P.S. I have a theory that fear is the reason why so many people focus exclusively on the technical side.
Fear is "irrational", so are their actions.
In case the last point needs elaboration:
There are two* (opposite) cases:
- there is a harmony in the world, even if a subtle one
- there isn't any, and the world is inherently evil
We don't know which case is realized, but either way:
In the former case, simply doing "the right thing" should suffice to eventually reach the desired results.
In the latter — leaving this world is not something to be sorry about or scared of.
* Here we utilized the binary logic, but it isn't essential.
P.S. Isn't essential, because more sophisticated models/logics simply boil down to providing a higher precision. And, since the question itself is informal, there are bigger sources of imprecision than the excluded middle…
Let me stick yet a couple thoughts here, for later reference (or shaming):
- "Unreasonable" expectations of other people
There is a view that the connections are formed according to a market mechanism (jobs, dating, whatever). There are buyers and sellers of one's qualities (assumed to be quantifiable) for another's. — Seems legit. But could you honestly tell your employer or employee, or your beloved partner that they aren't what you really want, but just what you could *afford*? I guess no.
Extending this idea further, one might hypothesize:
- There are no "hard choices" — you can't have the *desire* for something and, simultaneously, be *unable* to get it properly (assuming the world and the life aren't meant to be sadistic, to make conscious creatures suffer from the internal tension).
Of course this may only be true modulo fluctuations and/or asymptotically, but again that's not the point.
Yet a few bits on the fear:
- People seem to image scenarios like being eaten alive, and exert all of their abilities to avoid it. But often fail to decide where to stop, what is enough safety and when further security measures will only undermine the whole purpose of all this hassle.
(And now, I guess, that's it. I'll try to have some sleep. While awaiting comments on how wrong I am about everything, and what distorted view of the reality I possess. :) — Anyway, I don't want to attack anyone.
@m3tti
I tend to agree. But looking at the life from the energy flow perspective makes the desire for power (protecting the energy sources and thus other resources) kind-of understandable.
Still, this picture is rather technical, and misses some of the most important aspects. Original premises, if you will. — After all, there is plenty of energy in the universe, and the heat death is not guaranteed in the modern cosmological models.
To recap: yes, that makes sense.