Happiness is
the goal of utterly failed human societies. In postmodernity, the pursuit of
happiness becomes one of the most idealistic and convenient ways to conceal the
consciousness of personal and social failure, both individual and collective.
It is, indeed, one of the best excuses to turn away from reality, to avoid
confronting personal conflicts, and to indefinitely postpone facing real
solutions to any problems. But real problems do not have ideal solutions, that
is, they do not have philosophical or literary solutions. The study of
literature and philosophy often excessively distances students and teachers
from reality. And this is the major problem that literary rationalism faces
today. Philosophical rationalism has always been an idealistic rationalism.
Never before
have we had as many possibilities — and as many universities — to fail as we do
today. It's difficult to choose the form of failure among such freedom to fail.
Nothing is offered with as much public success in postmodern societies as the
freedom to fail. Naturally, the word "failure" is never used. Instead
of the taboo term, its corresponding euphemism is raised: self-help. From the
psychology and sociology of Anglo-Saxon culture, self-help is the name that
postmodern democracy gives to self-deception. Self-help is an extremely
effective and subtle way of perpetuating self-deception.
A society of
failures is characterized by many pathologies. And by multiple forms of
self-deception and self-help.
Firstly, every failure gives up on fighting. However, paradoxically, the failure frequently conjugates...
