One of the great joys of my professional life was the creation some years ago of a course called P3: Philosophy, Psychology, and Pop Culture. In 50-60 minute blocks of time, four days a week, I challenge my P3ers to contemplate philosophical theories and psychological principles, utilizing pop culture as a vehicle to understanding. In a recent unit we evaluated the idea of “The Happy Life.” As is often the case, the original concept concealed the richer premise of “The Meaningful Life” and “The Contented Life.” It also allowed me to utilize the sacred ground of Middle Earth to present an always relevant philosophy with the class.
Simple Smiles From the Shire
Gregory Bassham, former Chair of the Philosophy Department at King’s College, wrote the essay, “Tolkien’s Six Keys to Happiness.” He argued that six important lessons regarding the “happy life” are embedded in J.R.R. Tolkien’s work. We will focus on one of them; the ability to delight in the simple things.
Bassham illuminates the fact that the down-to-earth and folksy hobbits share some unexpected traits with the ethereal and sophisticated elves. Both hobbits and elves take joy in telling tales, singing songs, creating beauty, preparing and sharing meals, and communing with nature. There is an echo of Socrates in this concept (though Bassham does not utilize the philosophy of blessed St. Socrates in his essay).
Socrates conceptualized a tripartite soul within all people. The three arenas are desiring (the greedy and lusting aspect of people), spirited (glory seeking) and wisdom loving (learning with the intent of embodying the art of living). To assist in understanding this vision the students are forced to endure the playing of Harry Belafonte’s “Sing for the Song.” The lyrical tale of a singer succumbing to the various temptations of fame is quite effective. Dispersed over the length of the song we hear the allure of women, money, and cocaine to the fictional singer. The money loving piece of the soul is fully engaged at these points. At other times it is the show and the flashbulbs (victory-loving) that drive the singer. Wisdom quietly lurks in the lyrics as well, ever present but straining to be heard.
The wisdom comes into play in the chorus “Sing for the song boys /Just like you did when you stood on that corner and didn’t even feel the cold/Sing for the song boys/ Just like you did before all of the cocaine and flash bulbs and bright painted ladies that haunted your soul.” Ah, to get back to the beginning of the journey when the precious present and the joy of singing was enough. Of course we can’t go back in time but can we prevent our souls from being “haunted” by the tornado of temptation that strengthens the power of greed and glory over artistic creation? Can we move forward and continue to treasure the simple things?
Looking Back to Understand the Present
In 1835 Alexis de Tocqueville’s book Democracy in America was published. Tocqueville was sent to the United States in 1831 to study the prison system. He used the time to study the political, economic, and social landscape of the burgeoning young nation. One observation made by the philosopher was “…that a sort of cloud habitually covered their (Americans) features; they appeared to me grave and almost sad even in their pleasures.” Where is this sadness coming from in the early 1830’s? Tocqueville surmised it is because Americans are “tormented by a vague fear of not having chosen the shortest route” to possessing the “goods of the world.” Moreover, even when Americans gain goods they do not hold them for long for “…he soon allows them (the goods) to escape from his hands so as to run after new enjoyments.” Possessing a good brings little joy because “he imagines a thousand others that death will prevent him from enjoying if he doesn’t hasten.”
So, a look through a foreigner’s eye at the United States of the 1830’s reveals a fearful and anxious citizenry. This anxiety is caused by a combination of desire for material goods, impatience in the quest for them, an addiction to hasty gratification, and a belief that there are better things that you need to possess now in order to be satisfied. Thankfully we now stand nearly 200 years from the publication of Democracy in America. Time has passed and we have overcome our cultural addiction to impatience, materialism, yearning for the imaginary better life, and the dissatisfaction caused by this combination of soul haunting forces.
Wait a second…I think I may be wrong. Could it be that we have not overcome the gravitational pull of these attributes but have strengthened them. There is no doubt that if Tocqueville saw the United States today he would be mystified by the technology. Once that shock wore off, however, he would be familiar with the national ethos. Would he be disappointed? Should we be?
Speed Kills
Speed kills. In sports I love this phrase. Teams that are quicker and more explosive tend to have an irreversible advantage over slower opponents. It seems that speed can also kill the soul. For a society speed kills is a dire warning. I fear that, intuitively, some reading this might agree but they might feel like cultural pariahs or institutional heretics. The culture of speed has deep roots in the United States. There could well be little you can do to curtail this. Well, at least in the big story.
In the small story of your life, however, how can you bring the gift of a decelerated pace to the spheres you occupy? Could you organize a dinner with friends and allow conversation to flow until your group is the only one left in the restaurant? When’s the last time the busy lives of your inner circle was interrupted by a card game or some other gathering? When’s the last time you enjoyed a walk in the woods or along the shoreline? To my teaching colleagues, do you rush through lessons for fear of not covering the curriculum, forgoing the richness of the content? Speed kills. It kills enrichment. It kills depth. It kills enjoyment. It kills commitment to friendships. It kills the art of living.
Are any of these activities going to derail our culture of speed? No. Can they loosen the chains of that culture and allow us to step off the express train? Absolutely. Perhaps in doing so we will be thankful for friends who help slow us down. We can express gratitude to our children for the joy they bring. Maybe students realize that slowing down increases meaning – a lesson far more important than knowing the date of the Monroe Doctrine.
Looking back at the shared traits of hobbits and elves we see telling tales, singing songs, creating beauty, preparing and sharing meals, and communing with nature as cornerstones of a contented life. Also present is a slower pace. Creation takes time. Telling tales takes a certain pace. A walk in nature or preparing a meal with joy instead of frantic anxiety takes time…and a mindset; one that rejects the culture of speed and embraces the moments we have. I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving, a traditional American holiday, by rejecting the insidious tradition of the American addiction to speed.
The holiday season is truly upon us! May you find the mind to take it slow amidst the bustle. Deep roots take time to grow. Some things just can’t be rushed.
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