Considering how much misery and turmoil there is in the
world, most of us would consider a long, stable, happy life to be a blessing.
But University of Toronto Professor Mari Ruti has put forth the theory that
human beings “may not be designed for happy, balanced lives” and that “the best
lives” might be shorter, messier ones “heaving with feeling and action.”
In an article titled “Happiness
and its Discontents” in The Chronicle
of Higher Education, Ruti writes,
Why, exactly, is a
healthy and well-adjusted life superior to one that is filled with ardor and
personal vision but that is also, at times, a little unhealthy and maladjusted?
Might some of us not prefer lives that are heaving with an intensity of feeling
and action but that do not last quite as long as lives that are organized more
sensibly?
It’s important to note that she prefaces her piece by saying
“As a critical theorist working at the intersection of Continental philosophy,
psychoanalysis, and feminist and queer theory, I make observations about
human life that are speculative rather than empirical.” In other words, her
observations are based on theoretical constructions, not on how life is
actually lived by real people.
She asserts oddly that conventional happiness is some sort
of societal oppression – what she calls “the cultural injunction to be happy”:
“[I]n our era, the idea that we should lead happy, balanced lives carries the
force of an obligation: We are supposed to push aside our anxieties in order to
enjoy our lives, attain peace of mind, and maximize our productivity.” I fail
to see how any of those things is bad or who is forcing these horrible expectations
upon us – but then, I’m not a critical theorist working at the intersection of
a lot of ivory tower busywork.
As an academic, Ruti trots out predictable references to
patriarchy, oppression, and exploitation (“women's ability to keep smiling even
when they are feeling miserable is one of the many biopolitical tools of
neoliberal capitalism”), and fires a broadside at the institution of marriage:
“If you want people to show up at their desks every morning, you hype up the
value of marriage to such an extent that people are willing to stay in their
marriages no matter how lackluster they may be” – as if married couples are
nothing more than enslaved dupes of The System.
She continues: “Why should the good life equal a harmonious
life? Might not the good life be one that includes just the right amount of
anxiety? Might not the best lives be ones in which we sometimes allow ourselves
to become a little imprudent or even a tad unhinged?”
I’m not sure what constitutes “the right amount of anxiety,”
but we are all imprudent and a tad unhinged at some point; I certainly have
been, and I don’t recommend it. Our actions have consequences not just for ourselves,
but for those around us, including loved ones who could be tragically impacted
by our unhinged moments of intense imprudence. Many a brilliant artist’s “ardor
and personal vision” have left ruined lives in their wake, including their own.
Ms. Ruti pays lip service to this by claiming “I don't wish to fetishize
psychological or emotional instability; I'm aware of the enormous toll it can
exact.”
And yet she’s willing to accept that enormous toll – for
others. She tells the story of a young woman who lamented the fact that her
father, a renowned psychiatrist who wrote influential books, was largely absent
from her life, physically and emotionally. Ruti thinks the woman should
appreciate her father’s contributions to humanity more and quit whining about
her personal loss.
I have never been one to value the collective over the
individual, but Ruti’s assumption seems to be that the masses are mere societal
pawns whose conventional idea of the good life is a repressive façade, that they
lack a more passionate individual vision and are lesser beings because of it.
By all means, freely choose how you want to live. Strive for
passionate burnout over harmonious balance, if you wish – but don’t pretend
that it necessarily constitutes a superior or more meaningful way of life.
(This article originally appeared here on Acculturated, 3/12/14)
