Every invention, every work of art, every law, every scientific discovery is a response to a feeling — curiosity, necessity, inspiration, fear.

Necessary Illusions and the Relativity of Power.

Gradually, you begin to notice that not everything you feel deserves action — or even your attention. Understanding that feeling is the engine does not mean becoming a slave to every impulse. Wisdom lies in discernment.

You may also notice that the most powerful people — those with influence and resources — are not necessarily the happiest. And the wealthiest are not always the most fulfilled. If money and power could buy peace and happiness, depression and addiction would not exist among elites — which we know is not the case. The endless pursuit of “more,” driven by fear of scarcity or the need for validation, often creates a cycle of dissatisfaction, even when one possesses everything.

We are a unique species, capable of believing in countless illusions because those beliefs make us feel something — relief from anguish, meaning where none is obvious, hope, comfort. Try telling a gorilla that praying a Hail Mary every day will absolve it from the “sin” of polygyny. To begin with, the gorilla has committed no sin at all — its nature follows entirely different imperatives. And surely, sound waves arranged into predefined patterns — also known as words — would not absolve it of wrongdoing in its own ecosystem.

But we humans need such beliefs. Often, we need them to feel that we are correcting what cannot be corrected, atoning for guilt that consumes us, or walking toward redemption or a better future. Without some perceived path to redemption or control over our spiritual fate, we risk falling into madness, despair, or existential collapse. Religions, rituals, and belief systems are, at their core, complex mechanisms we have to manage our deepest fears, guilt, longing for meaning, and desire for transcendence.

Rules, Laws, and the Search for Felt Safety.

The popular saying “a thief who steals from another thief gets a hundred years of forgiveness” expresses a sense of poetic or vengeful justice — but it has no legal value. A thief who steals from another thief is still a thief, and if caught, will be punished. This illustrates how we created vast systems of rules across society: criminal codes, national security protocols, education systems, social norms, etiquette.

And why all this?

Not merely to maintain order — but fundamentally to feel safe. Safe in our environment, safe among others, safe inside the biological vehicle we call the body.
We create laws to feel protected from violence, healthcare systems to feel cared for during illness, schools to feel capable and intelligent. Every social rule is an attempt to shape the environment in a way that generates feelings of security, stability, and collective well-being. We want to feel that the world is predictable, controllable, and fair.

Psychology: Guides Through the Labyrinth of Feeling.

It is no coincidence that we tirelessly study the human psyche, and that psychology and therapy are prestigious professions. What do therapists and psychologists do, at their core? They guide you through the complex translations made by your limbic system — translations that become feelings, often confusing and contradictory. They help you understand what you feel, name it, process it, and, crucially, move toward what you wish to feel.
They help you transition from suffering to well-being, aligning actions with deeper desires. In that sense, they are facilitators of emotional self-regulation and self-knowledge.

Therapy is, ultimately, the pursuit of feeling better through understanding the internal engine.