I have signed up for a seminar course on May 22nd, so I am pressing forward to finish a book that will be central to the topic of discussion.  Eric Fromm was referred to in the chapter entitled, Love as Praxis: Critical Theory and Pscyhoanalysis, which I am reading.  I have not read Eric Fromm since my college days which seem a lifetime ago.  I was delighted to find myself reacquainted with him at this juncture in my life.  I read these words which strike me as prescient when written and now, more true of this America than Fromm could have known when The Sane Society was published in 1955.

The employer uses the one whom he employs;
the salesman uses his customers.
Everyone is to everyone else a commodity,
always to be treated with a certain friendliness,
because if he is not of use now, he may be later.

There is not much love or hate to be found in human relations of our day.
There is, rather, a superficial friendliness, a more than superficial fairness,
but behind the surface is distance and indifference.

There is also a good deal of subtle distrust…..
Modern society consists of “atoms”
(if we use the Greek equivalent of the “individual”),
little particles estranged from each other
but held together by selfish interests
and by the necessity to make use of each other.

Excerpt, The Sane Society by Eric Fromm, 1955 p. 139-40

I am confident that even a committed “conservative,” the hard core capitalist would agree with this description, even this definition of American society.  Not that every relationship falls within this rubric of framework.  There are exceptions, outliers to this “norm.”  The exceptions prove the rule.

---

The question remains, like a shadow in the background.  How does one survive psychologically in such a society? What does one do to maintain a coherent sense of self?  This from the New York Times of yesterday.

How to flourish

Many psychologists use the word flourishing to describe a person’s overall well-being — physical, mental and emotional, which all feed on each other. “It’s living the good life,” Tyler J. Vander Weele, an epidemiologist, told The Times.

In the pandemic, many people have understandably been doing the opposite of flourishing: languishing, or feeling stagnant with dulled emotions and motivation. A Times story on languishing was one of our most read articles in recent weeks.

But there are simple habits backed by science that can help you flourish. They include celebrating small moments in life, like a warm bath or hanging out with a friend; setting aside time once a week to reflect on the things you’re grateful for; and volunteering, even a couple of hours a week. (Are you flourishing? Take this QUIZ)

“People think that in order to flourish, they need to do whatever their version of winning the Olympics is, or climbing a mountain, or having some epic experience,” Adam Grant, a psychologist, said. The reality is the opposite.

— Sanam Yar, Morning writer.  New York Times, May 5, 2021

Did you take the quiz?  I did.