Civilization in Human Mind - Essay Example

Many believe that following a particular set of standards made by the civilizations and the societies can lead to reduced uncertainty, as it bring contentment in oneself and the people around. Freud in his book Civilization and its Discontents explain this phenomenon by using psychological terms to define human state of mind regarding the rules of civilization and his duty to follow them. The book discusses that the people often let their conscience control their actions because they want to be the part of their society. However, Steve Jobs held some contradictory opinions regarding this phenomenon. Steve Jobs, the co-founder, the chairman and the CEO of Apple Inc, had very different thoughts compared to any other ordinary person in this world. Loved by very few of his employees he still made a mark in the history with the invention of devices that added many layer to the technology existing around the world. Steve Jobs’ personality was very unique; his conflicting ideas with the civilization made him the most obnoxious but at the same time the most productive leader as well. Controlled by his own values Jobs was least concerned about the society and its expectations from him. He was the most brutal and cared least about his relations with the people around him. He was a man of his own principles and his legacy was enough to inspire thousands of people. As stated by Freud the pleasure principle is the central point of any individual’s aim of life; he wants to seek pleasure by avoiding pain in order to satisfy his biological and psychological desires. Pain defined by Freud is a suffering that comes from three directions: from our own body, from the external world, and lastly, from our relations with the people around us. A human in order to avoid the pain tries to conform to the external world and people in it. However, Steve Jobs was least concerned about it. He did not care what the world will think of him or if his actions would cause displeasure for others. Despite the negative comments on his personality he carried on with his ideas and his desires. On 23rd October 2011, Isaacson in his interview with “60 Minutes” on CBS said regarding Steve Jobs, “He is not warm and fuzzy... He was not the world’s greatest manager. In fact, he could have been one of the world’s worst managers.” Steve Jobs personality was in much conflict with the society and its values. There is no golden rule of happiness which applies to everyone; happiness differs from person to person. Those who conform to the standard of the external world should ask themselves a question, to what extend conforming to the external world will give them the real satisfaction? Or what is superior, their own happiness or the happiness of the entire world? It may spare them from guilt but avoiding guilt does not give satisfaction. Quoted by Steve Jobs, “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” So thinking that violating the standards of the society could lead to discontentment of others is not a problem, the problem arises when an individual stops following his heart and stops himself to go after his personal desires. As observed by Freud, “what we call our civilization (Kultur) is largely responsible for our misery”. Civilizations put unnecessary pressure on all the individuals belonging to it resulting in dissatisfaction and hindrance to reach towards one’s goal. As civilization puts it, an individual is required to bind oneself with the past figures as their thoughts carry great lesson from him. But according to Mr. Jobs, our time on Earth is limited so rather than wasting it living someone else’s life we should live it according to our own standards and values. He says, “Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking...” And those who get into the struggle of following the civilizations are moving towards their doom, they do not think differently and live a life which is very monotonous. Even the advertising slogan for Apple Inc. was “Think Different” created by Steve Jobs himself. Life always finds its way; from childhood to adulthood a human mind keeps on developing, it learns to have control over its functions. If he uses his auxiliary organs to the fullest then he can conquer beyond the limits but still some parts of organs are hard to control, like the conscience which gave him trouble at many times. Conscience is made up from childhood experiences and the values taught by parents that force us to conform to the civilization. But Steve Jobs’ ability to resist emotions and desires was inaccessible. He did what he wanted to do regardless of rules set around him. Jobs explained his behavior by saying, “This is who I am, and you can’t expect me to be someone I’m not.” Jobs was controlled by his emotions, hence he loved to argue which was the key reason why his attitude drove some of the top people away. And even after getting such a response he was completely comfortable with his brutally honest attitude. Let alone the society Steve Jobs did not let his own self change him. Many people after becoming wealthy try to compete with other wealthier people by adopting their lifestyle. They become the victims of this clinging phenomenon of the ‘art of living’, thus wishing to be the part of this ‘Totemic Culture’. But in the case of Steve Jobs it was different. Isaacson in his book on Steve Jobs writes that despite being a billionaire Jobs used to live in a very decent and modest house in Palo Alto and didn’t let him be influenced by the power of money. In an interview for the book Jobs said, “I saw these people who were really nice, simple people turn into these bizarro people,” he added. “And I made a promise to myself: ‘I’m not going to let this money ruin my life.” These people who change after acquiring the money are the ones who follow the path set by the cultural ideals of their society. They lose their identity in this struggle for attaining a place in the society and stay in discomfort for all their life. So, civilization is not a path to be followed, it’s the history in an individual’s life which hampers the growth in an individual. In order to free one from the clutches of the fixed rules and regulations set by the external world an individual has to first free oneself from within. Agreeing with the cultural ideals is neither a solution nor a means of attaining mental peace; in fact it brings a series of miseries and discomfort for the individual. As exemplified by Steve Jobs in his life, those who think differently and follow their hearts rather than the values of the external world are the ones who succeed in life. Even a herd of sheep follow its shepherd but it is never able to make its own path, however, it’s the shepherd who decides which way to lead his herd he has the authority, the power to think differently which is why he is in charge. So rather than following the demands of the civilization an individual must choose for himself and take charge of his own life and success. Works Cited Freud, Sigmund. Civilization and its discontents. [1st American ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 19621961. Print. "Steve Jobs: A genius but a bad, mean manager." (2011, October 25). Inquirer Technology. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from . Freud, S., & Strachey, J. (19611961). The Standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud. London: The Hogarth Press :. HUDSPETH, C. (2013, August 17). 25 Wise, Inspiring Steve Jobs Quotes Thatll Make You Want To Change The World. Thought Catalog. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://thoughtcatalog.com/christopher-hudspeth/2013/08/25-wise-inspiring-steve-job-quotes-thatll-make-you-want-to-change-the-world/ Read More