Thoughts on the Rat Race (3/13)

When unfortunately we no longer find the time to stop, when we do not have the chance to recharge our batteries on an island, in short when we are stuck in the maze of laboratory rats, eventually, our brain becomes confused and loses its bearings and its values. Over time, this can have very serious consequences, on the scale of what happens with laboratory rats, with an almost similar outcome, except perhaps for having our entrails spread out in the open air, and even then.

By dint of chasing success, of wanting to live the same lifestyle and with the same attributes as the examples given in the media, human beings become exhausted. If they fail to take a step back from their actions and thoughts, then they embark on a slippery slope with a less than pleasant outcome.

When we get lost along the way, we tend to cling to anything, or anyone. The temptation is then great to let ourselves be guided by principles that go against our values, provided that we can have the impression of getting out of the impasse. The door is then wide open to extremist ideas, murder or suicide.

It is no coincidence that radicalization, whether political or religious, is so successful among an ever-increasing margin of young people in the West. Through simple and apparently clear principles, it gives them the impression of putting them back on the right path, and thus of getting out of the Rat Race.

It is not for nothing that it is based on the eradication of anything or anyone that is linked to the Western way of life and therefore to the consumer society. By eliminating the causes that apparently would have taken us off the right path, we would arrive according to this principle to refocus on ourselves, calm our inner agitation and find serenity.

The malaise is that by looking for causes outside, we only replace one lure, that of consumption, with another. Both cases, consuming or fighting for one's ideas or faith, involve working, very hard, sometimes to the point of death. In both situations we also forget to look for the causes of the problem within ourselves.

Let's put it bluntly, the lab rat has no chance of getting out alive, but it's even worse if he's agitated, motivated by the carrot or the stick. He'd be much better off staying quiet and meditating on his fate.