Of Human Felicity and the Cosmic Order
It is a principle of our nature that the wheels of time, in their constant and willing revolutions, frequently pave a path toward things both infamous and unfamiliar. By the natural order of this universe, such irregularities ought to remain estranged from our common experience; for it is the design of the world that the infamous should not be our daily companion. We observe that the universe, and that Supreme Deity to whom we attribute its authorship, proceed in a manner undeniably mysterious, yet ever progressive.
The Root of Happiness
Where, then, is happiness rooted in the breast of a human being? We must ask what eccentricity of the soul links all mankind—regardless of the distinct psyches that divide us—in this singular, relentless pursuit of happiness. Is there an overall ethical precept, a rule of conduct, that might draw us closer to the "thing of things," the very fabric of the universe and the Almighty? The Main Root
Whether one be an athlete, a physician, a theologian, or a simple entertainer, the object of their passion remains the same. The simple man pursues it and may, by good fortune, attain it ; even the most complex personage may achieve this felicity without ever realizing it was the very thing they long desired.
"The variables of life may shift in either direction; yet we ought not to fret. Those things familiar and beneficial to our welfare are far more numerous than the infamous shadows that occasionally darken our path."
While the pursuit of happiness is a natural proclivity, it remains a question whether it necessitates a fixed ethical resolve. However, the nature of our affairs is never entirely exempt from the demands of morality, ethics, and restraint. We exist in a state of "functional dysfunction," where we are called to choose between immediate gratification and lasting satisfaction. A lack of wisdom when such a decisive moment arrives is a costly thing that readily avails itself in the form of an intrinsic spark of the soul glowing dangerously into oblivion, the snuffing out of the light.
An Allegory of the Sea: Freedom and the Believer
In this realm sailed two pirate kings who, though not enemies, were divided by their distinct philosophies of the water.
Freedom the pirate king maintained that the voyage, the ship, and the steady hand at the helm were the only things that mattered. To him, these three certainties were the only compass back to one's home. And he never relinquished his freedom to anything else.
The other pirate king was believer he possessed a different liberty, the freedom to let go of the helm. He trusted the voyage and the vessel to the guidance of the heavens to find the way home. His compass leading home would always be a moral inclination.
Thus, we see the duality of the human condition: one finds peace in the mastery of his tools, the other in the surrender to a higher providence.
Analysis Of The Analogy
It is a hallmark of our nature that we seek to impose order upon the chaos of our "impressions"—those vivid perceptions of the world—to form "ideas," which are but the faint images of these impressions in our thinking. To understand our two Pirate Kings, we must examine how they associate these ideas to navigate the turbulent seas of existence.
The Impressions of the Sea
In the mind of an observer, the sea is not merely water; it is a succession of perceptions: the roar of the storm, the height of the waves, and the sudden violence of the tsunami. These impressions lead our protagonists to two distinct patterns of belief:
The King Named Freedom: This mariner relies upon the principle of cause and effect. He observes that a firm hand at the helm leads to a predictable course. His "freedom" is found in the custom and habit of mastery; he believes that because the ship has carried him home before, it shall, by the same physical laws, do so again.
The King Named Believer: This sailor represents the sentiments of the soul over the mechanics of the mind. He recognizes that human reason is often a "slave to the passions" and that we cannot truly prove the sun will rise, nor that the ship will reach the shore. Thus, he finds a different liberty in surrendering his "will" to a higher providence, trusting that the universe works in a "mysterious but progressive way".
The Duality of the Human Soul
It stands to reason that neither King is entirely "right" in a logical sense, for both rely on a belief in the future that cannot be strictly proven by reason alone. Instead, their paths are shaped by their internal "proclivities"—one finding happiness in the agency of the self, the other in the harmony of the whole.
Whether we are the complex personage seeking to merge companies or the simple man seeking a quiet cruise, we are all governed by these same variables of the spirit. The "infamous and unfamiliar" may occasionally disrupt our voyage, but our habitual pursuit of happiness remains the constant anchor of our species.
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