Originally posted by DMT
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What are the keys to human happiness?
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congratulations on successfully avoiding spending even a half-second on whether a commentary that runs counter to your preconceived narrative is worth considering. carry on, and I'll move on.finished 10th in this 37th yr in 11-team-only NL 5x5
own picks 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 in April 2022 1st-rd farmhand draft
won in 2017 15 07 05 04 02 93 90 84
SP SGray 16, TWalker 10, AWood 10, Price 3, KH Kim 2, Corbin 10
RP Bednar 10, Bender 10, Graterol 2
C Stallings 2, Casali 1
1B Votto 10, 3B ERios 2, 1B Zimmerman 2, 2S Chisholm 5, 2B Hoerner 5, 2B Solano 2, 2B LGarcia 10, SS Gregorius 17
OF Cain 14, Bader 1, Daza 1
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Originally posted by Sour Masher View PostDoes the book get into or suggest one big change recently is life expectancy? Like cancer, I wonder if increases in depression is a function of a stretched out lifespan--longer life stages all around and more time to focus on higher order things on Maslow's hierarchy, with a result of decreased happiness.
He does conclude that while the development of agriculture was a boon in the Darwinian sense of facilitating explosive population growth, the life of an average early farmer was much harder and less healthful/rewarding than the life of a hunter-gatherer.
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There is zero doubt that this is a more dangerous country than in the idyllic 30s and 40s when Norman Rockwell images and Little Rascal tv show was an accurate portrayal of life in the city. Its not about abductions per se, one should be able to imagine a hundred more likely ways that a child would be in danger now as opposed to the soft smile images that float in the closed eyes of our seniors of days long ago.
Yes, in a big city like chicago your kids in those years could be like Little Rascals, you could have stick ball games in street and a clubhouse in an abandoned lot with a group of 7, 8, 9 year olds gone for hours at a time without a parent being concerned. It takes a very particular mind, namely someone who is especially blind to the world as it is, to not absolutely know it is a more dangerous world now, and abductions wouldnt be even 1% of the issue.
Happiness, the thread subject. I think that magic bit of supercomputer in your pocket right now, the smart phone, has given us much, vastly more accessible portal to all the worlds peoples, problems, info, and drama. But I think that separation that is created by less in person engagements in lieu of the supertool smartphone has diminished our appreciation for much. Our best days are ahead of us, and behind us, but we are in a transition period where despite more access to the world, we have fewer real friends, despite a house full of tech we have less time, and despite having a greater knowledge base accessible to us than ever, we for most part are less educated in specific fields, and more superficially worldly and jaded. And less happy is shallow sense, but with a deeper worldview.
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Originally posted by Ken View PostGet off his lawn!---------------------------------------------
Champagne for breakfast and a Sherman in my hand !
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The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
George Orwell, 1984
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Originally posted by Judge Jude View Post"It's always amusing to me when non-parents criticize this generation of parents."
It's always amusing to me when parents go the route of professional athletes: "You can't question me, because you didn't play in the pros!"
for some reason, everyone seems to realize how dopey the latter is - but never the former.
if you had some actual data showing that child abductions are vastly higher now than 40 years ago, for example, then I would have to take a look at that and we could have a dialogue.
instead, you took a different route - which is interesting, given my response.
now cue the "but you can't compare those two things because!"
it's like talking to a brick wall."I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."
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Originally posted by TranaGreg View PostI used to think that happiness was largely genetic - that is, if one is predisposed to being unhappy they'll bitch about their roach-infested apartment about as much as they would about the dust on the grand piano that the maid missed.
I'm not sure I believe that as much anymore ... but I think there's still some truth there. I do think that there's a strong relationship tho between safety & happiness (not just security, but safe from judgement or other things that might make one feel vulnerable)."I lingered round them, under that benign sky: watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells, listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass, and wondered how any one could ever imagine unquiet slumbers for the sleepers in that quiet earth."
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Originally posted by Gregg View PostMaybe we need to define happiness before we can recognize what it is or how to get it.
Where should happiness be on life's goal list?
As to where it should be on life's goal list, two points. There's the arguably selfish component of where one's own personal happiness should rank among, say, the welfare or happiness of others, the betterment of society, serving country or "G-d", etc. And then there's the broader question about where maximizing human happiness should rank among the goals of human societies. I think it ranks reasonably high in both cases, but was more focused on the latter societal question than I was on the individual question.
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Originally posted by B-Fly View Post... And then there's the broader question about where maximizing human happiness should rank among the goals of human societies. I think it ranks reasonably high in both cases, but was more focused on the latter societal question than I was on the individual question.It certainly feels that way. But I'm distrustful of that feeling and am curious about evidence.
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Interesting topic. I highly recommend reading Why Buddhism is True by Robert Wright. Also, regarding the (over)parenting angle, How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims is very worthwhile. Here's her TED talk on the same subject:
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Originally posted by DMT View PostHappiness, like you said in the OP, is largely chemical and the difference between expectations and reality. Look at Anthony Bourdain, guy had a life that millions would trade for in a heartbeat, and he killed himself. Social bonds certainly are not a requirement, many monks lead happy fulfilling lives, mostly in solitary meditation.---------------------------------------------
Champagne for breakfast and a Sherman in my hand !
---------------------------------------------
The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.
George Orwell, 1984
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I would posit one of the keys to human happiness is naivete. The more knowledge we have the more we have to grapple with mentally and spiritually. There also is a physical toll to that as well.
I would also say one's ability to live an "it is what it is" lifestyle. The realization that you should only worry about the things you can control, and that really isn't much.
I think every era, every station in life, and every literal age of life provides a different idea of what happiness is all about.
I also think happiness comes from not comparing ourselves to others. There is always going to be a "Jones" who is one-upping you.
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And JJ, as a parent, I don't think you are completely off on what you stated. Now, get off my lawn!."Looks like I picked a bad day to give up sniffing glue.
- Steven McCrosky (Lloyd Bridges) in Airplane
i have epiphanies like that all the time. for example i was watching a basketball game today and realized pom poms are like a pair of tits. there's 2 of them. they're round. they shake. women play with them. thus instead of having two, cheerleaders have four boobs.
- nullnor, speaking on immigration law in AZ.
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Originally posted by Gregg View PostRaising a child is like preparing for a fantasy baseball auction. Always a plan until the first name comes out.If DMT didn't exist we would have to invent it. There has to be a weirdest thing. Once we have the concept weird, there has to be a weirdest thing. And DMT is simply it.
- Terence McKenna
Bullshit is everywhere. - George Carlin (& Jon Stewart)
How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are? - Satchel Paige
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