|
On January 03 2012 15:43 intrigue wrote:
am i wasting something? my friends with more productive jobs and higher status seem so unhappy still, but i'm fine. is a life happily lived worth it already? is it complacency to aspire for the most important thing, happiness, and then just be completely satisfied once you hit it?
Consider that in 1000 years no one will remember who you were, what you did, or any other detail about your life. Ben Franklin once wrote, "if you are not to be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten/ Either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing". But even this is a farce, 10,000 years from now (assuming humanity survives that long) few but the most devoted historians will remember even immensly influential people like George Washington. Those great discoveries and inventions will become one of millions of the like, many of the greatest scientists will be forgotten. Some may have their work live on, other's legacy will be destroyed and eternally forgotten like so many builders and academics of Rome. That is the crisis faced by Camus's absurd man, to spend a lifetime toiling away for a potentially meaningless existance.
But in some small way, everyone of us will contribute to the growth and advancment of humanity. Even the dead and forgotten of Rome helped in some way to build an empire that would lay the foundation for modern Europe, build the roads that would help the continent survive the dark ages. As long as you believe you are contributing to society, your is life as well spent as it should be. Don't be swayed by fast cars and big houses, as Aristotle once said “Time crumbles things; everything grows old and is forgotten under the power of time.”
Happiness is an illusion. I know a friend of the family, a single investment banker with no children who retired very young on a decent pile of money with the rest of his life to spend on his hobbies and persuing his wants. He is now an unhappy, lonely old person who wastes away his time on pointless things. My aunt is a strikingly similar story. When someone is given what they most desired, they most often find themselves utterly unhappy.
True "happiness" is about balance. We all need to be challenged in life; not to endure hardship but to face those day to day difficulties and use our minds to find solutions. We need that sense of satisfaction in accomplishing our goals, working to save up for that new PC, finishing our projects and what we need to accomplish to free up some time for a game of SC. There's a reason that the very wealthy old lonely woman has become a cliche. The truth is that is is reality. When we are given everything we want our lives lose their meaning. Real happiness is about finding the balance that works for each of us, and avoiding the traps of ego and self importance that will inevitable side track our search for that balance.
+ Show Spoiler +also, I sense a new TL meme. Intrigue the hot girl
edit: sp
|
On January 03 2012 20:40 HuK wrote:
keep doing wat ur doing biatch, when ur sleeping with all those cute young artistic women. i want u to think of the time me and u shared a bed
Chris crashing intrigue's party once again.
|
On January 04 2012 01:52 Chef wrote:Show nested quote +On January 04 2012 01:42 Pokebunny wrote:On January 03 2012 15:49 AirbladeOrange wrote:
Why do you think the most important thing is happiness?
Sometimes I wish I weren't as well off as I am. Not to derail too much, but for you as a person, what's more important than happiness? Isn't that kind of the goal of life, to achieve complete happiness and satisfaction with yourself? People find that in different ways, but it's still all the same thing in the end, imo. That's ridiculously narrow minded. You are assuming that all goals will bring you happiness, but some people have lifelong pursuits which don't necessarily bring them happiness. Say you want to help people. Maybe in another country with a lot of war. You could go there and do your best, but in the end the people you try to help are not much better off and the country as a whole is still fucked. You did exactly what you wanted to do, your part in the social system of humanity, but you still feel like shit because it wasn't enough. But you didn't go there because you wanted to feel happy. You could just take drugs your whole life if that was all that mattered. You wanted to do something that changed some part of the world in some way, because as humans, we often find it important to matter to others, and to impart some kindness to our race as a whole. We call people who don't sociopaths. There is the Seinfeld episode about it being impossible not to do anything for your own happiness, but take a step back from that and ask if anyone is necessarily doing it for their own happiness, or if that is a byproduct and there are much more efficient ways to guarantee personal 'happiness.' I would argue there are a great deal of things which never really bring happiness, but which are important to the function of our society. The goal isn't happiness, it's just a byproduct. The goal was the thing that you actually did with your life.
See, there is already the problem.
You have to distuingish between "Happiness" and "Satisfaction". What you are talking about would rather be, given the "general definition", more like satisfaction, since it doesn't give you the kick general happines gives you but you are still satisfied in a way, because you help people.
As I already said, the OP's question is loaded with stuff that we would have to determine and discuss first that we simply can't just answer it by saying something you picked up by your parents or something.
This is a philosophical question that is being discussed for hundreds, thousands of years and there's a reason OP is seeking for "help":
You simply cannot answer it. At least not without looking for what others already "discovered", thought of and so on... you gotta study this shit!
|
Calgary26003 Posts
lol what are you kennigit? never seen so much brag in my life haha
|
intrigue
Washington, D.C9935 Posts
On January 04 2012 02:11 Chill wrote:
lol what are you kennigit? never seen so much brag in my life haha
oh yes you have. yes you have.
|
On January 03 2012 15:43 intrigue wrote:
...
is a life happily lived worth it already?
...
Why do you care?
Yes, if a life lived happily is worth living for you it's fine to live your life like that.
So, my guess is you care because:
1. You feel it's ok to live you life anyway you want but you are aware of different opinions and you are uncertain;
2. You live your life as if you don't care but you feel you should. In this case the answer to your question is "no".
3. You don't. And this is a brag post 
|
intrigue
Washington, D.C9935 Posts
ok u guys got me i just wanted everyone to like me and think i am cool, OK??? so i made brag post
|
Cut the crap and make more music before the world ends.
|
On January 04 2012 04:43 intrigue wrote:
ok u guys got me i just wanted everyone to like me and think i am cool, OK??? so i made brag post
Hey you actually created a discussion about a very interesting topic !
|
On January 04 2012 01:08 intrigue wrote:
i'm not a girl
lies!
|
I don't get it, what'd you get lucky with? x.x
|
On January 03 2012 15:56 n.DieJokes wrote:
Well... No shit, you're a kitten
For the past year and a half I honestly thought his icon was of two pandas hugging until you pointed that out o.o
|
On January 04 2012 08:05 Hakker wrote:For the past year and a half I honestly thought his icon was of two pandas hugging until you pointed that out o.o
lol
I can see that.
|
intrigue
Washington, D.C9935 Posts
|
Kennigit
Canada19447 Posts
On January 04 2012 02:43 intrigue wrote:Show nested quote +On January 04 2012 02:11 Chill wrote:
lol what are you kennigit? never seen so much brag in my life haha oh yes you have. yes you have.
![[image loading]](http://www.youknow-forkids.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/tlj.jpg)
|
On January 04 2012 04:43 intrigue wrote:
ok u guys got me i just wanted everyone to like me and think i am cool, OK??? so i made brag post
Wait... so you are a girl?
|
Norway28848 Posts
|
This thread has potential for the TL hall of fame.
|
Fuck you.. Sincerely, us who are struggling :D
Can I buy your life??? :D
|
On January 03 2012 15:49 AirbladeOrange wrote:
Why do you think the most important thing is happiness?
Sometimes I wish I weren't as well off as I am.
Feel free to send your money to me :p
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
