delves into the human struggle with hedonic adaptation, urging acceptance of life's duality to find meaning beyond the pursuit of happiness. It challenges the worship of happiness and encourages living in the moment, embracing both the highs and lows as part of the human journey.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Suffering is an integral part of being fully human and alive, suggesting that growth in consciousness comes from embracing both pleasure and pain.
• 🔄 Alan Watts' 'backwards law' or 'law of reverse effort' posits that avoiding negative experiences intensifies them, while facing them willingly can lead to personal strength and meaningfulness.
• 💔 There are exceptions to this principle, acknowledging that some forms of suffering, like severe depression or poverty, may require more than just acceptance or philosophical understanding to be managed.
• 🔄 The constant interplay between positive and negative experiences propels us forward, and resisting this natural cycle can lead to stagnation.
• 🌈 Hedonic adaptation, or the hedonic treadmill, describes how people tend to return to a baseline level of happiness regardless of life events, suggesting that happiness is not a constant state but a fluctuating one.
• 🌱 The baseline of emotional experience is not something to be feared or fought against, but rather appreciated for its role in the renewal of life.
• 🤔 Reducing unrealistic expectations of constant happiness can help alleviate self-inflicted misery and allow for a more balanced approach to life.
• 🌟 The pursuit of happiness alone may not be the ultimate goal; instead, embracing life in its entirety, including its lows, can lead to a more fulfilling existence.
• 🌱 The present moment is the only time we have to face and accept the full spectrum of experiences, including negativity, which can be a gift in disguise.
• 🌈 The quality of life may be more about how we perceive and respond to our experiences, rather than merely seeking happiness or avoiding pain.

Q & A

What principle did Alan Watts refer to as the 'backwards law' or 'law of reverse effort'?

The 'backwards law' or 'law of reverse effort' is the idea that the more one tries to remove or escape the negative experiences of life, the more negative they become. It suggests that facing these experiences willingly and intentionally can lead to growth and a more meaningful life.

How does the script describe the relationship between positive and negative experiences in our lives?

The script describes the relationship as a revolving and ceaseless interaction, like gears, where both positive and negative experiences propel us forward. It suggests that fighting against this natural rotation by seeking constant happiness can disrupt our emotional balance.

What is the concept of 'hedonic adaptation' or the 'hedonic treadmill' in psychology?

Hedonic adaptation or the hedonic treadmill refers to the psychological phenomenon where people tend to return to a baseline level of happiness regardless of positive or negative events in their lives over time.

According to the script, what is the role of suffering and unhappiness in the human condition?

Suffering and unhappiness are seen as integral parts of the human condition that can lead to self-hatred, self-sabotage, and other negative behaviors. However, they also provide a contrast that gives life its depth and meaning.

What does the script suggest about the pursuit of happiness as the sole purpose of life?

The script suggests that the pursuit of happiness as the sole purpose of life can lead to disappointment and a sense of never being good enough. It encourages a shift in perspective to appreciate life itself, rather than just the pursuit of happiness.

How does the script relate the idea of 'worshipping' happiness to the concept of never feeling good enough?

The script draws a parallel to David Foster Wallace's idea that if one 'worships' happiness or any other aspect of life, they will always feel inadequate because the focus becomes on the lack of it rather than the inherent value in the present moment.

What is the significance of the 'baseline' in the context of emotional and sensatory experiences?

The 'baseline' represents the default state of emotional and sensatory experiences to which we naturally return over time, regardless of temporary fluctuations due to life events. It is a constant that can be appreciated for its role in the renewal of life.

How does the script address the idea of expectations in relation to happiness?

The script suggests that having impossible expectations about life being solely about happiness can worsen our misery. It encourages reducing these expectations to find more contentment in the present.

What does the script propose as an alternative to constantly seeking happiness?

The script proposes embracing life itself, with all its ups and downs, as the true purpose. It suggests that by accepting the inevitable lows, we can create a life of personal intention, meaning, and decency.

How does the script discuss the role of the present moment in our pursuit of a meaningful life?

