Have you ever heard of hedgehog dilemma So, check out our article to understand the meaning and teachings.

What is the Hedgehog's dilemma?

The Hedgehog's Dilemma is a parable created by Arthur Schopenhauer, in which the German philosopher makes a short reflection on life in society. In this regard, he reports that during the ice age, planet Earth was covered by ice.

Then, many animals died, because they could not adapt to the extreme cold. However, a large group of porcupines began to band together for warmth. In this way, the heat from one warmed the other. And, they were able to survive.

However, as they got closer, the thorns hurt. Therefore, some thorn pigs went back to living in isolation, because they could no longer bear the wounds that the others caused them. When they realized that death was catching up with them, the others went back to live close to the others.

So, with these negative experiences, they came together more carefully. Then, they found a safe distance. Soon, they didn't hurt each other anymore. And so, they survived the cold.

Meaning: what is the theory of the porcupine?

In this sense, there are some theories that we can learn from Schopenhauer. However, the main one concerns loneliness. According to this story of the porcupine, by isolating ourselves from other people we die. This is because we depend on others for our survival.

However, it does not mean that living together will be easy or pleasant. For, we all have thorns and they hurt those around us.

Therefore, the thorns can be our beliefs, principles, values and attitudes. In this way, we can use this parable as a reflection.

4 lessons from the porcupine dilemma

So, from the Hedgehog's dilemma we learn the following lessons:

1. we cannot always choose with whom we live

This lesson concerns especially the work environment, for we depend on our jobs for our basic needs. So we don't always work with the people we like. After all, the environment can be competitive and very toxic.

Furthermore, the same applies to the family. This is because conflicts hurt. For this reason, many people avoid living with a family member It's no wonder that many children leave their parents' home, but as long as there are no ways to survive on your own, coexistence must continue.

2. we all have defects

When it comes to defects, it is very common to look only at the other person. In other words, we accuse them of their faults, ideas, and attitudes. Then, it is even normal to blame others for our wounds and scars. Thus, we recognize that people are toxic to us. As a result, we leave wounded and traumatized.

But, how often do we look inside ourselves? This is because our ego only makes us see our own qualities, so we have difficulty seeing that we cause the same suffering to other people. Have you ever stopped to think about it?

3. we need to develop tolerance

In this way, it is essential to develop tolerance, because if we take everything by "fire and brimstone", we are always stressed. Thus, tolerance for others makes for a lighter life. But, tolerance does not mean accepting everything.

In fact, we may even disagree with each other's ideas and attitudes. But with tolerance we learn to deal with differences. Even more so with such a diverse and plural society in which we live.

4. we have to measure a safe distance from what hurts us

So with the hedgehog dilemma we learn to measure a safe distance from that which hurts us. So we come back to family relationships. So the best thing is to look for a place to live away from the parents. That way your relationship can improve.

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The same applies in cases where there is an elderly sick person. So if there are conflicts between the children, it is necessary to keep a distance for everyone's well-being. That is, to establish different times for the care of the person in need. In this way, conflicts are avoided until the "dust settles".

The Hedgehog Dilemma in a Time of Pandemic

With the pandemic caused by covid-19, relationships have become more vulnerable. This is because, with the social distance, people have had to stay indoors more. Thus, people in the same family are living in the same house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Soon, living together and sharing the same spaces brought stress for everyone. However, not everyone was able to adapt, since with this new reality the number of divorces increased.

Hedgehog's dilemma: different aspects of loneliness

Leandro Karnal is a great Brazilian historian and professor. As such, his studies take into account philosophical questions about life and society. In this sense, in the book "The hedgehog's dilemma: how to face loneliness", published in 2018, the author reflects on various aspects of loneliness.

In this way, Karnal goes through various eras of humanity to question how much coexistence is really a guarantee of survival. This is because, even surrounded by millions of people, we feel alone, especially in big cities where everyone lives their lives in isolation.

In other words, even if we cross paths with our neighbors, we cannot count on them, as is the case with the elderly, who cannot survive even when they are close to other people. Furthermore, when we do not have an organic relationship with our partner.

So we can be close, in a physical way. But, emotions and feelings can be millions of miles away from each other Then our emotions get hurt and our lives become unhappy. That is why, according to Karnal:

Loneliness is distinct from simply being without someone around. Likewise, being in company is not the same as guarantee to eliminate it.

Loneliness versus solitude

Thus, Leandro Karnal talks about the positive aspects of loneliness. For this, he adopts the term solitude, which refers to the idea of developing only when we are alone. In this way, by not having the presence of other people, we look inside ourselves.

Then we have access to our inner self, we can hear our thoughts without being influenced by the voices of others, and thus awaken self-knowledge, our real desires and limits.

However, the fear of loneliness makes us afraid to face who we really are. In this sense, Karnal, questions us, " if hell is in others, would fear of loneliness be the option to avoid the worst suffering of all, ourselves?"

Concluding remarks on the Hedgehog's dilemma

In this article, we talk about the origin and teachings of hedgehog dilemma In addition, we brought Leandro Karnal's perspectives on Arthur Schopenhauer's parable to the present day. So, to better understand human behavior in loneliness, take our online Psychoanalysis course, so sign up now.

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