Civilization And Its Discontents

Some people respond to society’s repression of sexual instincts by becoming neurotic; others react by pairing off and engaging in intense romantic relationships in which “no room is left for any interest in the surrounding world” (49). Still, society persists in trying to harness sexual energies. One way is through the directive to “love thy neighbour as thyself” (50). This instruction creates problems: Freud points out that “my love is valued as a privilege by all those belonging to me; it is an injustice to them if I put a stranger on a level with them” (50); the stranger, meanwhile, “does not show me the slightest consideration. If it will do him any good, he has no hesitation in injuring me” (51). Thus, to fulfill such an ethical calling is to invite others to do evil. Freud cites history to prove his point that “ aggressive cruelty usually lies in wait for some provocation […] and reveals men as savage beasts to whom the thought of sparing their own kind is alien” (52). He refers to the Mongol invasion, the Sack of Jerusalem, and the First World War. Thus, the admonition to love one’s neighbor may serve to reduce savagery by attempting the opposite, though “nothing is so completely at variance with original human nature as this” (53).