The script emphasizes that the hope for a meaningful life is not in the future but in the present moment, where we have the opportunity to face and accept the negative aspects of life, reducing the pressure to constantly escape them.

What is the script's perspective on the human capacity to transform chaos into something meaningful?

The script views the human capacity to take chaos and transform it into something meaningful as a rare and exclusively human opportunity. It suggests that through connection, love, help, and experience, we can find fulfillment and a deep appreciation for life.

Outlines

00:00

🧘 Embracing Suffering for Personal Growth

The first paragraph discusses the concept of the 'backwards law' or 'law of reverse effort' as introduced by philosopher Alan Watts. It suggests that avoiding pain and striving solely for pleasure can intensify negative experiences, while facing them willingly can lead to growth and a more meaningful life. The text acknowledges the existence of extreme suffering that may require more than just acceptance to overcome. However, it emphasizes the importance of recognizing the inherent balance between positive and negative experiences in life, and the psychological phenomenon of hedonic adaptation, which suggests we return to a baseline of happiness regardless of life events. The paragraph concludes by encouraging a shift in perspective towards appreciating life's constant renewal, rather than seeking perpetual happiness.

05:00

🌱 The Natural Flow of Life's Ups and Downs

The second paragraph continues the theme of life's dualistic nature, using the metaphor of breathing to illustrate the natural rhythm of positive and negative experiences. It argues against the idea of holding onto happiness and progress, as this can lead to suffocation, both literally and metaphorically. The text encourages embracing the flow of life, including its hardships, as they are part of the narrative that can lead to triumph and vitality. It suggests that the opportunity to live, feel, and think is a uniquely human chance to transform chaos into something meaningful. The paragraph ends with a reflection on the idea that this acceptance and engagement with life, in all its forms, may be enough to find contentment.

Keywords

💡Consciousness

Consciousness refers to the quality or state of awareness, or the ability to experience thoughts, feelings, and surroundings. In the video's context, it is linked to the idea that embracing both pleasure and pain is essential for a fully conscious and vibrant life. The script mentions that 'without such willingness, there can be no growth in the intensity of consciousness,' indicating that a willingness to suffer is a part of being fully alive.

💡Backwards Law or Law of Reverse Effort

The Backwards Law or Law of Reverse Effort, as introduced by Alan Watts, is the concept that trying to avoid negative experiences can actually amplify them. The script explains this principle by stating that 'the more one tries to remove or escape the negative experience of life, the more negative the negative becomes.' It suggests that facing challenges willingly can lead to growth and a more meaningful life.

💡Hedonic Adaptation

Hedonic Adaptation is a psychological concept that describes how people tend to return to a relatively stable level of happiness despite positive or negative life events. The script refers to this as 'the hedonic treadmill,' illustrating how even significant changes in life often result in a return to our baseline level of emotional experience over time.

💡Acceptance

Acceptance in the video's narrative is the act of willingly facing and acknowledging negative experiences without resistance. It is presented as a means to transform suffering into a more meaningful and positive experience. The script suggests that 'the more one faces it willingly and intentionally, the stronger and more equipped they become.'

💡Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering are central themes in the video, discussing the inevitable experiences of discomfort and distress in life. The script differentiates between 'exceptional misery' that requires additional help and the 'realm of suffering and unhappiness' that is a part of normal human life. It emphasizes that understanding and accepting these experiences can lead to a more profound appreciation of life.

💡Self-Hatred and Self-Sabotage

Self-hatred and self-sabotage are presented as extreme reactions to the struggles of life, even when external circumstances are favorable. The script mentions these terms to illustrate the depth of the internal conflict that can arise from the inability to accept the full range of human emotions and experiences.

💡Contrast

Contrast is used in the script to describe the necessary juxtaposition of positive and negative experiences that give life its depth and meaning. It is stated that 'the bad provides the good, the good provides the bad,' highlighting the interdependence of opposing forces in creating a rich life experience.

💡Expectations

Expectations are portrayed as a source of suffering when they are unrealistic or unattainable. The script warns against the 'impossible expectation that the sole purpose of life is happiness,' suggesting that adjusting our expectations can alleviate self-inflicted misery.

