Presence

ADDeRabbi writes about his experience taking Zoloft. I've gone back and forth on this issue for quite some time; while I do not currently take any drugs of this kind, I often think I would benefit from a prescription. I know several people use them and swear by them. Until recently, I felt very strongly that taking these drugs was an easy way out. I'm not talking about the folks who suffer from bi-polarism or other serious mental conditions; in those cases these drugs are essential and live-saving, so there's no question in those cases. But there are many people where it's not essential or life threatening if they don't take these drugs, but it would improve their quality of life ( I would fit in this category). What then? Is this a case where we say simply, buck up, no one said life was a cake walk to begin with; or do we embrace any scientific/technological means of improving our quality of life and reducing human suffering, even to the slightest degree?

I think now I lean more towards the latter opinion. Technology allows us to improve the human condition, to allow us to live lives of greater dignity, free of suffering. I might be so bold as to say that this is the contribution of Western civilization to Man. God's mandate to Man was to fill the earth and conquer it; Man does this by subdueing nature, bending it to his will, "putting it to the rack." The current offerings, as far as I can tell, enhance our ability to live lives of dignity without robbing us of the ability to choose. In fact, when you consider the way the Rambam describes the Days of Moshiach, it's not far off from simply a life where you don't really have to worry about anything (presumably, tuition will be subsidized).

On the other hand, this presents an interesting dilema. The Torah is generally viewed as the panacea for the soul, namely following it's path will lead one to a life free of suffering and filled with happiness. What happens when all that's available over the counter? As a thought exercise, imagine we had the ability to remove all a person's evil tendencies by some sort of genetic engineering or prenatal operation. Since it's taken several thousand years to get to where we are in terms of science, there was obviously a past need for non-scientific solutions to the issue of human suffering, but now that we have the happy pill, do we need a behavioral framework to assuage our consciousness? Does this obviate the need for religion?

I will admit this is being a pit presumptious as to the overarching goals of religion, but even so, I think religion still has a role to play. Man suffers a dual curse; on the one hand, he must toil to live; the world as it is does not exist to support him. Man also is mortal, and will eventually die. These two curses can be seen as connected: the futility of a life of toil that ends in death. But even if live was free of suffering, and lived in happy repose, with Man feeling in control of and at the same time a part of the natural world, there would still be the sad fact that death would eventually come. To the extent that we are able to come to terms with this, and perhaps subvert it (either metaphysically or psychologically, depending on your level of skepticism), religion has a role to play.

Until they come up with a way to make us live forever. Hopefully, I won't be around by then.