The
unfulfilled need of the body create tensions, the removal of which gives
satisfaction. The very lack is the basis of the satisfaction. In a different
sense, irrational desires are also rooted in deficiencies, in a person’s insecurity
and anxiety, which compel him to hate, to envy, or to submit; the pleasure
derived from the fulfillment of these cravings is rooted in the fundamental
lack of productiveness. Both physiological and irrational psychic needs are
part of a system of scarcity.
But
beyond the realm of scarcity rises the realm of abundance. While even in the
animal, surplus energy is present and is expressed in play; the realm of
abundance is essentially a human phenomenon. It is the realm of productiveness,
of inner activity. The realm can exist only to the extent to which man does not
have to work for sheer subsistence and thus to use up most of his energies. The
evolution of the human race is characterized by the expansion of the realm of
abundance, of the surplus energy available for achievements beyond mere
survival. All specifically human achievements of man spring from abundance.
In
all spheres of activity the difference between scarcity and abundance
determines the quality of the pleasure experience. Hunger for example is a
phenomenon of scarcity; its satisfaction, a necessity. Appetite is a phenomenon
of abundance; its satisfaction not a necessity but an expression of freedom and
productiveness. Joy and happiness are widely believed to be identical to be
identical with the happiness accompanying love. In fact, to many, love is
supposed to be the only source of happiness. Yet, in love as in all other human
activities we must differentiate between the productive and nonproductive form.
Nonproductive love or irrational love can be any kind of masochistic and
sadistic symbiosis, where the relationship is not based upon mutual respect and
integrity, but where two persons depend on each other because they are
incapable of depending on themselves. This love, like all other irrational
strivings, is based on scarcity, on the lack of productiveness and inner
security. Productive love, the closest form of relatedness between two
people and simultaneously one in which the integrity of each is preserved, is a
phenomenon of abundance, and the ability for it is testimony to human maturity.
Joy and happiness are the concomitants of productive love. Joy is an
achievement; it presupposes an inner effort, that of productive activity.