💡Worship

Worship, in the context of the video, refers to the excessive idolization or reliance on certain ideals, such as happiness, money, or power. The script uses David Foster Wallace's quote to argue that worshipping these transient aspects of life can lead to a perpetual state of dissatisfaction.

💡Breathing

Breathing is used metaphorically in the script to illustrate the natural ebb and flow of life's positive and negative experiences. It likens the process to 'the inhale and exhale of oxygen in each breath,' suggesting that embracing this rhythm can lead to a more fulfilling life.

💡Existence

Existence in the video is discussed in terms of the human opportunity to transform chaos into meaning. It emphasizes the 'rare, and exclusively human opportunity to take this chaotic, thrashing existence' and make it into something meaningful, which is a central theme of the video's message.

Highlights

Alan Watts' principle of the 'backwards law' or 'law of reverse effort' suggests that avoiding negative experiences amplifies them, while facing them willingly makes us stronger.

The more we strive for constant happiness or pleasure, the more we disrupt the natural balance between positive and negative experiences.

There are forms of suffering that are beyond the scope of mere acceptance and require additional help, such as severe depression, anxiety, and illness.

Hedonic adaptation or the 'hedonic treadmill' refers to our tendency to return to a baseline level of happiness regardless of life events.

Some individuals have higher thresholds of happiness, but the struggle to maintain a higher baseline can be disheartening.

The contrast between good and bad experiences provides the richness of life, and we should appreciate our baseline for its constant renewal.

Reducing our expectations of constant happiness can help us accept the inevitable lows and potentially increase our overall happiness.

The hope for a meaningful life lies in the present moment, where we have the opportunity to face and accept the negative aspects of life.

Worshipping happiness or success can lead to perpetual dissatisfaction, as we should not place our self-worth solely on these transient states.

David Foster Wallace's quote emphasizes that worshipping superficial things like money, beauty, power, or intellect leads to feelings of inadequacy.

Happiness is not about eliminating negative experiences but about finding meaning and intention in life despite them.

Our quality of life is determined by how we perceive and respond to the highs and lows of life, rather than just the pursuit of happiness.

The constant temptation of consumer culture and societal ideals can distort our perception of what it means to live a fulfilling life.

The natural flow of positive and negative experiences is essential for our growth and vitality, much like the inhale and exhale of oxygen.

The potential for triumph and vitality exists in every moment of hardship, as long as we keep moving forward.

The human opportunity lies in transforming chaos into something meaningful, connecting, loving, and helping others.

Living a life that embraces the full spectrum of experiences, from the mundane to the cosmic, can be enough to find contentment.

Transcripts

“If we are to be fully human, fully alive and aware, it seems

that we must willing to suffer for our pleasures. Without such

willingness, there can be no growth in the intensity of

consciousness... To strive for pleasure to the exclusion of pain

is in effect to strive for the loss of consciousness.” - Alan

Watts. 20th century philosopher Alan Watts referred

to this principle as the backwards law or law of reverse effort, which proposes the

idea that the more one tries to remove or escape the negative experience of life, the

more negative the negative becomes. Rather, the more one faces it willingly and intentionally,

the stronger and more equipped they become, and the more meaningful and positive the pain

and hardship can become. Like gears, we are propelled by the revolving

and ceaseless relationship between positive and negative

experience. In fighting against their rotation, wanting happiness

or pleasure all the time, willing to do anything to hold

onto it or have more of it; in this, we only serve to jam

up the gears. Of course there are exceptions to this. There

are forms of pain and suffering and misery completely overdrawn

by our evolutionary ancestors, indebted to the unluckier

among us in greater, worse, and malformed doses. Forms

of depression and anxiety. Fear and overwhelm. Illness and poverty

that are too far over the edge to be compensated by mere

acceptance, mental stamina, or philosophical discourse, without

additional help, and this is important to bear in mind here.

