The Will for Permanence

[image error]

A healthy person, well-equipped for achieving things in life, would not, under normal circumstances, want to die. The same should be expected to be true of a healthy civilisation or culture, or a healthy human outlook of itself.

The will for permanence has always been a powerful drive in the human psyche: it is the reason for religions, and it is embedded in all art and technology. It’s enemies are, what Freud called, the pleasure principle and the death drive.

From an aesthetic point of view, it could be said that the will for permanence brings out the best in us, and makes us beautiful. Permanence is our beautiful dream.