On Seriousness

A few days ago, I wrote a blog warning all readers that I would soon be taking up the subject of seriousness. Since then, I've been acutely aware of the, um, eccentricity of the blog and the promise of additional related bloggage. To explain, its the uniqueness of the idea that grants me any motivation to write about seriousness at all. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother.

I've thought that the difference in mental states between a person who is not serious (say, joking around) and someone who is very serious (say, arguing with a significant other) might be just as much of a difference in mental state as someone who is "normal" and someone who is a genuine psychopath. Yet its human nature to have such enormous shifts in mental state from serious to unserious hour to hour, day to day. Does that observation make sense? I'm simply noting that our shifts in mood between seriousness and nonseriousness are much more extreme/interesting/noteworthy than society generally treats the concept. Its something of a non-issue in contemporary thought (atleast as far as I know), but I'm inclined to believe that there's much we could learn by examining the idea and the psychology related to it.

I'll also observe that ideologies based on religion, social order, etc seem to arise out of an uber-seriousness that I'd claim is neither justifiable nor entirely sane. The uberseriousness that secures the life and longevity of certain ideologies is the same type of uberseriousness that lies at the heart of war, murder, divorce, etc. I don't mean to simplify phenomenon controlled by a myriad of factors, but I don't think the seriousness which causes rampant fatalistic perspectives leading to violence on any scale can be excused as normal or justifiable.

How about some elementary examples of what I mean by this type of seriousness? See if this illustrates the idea:--Most Christians are anti-abortion. They believe abortion is a sin. You MUST NOT have an abortion. Abortions are EVIL. SERIOUS consequences will befall those who have an abortion. God HATES sin, and PUNISHES sinners.--Ok, so Christians take sin very very seriously, and they tend to take abortion in particular very very seriously. Their mental state, if made manifest by facial expressions, is a furrowed brow, glaring eyes, tight, pouting lips, stubborness....mentally, I'd claim that seriousness is something that closes the mind as opposed to opens it....it is a mood that inhibits thinking and narrows options for action. The mind feels heavier, darker. I'm trying to work out the subtle characteristics of the serious mental state. So, there's an example and an illustration. Here's another example: A husband and wife arguing. During this event, everything said and many things not said are taken extremely seriously. As a result, both sides tend to exagerate what is at stake at that given moment. Both sides risk everything to preserve their pride. This silly concept, pride, is a child of seriousness and equally irrational. Sometimes, when things get really out of hand, one or both arguers might act as if life itself is on the line. Of course, this is a product of loosing oneself in seriousness. I've heard people say that they would die or kill if someone left them...you know, that sort of thing. In the most extreme cases, physical violence erupts out of arguments in which seriousness has taken complete control. Just like cases in which anti-abortion activists bomb abortion clinics, spouses have hurt or killed those they loved because, in large part I argue, of a mental state, a disease, if you will, which takes root and grows-a disease that is a type of seriousness. Anything that infects the minds of people, say, muslim extremists; a thing that compels those people to either close down their minds, lock those minds in a dark mood, or commit acts of violence, deserves to be called a disease. Conservatives show signs of this infection. Some like to say that the world is "going to hell in a handbasket." They are so serious about this life-primarily due to their beliefs about God and the afterlife-that many are willing to brush away reason and do whatever is neccessary see to the promotion of their agenda. (this is supposed to be an extremely general statement with no specific conspiracy theory or the like in mind. I'm simply observing that there ARE ideological interest groups out there actively promoting societal change through politics, litigation, and the media [christian right, zionists, communists, capitalists, etc, etc].)

So, no, very little of this seriousness which breeds ideology as well as violence has any support in reason. Religious seriousness, including extremism, is passed down from generation to generation, despite the glaring absence of any reasonable argument for believing God exists, wills what religions claim he wills, or has specific plans for us after we die. You would think that a people who claim to love freedom so much (Americans) would not so readily sacrifice that freedom to something that unquestionably serves to control their lives and minds--that something being religion; and, as I'd like to conceptualize the more fundamental force at the heart of it all, this mental state called seriousness.

I believe I'm expressing a sentiment/idea related to the one John Lennon expressed in "Imagine." He says imagine there's "nothing to kill or die for, no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace." Also, he would like us to imagine that there's no heaven or hell, "imagine all the people living for today."