However, beyond this area of exceptional misery, there still

exists a realm of suffering and unhappiness entrenched in the

condition of human life that appears to be unshakeable, even

when one’s circumstances are relatively good. The realm that

draws the healthy, decent, prosperous person to self-hatred and

self-sabotage. To suicide and addiction. The realm that strums

the guilt of misery in the background of any and every moment

that should be enjoyed simply and happily, but isn’t. The mental

pain, not specific to any of us, but applicable to us all.

There is a struggle we each carry with us into all stages,

and all places, and all conditions of life. Inside us, there is

a baseline of emotional and sensatory experience that we

ceaselessly return to, referred to in psychology as hedonic

adaption or the hedonic treadmill. Because of this baseline,

sometimes things will happen that make us feel extra happy. And

some that will make us feel extra miserable. But as time passes,

in both cases, regardless of any life event, most of us will

return to feeling the same. Some of us have higher thresholds of happiness

and positivity, but those some of us appear to

be the least among

us. Even still, for those with higher thresholds, the

discouraging nature of being ceaselessly destined to return to

the same baseline state, no matter what one does, remains enough

to destroy the spirit if not properly padded with sufficient

consideration and perceptual adjustment. It is not hopeless, though.

If we realize that the bad provides the good. The good

provides the bad. We realize the contrast provides the life.

That our baseline is not something to run from or dread or fight

against, but something to appreciate for its constant renewal of

life. In this, we can perhaps reduce our self-inflicted worsened

misery by reducing our impossible expectation that the sole

purpose to life is happiness, rather then life itself. As a

result, paradoxically it might be a little easier to be a little

happier. The hope for this, however, is not in the

future. It is in this moment. The only moment. In which, exists

the chance to face and accept the gift of negativity and

reduce the pressure on the soul’s need to rid it from everything.

Fore the person who depends his or her existence solely on

their ability to accomplish away the struggle, sadness, and

uncertainty of life, will accomplish the whole world just to be

met with a disappointment so intense, it would destroy

whatever is left of them.

Perhaps then, our quality of life is not found in the

heights of our happiness or pleasures, but in how we choose to

consider and look at what surrounds it. How we attempt to create

a life of personal intention, meaning, and decency, and justify

the inevitable lows, rather than always trying to escape them.

Of course none of this is to make light of how unfathomably

challenging this is. There is temptation that looms every

corner, exploited by nearly every company, every ideal of

culture, every aspect of oneself, constantly alluding to the

sense that this moment is never enough and that there is a

future where everything is perfect, and nothing ever hurts if we

just keep getting a little more of this or doing a little more

of that. However, to quote David Foster Wallace, “If you worship

money and things. If they are where you tap real meaning in

life, then you will never have enough...Worship your own body, and

beauty, and sexual allure, and you will always feel ugly...

Worship power and you will end up feeling week and afraid...

Worship your intellect. Being seen as smart. You will end up

feeling stupid. A fraud. Always on the verge of being found

out.” This same principle seems to also apply to

happiness itself. Fore if we worship happiness or pleasure,

we will never feel good enough.

It’s not as if by no longer worshiping happiness or things

or articles of self, we will no longer feel things or want to do

things or want to accomplish things. Even if we wanted to stop

trying or caring, we would not be able to do so easily.

Just like how we don’t have to worship the breath to breathe

or our hair to grow hair to grow hair, we don’t have to worship

happiness or progress to progress and be happy. Like the inhale

and exhale of oxygen in each breath, the positive and negative

flows in and out of us constantly keeping us moving,

progressing, and alive. Only when we hold our breath and try to

keep all the oxygen in, do we suffocate. In every exhale, there is a breath to come,

so long as we keep breathing. In every moment of hardship,

pain, confusion, or weakness, there is a story taking place filled

with the potential for triumph and vitality, worthy

of tears bursting with wonder and fondness for life, so long

as we keep moving. So long as there life in us, there is the rare

and exclusively human opportunity to take this chaotic, thrashing

existence. This strange apparent nothingness, and make

it something. A chance to connect and love and help. A chance

to experience the cosmic everything. And feel. And think. And

live. And at some point, perhaps that can be enough.