I really like this word. I really do.
It’s one simple word describing a lot of things.
To introduce the topic I’d like to start by talking
about Marx’ and Hegel’s opinions about the concept of alienation. Who the hell
are them? Well, simple: philosophers.
I am one of the privileged kids that study philosophy
at school. Mainly because in Italy it’s obligatory in all high schools. So some
may ask “What’s the big deal?”. Well, the great thing is that we are able to
discuss about different topics in a conceptual way.
Nowadays we are almost too worried to take care of our possessions
and “useful” knowledge rather than learning to know ourselves and cure our
minds. This is why I consider myself privileged: among all this mixture of
“useful” information, without those we (according to some adults) will never be
able to live a decent life, I am blessed with some pure conceptual knowledge.
Before I start: I’m no philosopher nor I have a
philosophy degree. I’m just a student who wants to write on her useless blog.
Back to the topic. Hegel was convinced that each man,
in order to understand himself had to “alienate” his “self”. Was only thought
making the “self” a objet that the person could see himself and observe
himself. To make it easier: imagine your inner and dipper essence that leaves
your body, you can see it therefore you can experience yourself and understand
yourself.
But let’s get to Marx and contextualize. Karl Marx was
born in 1818 (as Wikipedia clearly states) so right before the Industrial
Revolution. Imagine all these small cities exploding into a mixture of grey
walls and smoke. Not that pleasing, right? Consider also that jobs inevitably
changed and so did people’s lives.
If the cities weren’t that nice imagine working in the
factories: a minimum of 12 hours per day shift to work in order to receive a
shitty salary. No surprise that workers as soon as they left the factories went
out to drink and do drugs!
And right here is where Marx’ philosophy finds its
basis: the alienation caused by the factories. To Marx this situation led people
to hope for something better one day, not in this life, which was a living
hell, but in the afterlife. That’s why, to Marx, religion was the “opium of the
people”: it was a drug to distract the inhabitants of the cities from the
misery they were living in.
I’m aware I’m no Marx nor Hegel but since this is my
blog I guess I’ll leave my opinion on the topic too.
Alienation to me can have positive and negative
aspects.
Alienating ourselves to better understand who we are
and what we want can be necessary at a certain point in everyone’s life. Imagine
it like meditating: abandoning the world around you and focusing on your
perceptions, feelings and all the stuff a shrink would love to analyze.
The negative part of all this process may become
isolation. Self-analysis is important but it shouldn’t become an excuse to
conceal the outer world from your life.
My rumbling ends here.
Sorry if I bored you… no, not really.