The HAMURGER MODEL – Four Types:
1.
HEDONIST –
The first archetypal hamburger is the one that is the tasty junk-food burger.
Eating this hamburger would yield present benefit, in that I would enjoy it, and future detriment, in that I would subsequently not feel well.
The experience of present benefit and future detriment defines the hedonism archetype.
Hedonists live by the maxim “Seek pleasure and avoid pain”;
they focus on enjoying the present while ignoring the potential negative consequences of their actions.
Eating this hamburger would yield present benefit, in that I would enjoy it, and future detriment, in that I would subsequently not feel well.
The experience of present benefit and future detriment defines the hedonism archetype.
Hedonists live by the maxim “Seek pleasure and avoid pain”;
they focus on enjoying the present while ignoring the potential negative consequences of their actions.
2.
RAT
RACER – The second archetypal hamburger is a tasteless
vegetarian burger made with only the most healthful ingredients which would
yield future benefit, in that I
would subsequently feel good and healthy, and
present detriment, in that I would
not enjoy eating it.
3.
NIHILIST –
The third type of hamburger eater eats the worst of all possible burgers, one
that is both tasteless and unhealthful.
Eating such a hamburger, I would experience present detriment, in that it tastes bad, and suffer future detriment, in that it is unhealthful.
The nihilism archetype describes the person who has lost the lust for life—someone who neither enjoys the moment nor has a sense of future purpose.
Eating such a hamburger, I would experience present detriment, in that it tastes bad, and suffer future detriment, in that it is unhealthful.
The nihilism archetype describes the person who has lost the lust for life—someone who neither enjoys the moment nor has a sense of future purpose.
4.
WELL-BALANCED
REALIST – The fourth type of hamburger eater is one who eats a
delicious veggie burger smothered in a delicious sauce.
Eating this hamburger would yield present benefit, in that I would enjoy it, and future benefit, in that I would enjoy the consequences of having eaten it.
Eating this hamburger would yield present benefit, in that I would enjoy it, and future benefit, in that I would enjoy the consequences of having eaten it.
TO FURTHER EXPLAIN:
·
If the rat-race archetype describes the
state of living for the future and the hedonism archetype the state of living
for the present, then the nihilism archetype captures the state of being
chained to the past.
·
Nihilists who
have resigned themselves to their present unhappiness and expect the same sort
of life in the future are fettered to their past failures to attain happiness.
Such attachment to past failures has been described by Martin Seligman as “learned
helplessness.”
·
The rat-racer, the hedonist, and the
nihilist are all, in their own way, guilty of a fallacy—an inaccurate
reading of reality, of the true nature of happiness and what it takes to lead a
fulfilling life.
·
The
rat-racer suffers from the “arrival fallacy”—the false belief
that reaching a valued destination can sustain happiness.
The rat-racer’s illusion is that reaching some future destination will bring him lasting happiness; he or she does not recognize the significance of the journey.
The rat-racer’s illusion is that reaching some future destination will bring him lasting happiness; he or she does not recognize the significance of the journey.
·
The
hedonist suffers from the “floating moment fallacy”—the false
belief that happiness can be sustained by an ongoing experience of momentary
pleasures that are detached from a future purpose.
The hedonist’s illusion is that only the journey is important.
The hedonist’s illusion is that only the journey is important.
·
Nihilism is also a fallacy, a misreading of
reality—the false belief that no matter what one does, one cannot attain
happiness.
The nihilist, having given up on both the destination and the journey, is disillusioned with life.
The fallacy of nihilism stems from the inability to see a synthesis between arrivals and floating moments, some third option that may provide a way out of one’s unhappy predicament.
While present and future benefit may sometimes conflict—because some situations demand that we forgo one for the other—it is possible to enjoy both for much of the time.
People (like me) who truly love learning, for instance, derive present benefit from the pleasure they take in discovering new ideas and future benefit from the ways in which those ideas will prepare them (and others with whom they share these ideas) for the rest of life.
For another example, in romantic relationships some couples enjoy their time together and help each other grow and develop.
And, as a final example, those who work at something they love—be it business, medicine, or art—can progress in their career while enjoying the journey.
The nihilist, having given up on both the destination and the journey, is disillusioned with life.
The fallacy of nihilism stems from the inability to see a synthesis between arrivals and floating moments, some third option that may provide a way out of one’s unhappy predicament.
While present and future benefit may sometimes conflict—because some situations demand that we forgo one for the other—it is possible to enjoy both for much of the time.
People (like me) who truly love learning, for instance, derive present benefit from the pleasure they take in discovering new ideas and future benefit from the ways in which those ideas will prepare them (and others with whom they share these ideas) for the rest of life.
For another example, in romantic relationships some couples enjoy their time together and help each other grow and develop.
And, as a final example, those who work at something they love—be it business, medicine, or art—can progress in their career while enjoying the journey.
·
To expect constant happiness, though, is to
set ourselves up for failure and disappointment. Not everything that we do can
provide us both present and future benefit. It is sometimes worthwhile to forgo
present benefit for greater future gain, and in every life some mundane work is
unavoidable. The key is to keep in mind, even as one forgoes some present gain
for the sake of a larger future gain, that the objective is to spend as much
time as possible engaged in activities that provide both present and future
benefit.
·
The rat-racer is a slave to the future. The
hedonist is a slave to the moment. The nihilist is a slave to the past.
·
Attaining lasting happiness requires that
we enjoy the journey on our way toward a destination we deem valuable.
Happiness is not about dwelling on or living in the past; it is not about
climbing aimlessly around the mountain; and it is not about making it to the
peak of the mountain.
·
Attaining lasting happiness requires that
we learn from the past, make our best decisions in the present, and prepare for
the future—all in an enjoyable, well-balanced, realistic way. ~ Perman Wilson
·
Happiness is the worthwhile experience of
climbing toward the peak of the mountain while enjoying every moment of it. ~
Perman Wilson
