12 | Why Humanity is Unhappy

Why is it that humanity is so universally unhappy?

• The more abundant our material goods, the more severe our anxiety.
• The more advanced our civilization, the deeper our emptiness.
• The successful remain restless, while the ordinary find themselves in greater pain.

This is no accident; it is structural. Having departed from God, humanity has entered a world-structure dominated by the "Self" (Ego). Where there is a Self, there is Duality; where there is Duality, there is comparison and competition; and where there is competition, there is inevitable suffering.

We shall examine this through four dimensions.

I. The Dividing Mind: The Origin of a Dualistic World

The very moment the Self emerges, the world instantly fractures into three sets of oppositions:

• Me vs. The World
• Me vs. Others
• Me vs. Myself

The concept of "I" is the very starting point of fission. Once "I" exists, the world is sliced into categories: Good/Bad, Win/Lose, High/Low, Worthy of Love/Unworthy of Love. Naturally, the goal of life becomes "to fare a little better within this dualistic system."

But the essence of duality is this: my "High" must necessarily be built upon another’s "Low." To have a first place, there must be a last; to have a "Success," there must be a majority defined as "Failures." This is not a matter of personal morality, but a structural flaw. Thus, the moment the Self is born, suffering is written into the program.

II. The Two Appetites of the Self: Status Desire and Bodily Desire

Following the Fall, the Self birthed two appetites that can never be satiated—two bottomless pits:

1. Status Desire (Vertical) — Seeking Superiority through Comparison: The drive to be stronger, more successful, more important, or "better" than others. It seeks to prove one's value through status, achievement, power, and fame. Status is a psychological drug: once tasted, one requires a "little more" to feel safe. "Win once more, and then you are truly strong." "Secure more envy, and then you are worthy of love." The result: The winner is restless, fearing loss; the loser is in pain, feeling worthless; those in the middle are anxious, fearing they will be left behind.
2. Bodily Desire (Horizontal) — Seeking Pleasure through the Senses: Food, sex, entertainment, consumption, stimulation, luxury, and the thrill of power. While it appears to satisfy the body, it is essentially feeding the Self: "I deserve to enjoy; I am more worthy than others." The structure of bodily desire is a cycle of addiction: Satisfaction—Emptiness—Stronger Stimulation—Deeper Emptiness.

Status desire is a vertical abyss; bodily desire is a horizontal abyss. Together, they constitute the fundamental state of modern civilization: "Infinite Hunger."

III. The Self Renders Conflict Inevitable: From Comparison to Violence to War

So long as the Ego exists, civilization will inevitably produce:

• Hierarchy and Oppression
• Exploitation and "Involution" (Hyper-competition)
• Humiliation and Confrontation
• Resource struggles, class conflicts, ethnic hatreds, and gender wars.

Because the Self must always stand higher than others to feel its own existence, it must manufacture those who are "Lower": the weak, the failures, the sacrificed, and the downtrodden. This is the structural reality of "Cain killing Abel." It was not a random murder, but a primal metaphor for the inevitable starting point of human civilization. So long as the foundation of the world is "Me vs. Not-Me," conflict is inescapable.

IV. The World Turns from "Home" into a "Battlefield"

Jesus said: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves" (Matthew 16:24). He was not teaching us how to become "a little better"; He was pointing out that the Self is the very beginning of death.

Man, having left God, is like a child who has run away from home:

• He carries with him the freedom, creativity, and spiritual sparks given by his Father.
• Yet he uses all of these merely to feed his Self.
• Consequently, the world is no longer a "Home" to him, but a "Battlefield."

Man attempts to build a home upon the battlefield; this is one of the primary sources of all human tragedy. It is vital to realize that man’s departure is not a punishment inflicted by the Father, but a result of man turning his own back until he can no longer see the Father. Yet the Father remains in the distance, watching him. The more we pursue "Success," stimulation, status, and desire, the further we drift from Rest, Love, Joy, Relationship, and God—the only True Success. Civilization is like the Prodigal Son: the further he wanders from home, the more money he holds, and the greater the void in his heart.

V. The Only Way: Laying Down the Self to Return Home

Jesus said: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it" (Matthew 16:25). What He intends to save is not the Self, but the True Life liberated from the Self:

• From Self → Love
• From Duality → Unity
• From Scarcity → Abundance
• From Conflict → Peace

When the Self is extinguished, the world ceases to be a battlefield and returns to the structure of "Home." This is the "Kingdom of Heaven."

Summary | Original Doctrine 12

1. Once the Self emerges, the world becomes a battlefield of dualistic opposition.
2. Duality brings endless comparison and competition, which inevitably brings pain.
3. The Self possesses two appetites: Status Desire and Bodily Desire; both are bottomless pits.
4. Status desire leads to jealousy, oppression, violence, and war; bodily desire leads to addiction, emptiness, and an ever-rising threshold for stimulation.
5. The root of suffering is not the world, but the heart ruled by the Self.
6. The true exit for humanity is not merely the optimization of systems, but the extinguishing of the Self and the return to the Father.

The Core in a Single Sentence: Without the Self, one naturally finds oneself at home; God has been waiting for our return all along.