Anyway, I'm getting away from the micro aspects of the subject, mainly the psychology involved in seriousness and non-seriousness. I know it might sound inhuman to deride seriousness so much. After all, seriousness is not only negative. Love and passion are serious emotions, right? And even if seriousness is the root mental state of negative mental states and possible violence, aren't those things a part of being human? Is it right to try to control our natural tendancy to take many things in life very seriously? Well, yes, I think it is right. I think we DO need to rid ourselves of insane, irrational aspects of our mental state (I argue that excessive seriousness is such an aspect), and strive to live life with our minds perpetually perceiving and conceiving lighter, more enjoyable thoughts.

What of love, passion, romance? If someone laughed when they told you they loved you, or said it in passing, would it mean anything? Don't we want someone to look us in the eyes and tell us soberly and honestly that they love us and always will? This is a tough one for me, because I've always thought of myself as a romantic (no, really)--that is, someone who takes love very seriously. In the same vein, I've always enjoyed more serious subjects, like politics and philosophy. I've been a pretty serious person most of my life. Recently I've come to the realization that it is rather stupid to take things too seriously (even subjects I enjoy); I mean, to get caught up in something to the point where it becomes emotionally draining. (as occured to me at some point during the buildup to the last election) Basically, I came to the conclusion lately that if something doesn't genuinly effect the quality of my life, it doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. The quality of my life DOES involve some serious things, like staying physically and mentally healthy/sharp, like love and friendship, like surviving. And those things could conceivably constitute a lot to be serious about. However, I think that the best mental state to adopt for tending to these aspects of life is, well, intelligence combined with good humor. If you handle the more important things in life with intelligence and patience, they should go your way naturally, whereas if you handle them with extreme seriousness, you're bound to find stress build up unnesseccarily.

I can't help but think of Jean Luke Picard, the Captain of "the starship 'Enterprise'" when I talk about seriousness. I'm a big fan of Star Trek the Next Generation. Jean Luke, I admit, is a very attractive character, primarily due to the way he conducts himself. He's extremely confident and well manered. He comes across as a very serious guy. Yet he's the perfect example of a character who is first and foremost intelligent, reasonable, and patient. His seriousness does not arise from an irrational commitment to any certain ideology (I've seen him violate the "Prime Directive" atleast twice, that rebel!). His "seriousness" is almost synonymous with intelligence--he's committed to searching for the best answer or resolution to a problem. Otherwise, the man's alleged seriousness is actually the manifestation of real enjoyment when it comes to "seeking out new life, and new civilizations." To me, being serious about enjoyment, about really "living" life, is one of the only forgiveable types of seriousness. Because if you are serious about this, then you are bound to not be very serious at all.

Finally, I just thought I'd brag a little about how superbly unserious me and this girl I know have managed to be for over 3 months. Someone said that we appear to be a "fun couple". Now, I think I know what that person meant by that--we have fun, joke around, and generally exist in a state of good humor when we are around each other. We are serious about having fun and seeking out quality experiences. Unfortunately, there are so many couples out there who are not "fun couples". They allow their negative moods infect their relationships with seriousness. They let things become personal. Pride becomes a catalyst for contention. Its really a shame. I'm not saying that I will never screw up and do or say things that negatively affect my relationship with this girl, but we both seem to have a core understanding about life that I feel is best for fostering good humor and enjoyment.

mkay, this was a little more generalized than I'd like, but I think I succeeded at getting my core idea out there. I'd need to do some research--even clinical studies--to have much more to say about the mental state behind seriousness. What causes it? --nature or nurture? Are some people born with a more serious disposition than others...I know that if anything seems to be obvious from observing babies, its that some are more good natured and outgoing than others...which I believe is related to seriousness... Also, I did pose a challenging question regarding the positive side of seriousness. What kinds of seriousness are good, and in what way? As of yet, it remains unresolved. I think the answer lies in greater differentiation between the types of seriousness---they rightfully shouldn't fall under the same name at all---kinda like the Eskimos' many names for snow, more terminology would allow us to differentiate unique mental states. anypotatoe, bedtime. goodnight.