No one wants to be happy...

Discussion in 'General Philosophy' started by Mr. Hamtastic, Apr 19, 2009.

  1. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

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    15,396
    I see no need or purpose to your 1st & 3rd sentences.

    Life is not peaceful & happy & I do not like it this way.



    I don't need chaos. Life is not dull & boring for me when things aren't in some kind of turmoil. I don't seek out, make or invent chaos. I try to avoid it, usually in vain.
    I read all kinds of books, some with chaos. I've written books, some with chaos. That's simply a reflection of life as it is. If life didn't have chaos, I wouldn't be reading & writing some books with chaos.
    I don't need things to be less than perfect. I don't need things to be discordant & out of sorts. The less chaos there is, the more alive I feel.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 21, 2009
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  3. Liebling Doesn't Need to be Spoonfed. Valued Senior Member

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    I think you are fooling yourself into believing that if your life was plain and ordinary, without any jostling, you'd be just fine. It's why cabin fever happens, it's why people find religion, and fight wars. It's why people will seek out conflict, any conflict, to avoid ennui. I would argue even that it's why most people come here and keep returning. The absolute chaos here is what makes this place work.

    It's somewhat life as it is, but it's largely ignored.

    People assume that if we got rid of all of the things that are not in harmony with one another, that is religion, race, gender etc... that we could all live happy peaceful lives. But I would argue that humankind would make conflict somewhere just to feel alive. Just to have some friction. It's human nature to upset the apple cart to see what's underneath.

    Do you think that we can truly be alive without chaos? Without conflict? Bringing things into harmony makes us happy, but it's fleeting and we'll just look for the next best thing. It's who we are.

    What makes you feel alive then, if not chaos?
     
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  5. Orleander OH JOY!!!! Valued Senior Member

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    same here.
    But I'm sure some people would say "when you disagree with me, you create chaos, therefore you love it"
     
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  7. Thoreau Valued Senior Member

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    The entire discussion is flawed.

    Happiness is a mental projection, not a mental acquirement. Happiness is purely dependent on your perception of various events, circumstances and more importantly, yourself.

    You can take actions that cause adverse effects in return. However, it is purely on you how you deal with these repercussions. You can project certain thoughts and emotions which make them postive, negative, or neutral. It is up to you.

    One can become temporarily happy with that big screen TV we just purchased, the new boyfriend, the new car or house. But that happiness is more of an attachment. When we acquire these things that we want, we are "happy" that we have them. Then that happiness eventually fades away into a neutraltiy. Then when we lose these things, which in reality were never ours to begin with, we become hurt, sad, and sometimes angry. This is why I say it is an attachment.

    One can truly be happy anywhere and in any circumstance. Keep in mind, I am not referring to any form of optimistic bliss and only seeing the good. Rather, I am referring to the concept of acceptance and self appreciation.

    When we accept the events, people, and repercussions of our daily lives, and accept that present is constantly evolving into the past, we learn to appreciate ourselves and the basics of life. When we accept that bad and good things happen, and are able to both see the bad in the good as well as the good in the bad, we learn to let things go and move on.
     
  8. madanthonywayne Morning in America Registered Senior Member

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    It's not just that people go out of their way to create new problems, it's that they blow little shit out of proportion when they don't have any real problems to worry about. It's like the bored, rich housewife giving some poor painter hell because he painted the wall white when it should have been egg shell. In the US most of us are living more comfortably than any humans in history, yet half the population is on antidepressants!
     
  9. The Breaker Registered Member

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    87
    Now we are getting down to it. Adverse effects of an action are themselves, subjective. One person may perceive an effect as adverse while another may perceive the say effect as favorable. It comes down to this, happiness is caused by neurochemicals in your brain, that's it, nothing else to it. The "high" these chemicals bring causes a negative feedback, reducing the number of these chemicals or the number of receptors these chemicals may bind to, eventually leading to neutrality. Some people are born with a higher amount of serotonin in their brain without negative feedback, making them more content. Others are born with higher amounts of dopamine, making them constantly seek out the next thing to make them feel good.
     
  10. StrangerInAStrangeLand SubQuantum Mechanic Valued Senior Member

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    YOU are fooling yourself thinking you know better about me than I do.
     
  11. PieAreSquared Woo is resistant to reason Registered Senior Member

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    In the US most of us are living more comfortably than any humans in history, yet half the population is on antidepressants!


    and with 50% of the ones on anti-depressants, it ain't working

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