Society. Disconnecting on vacation: “The dictatorship of profitability is monstrous”

Is summer the time to reconnect with the “magic of the ordinary”?

"Vacation invites us to change our pace and open ourselves up to what might happen. On the condition that we manage to detach ourselves from the injunctions. Some people go on vacation not to find themselves, recharge their batteries, or take a shower of life, but to set themselves new goals, to "make a success" of their vacation.

Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves, even on vacation?

"It's an extremely profound philosophical question. Our relationship with the world is increasingly one of management. We must manage our lives, manage our emotions. To exist means to maximize what we are to get maximum return from it. All my philosophical work, from book to book, is to demonstrate that this ideology, this dictatorship of profitability, is monstrous."

Why is this a problem?

"We live with this terrible illusion that blames individuals for not doing enough, for not being a good enough mother, a good enough employee. This pattern shifts the responsibility onto individuals, when it should be society's responsibility."

How to free yourself from it?

“You have to start by giving yourself peace! I'm not talking about quitting, doing nothing, but about doing things without pressure. Doing them because you want to do them, because you want to do them as well as possible. All the great chefs and artists I meet tell me that it's by connecting with their desires, without putting pressure on themselves, that they give the best of themselves!”

Does this mean changing your approach?

“It’s a complete reversal. Instead of controlling everything, I open myself to the magic that is already there, and that will nourish me, amaze me, transform me, and soothe me. Creating a warmer, truer, more sincere connection will fulfill me. Walking will allow me to connect with the mountain. When you’re under pressure, you can’t do anything; the pressure destroys you. The magic of the ordinary is changing your regime. It’s not just being slower; it’s being open to an encounter that you let resonate and transform you.”

Is your approach philosophical?

“I am first and foremost a philosopher, in the sense that I try to understand the reasons for our confinement. Our problems are often much more philosophical than psychological. Why do people experience burnout today? If we look at it from a psychological perspective, we can explain it by a feeling of unease with their father, their mother, or link it to their personality…

If we analyze the question from a philosophical point of view, you are experiencing burnout because our society is in a logic where we push individuals to the limit, under the pretext that this is the path to becoming the best of themselves.

The philosophy here is liberating: you're not at fault for being stressed and exhausted, for being confused at times, for no longer knowing what you need. You're just too adaptable. Saying no to pressure and social lies is already what Plato so rightly proposed.

Can philosophy change the world?

“Absolutely! Philosophy also allows us to find a path to peace, to better understand the meaning of our emotions, and their essential role in human relationships. We live under the illusion that there are positive emotions and negative ones. This is another false and dangerous concept.

All emotions come to tell us something. To refuse them is to deprive ourselves of precious help. Anger allows us to get moving, by expressing that we are not respected, that our integrity is mistreated. It expresses the need to restore order and defend our dignity, to express a revolt in the face of injustice. Anger only becomes hatred and violence when it goes haywire because it has not been recognized in time.