Civilization has suppressed our instinct, and consequently our happiness, for order. Because of the suppression of this instinct, civilization will inevitably have its discontents.
The ethical standard from civilization and religion is another problematic issue. Christianity, like many other religions, supports the "Love thy neighbor as thyself" ethic. Freud objects to its validity. "A love that does not discriminate seems to me to forfeit a part of its own value, by doing an injustice to its object; and secondly, not all men are worthy of love" (Freud 57). Civilization masks a tragic reality with a utopian ideal. Civilization denies the existence of undeserving men by implementing a universal love. If we exercise this universal love, we will not only cause injustice to those who truly deserve our love, but we will also diminish the value of love. .
The ramifications of religion are similar to those of civilization. "Religion restricts this play of choice and adaptation, since it imposes equally on everyone its own path to the acquisition of happiness and protection from suffering. Its technique consists in depressing the value of life and distorting the picture of the real world in a delusional manner." (Freud 36). Freud describes religion, like civilization, as another delusional manner in which we deal with our tragic reality.
Upon analyzing the negative impacts of civilization and religion, one would likely question how they continue to maintain their influence. Freud states that civilization "obtains mastery over the individual's dangerous desire for aggression by weakening and disarming it and by setting up an agency within him to watch over it, like a garrison in a conquered city" (Freud 84). The garrison is the Super-Ego, a psychological component sculpted by the ideals of civilization. While the outside world remains peaceful and stable, the psychological world is one of chaos and constant struggle.
