Be happy, it costs nuthin'
pow
there are two paths that it can take. One is known as economic growth
- of money being invested into producing real wealth. The other is
known as inflation - of things becoming more and more expensive, the
money losing its value, and the gain being squandered.
The same applies in human happiness. When state of affairs of any
person improves, the two paths possible are happiness growth or
expectation inflation. In the first case, the person joyfully embraces
the improvements and becomes a happier person for them. Remaining
grateful and appreciative for what he has that he did not have
previously, he exists at a happier state. Any new improvements are
likewise met joyfully and appreciatively and increase happiness. And
the improvements are never taken for granted, but are appreciated in
each case, resulting in ever greater happiness of the person.
In the second case, the person begins to expects the new state of
affairs. Instead of becoming happier, he instead requires more and
more positive conditions to sustain the basic mental state. Sense of
entitlement grows, requiring more and more to meet ever-growing
expectations that take improvements for granted. The improvements are
inflated away to feed the growing expectations. The demand grows out
of control, the conditions from which one has hailed are forgotten,
necessities grow beyond all measure, and more is required to sustain
basic level.
Both phenomena take place at the individual level as well as the
collective. The current state of existence of most people in the First
World would have been unthinkable to most people in history; and yet
many take it as an entitlement. Frequently it makes sense to show
people how life is elsewhere before they have sufficient appreciation
to value the life that they have and the hundreds of millions of
people who made it possible.
One case of expectation inflation, taken to a thoroughly absurd
extreme, can be found in the Australian men of the father's lobby
persuasion. My friend Dean, who has traveled to over 100 countries,
wrote that Australia is the best place in the world to live. And yet
Australian men have extremely high suicide rates. This suicide rate
cannot be based on political or economic conditions; otherwise most of
the world, where political and economic conditions are nowhere nearly
as good as they are in Australia, would have much higher rates of
sucide. Nor can it be based, as Australian father's lobby types claim,
on feminism; otherwise there will be far more suicide among men in
America, where feminism is far more strident, more vehement, more
abusive, more powerful and more extreme. The only possible explanation
is that these men have absurd expectations of life - expectations that
have inflated so far from reality that they cannot be met in the real
world. Frankly, if their expectations cannot be met in Australia, then
they cannot be met anywhere, and the only solution is for these men to
be made to know how good they have it by comparison to what people
face in the rest of the world. Which may also give them appreciation
for the liberal principles and great people who made it possible for
them to have the life that they have.
Only then - when the overly-inflated expectations are shown for the
folly that they are - can people develop the appreciative state of
mind that is required for actual happiness. It is then that happiness
can in fact grow. And then these same people can become contributors
to happiness of their families and of their country rather than its
detractors. Which will be a far better use of their resources than
whining about feminism in one of the First World's least feminist
countries, or taking away women's rights in a country known for
violence against women, strident chauvenism, and atrocious treatment
of wives.
For happiness of people at both individual and collective level, it is
worthwhile to encourage happiness growth and confront expectation
inflation. In this the good is not wasted but is appreciated, and what
is affectuated is improvement in human condition and in people's
experience of life. And then it in fact becomes a worthwhile endeavor
to put in work to improve people's experience of existence, knowing
that it will not lead to inflated expectations but rather lead to
greater happiness in the people who are now living and who are yet to
live.
--
Remember," Only a dreamer can have a dream come true"
Rod Speed
> When a country suddenly gains more money than it has had in the
> past, there are two paths that it can take. One is known as economic
> growth - of money being invested into producing real wealth. The
> other is known as inflation - of things becoming more and more
> expensive, the money losing its value, and the gain being squandered.
Mindlessly superficial. Inflation is about a hell of a lot more than that.
> The same applies in human happiness.
Nope.
> When state of affairs of any person improves, the two
> paths possible are happiness growth or expectation inflation.
Usual mindless binary silly stuff.
> In the first case, the person joyfully embraces the
> improvements and becomes a happier person for them.
Not all of them do. Some are such miserys
they moan about their circumstances anyway.
> Remaining grateful and appreciative for what he has that
> he did not have previously, he exists at a happier state.
Some do, plenty dont.
> Any new improvements are likewise met joyfully
> and appreciatively and increase happiness.
Hardly anyone is that silly.
> And the improvements are never taken for granted, but are appreciated
> in each case, resulting in ever greater happiness of the person.
Hardly anyone is that silly.
> In the second case, the person begins to expects the new state of
> affairs. Instead of becoming happier, he instead requires more and
> more positive conditions to sustain the basic mental state. Sense of
> entitlement grows, requiring more and more to meet ever-growing
> expectations that take improvements for granted. The improvements
> are inflated away to feed the growing expectations. The demand
> grows out of control,
That never happens.
> the conditions from which one has hailed are forgotten, necessities
> grow beyond all measure, and more is required to sustain basic level.
> Both phenomena take place at the individual level as well as the
> collective. The current state of existence of most people in the
> First World would have been unthinkable to most people in history;
Thats what progress is all about, stupid.
> and yet many take it as an entitlement.
Or they prefer the better way of doing things.
Leaves watching many of the kids die of infectious
disease, and die like flys in drought etc etc etc for dead.
> Frequently it makes sense to show people how life is elsewhere
> before they have sufficient appreciation to value the life that they
> have and the hundreds of millions of people who made it possible.
Nope, only the fools are stupid enough to want to do it the way it
used to be done when there are much better ways of doing things now.
> One case of expectation inflation, taken to a thoroughly absurd extreme,
> can be found in the Australian men of the father's lobby persuasion.
Nope.
> My friend Dean, who has traveled to over 100 countries,
> wrote that Australia is the best place in the world to live.
He's entitled to his opinion.
> And yet Australian men have extremely high suicide rates.
Pig ignorant lie.
http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rates/en/index.html
> This suicide rate cannot be based on political or economic conditions;
Yep.
> otherwise most of the world, where political and economic conditions are nowhere
> nearly as good as they are in Australia, would have much higher rates of sucide.
They do.
> Nor can it be based, as Australian father's lobby types claim, on feminism;
They dont say that.
> otherwise there will be far more suicide among men in America,
> where feminism is far more strident, more vehement, more
> abusive, more powerful and more extreme.
Easy to claim, hell of a lot harder to actually substantiate that claim.
> The only possible explanation is that these men have absurd expectations of life
Or that they just dont like the life circumstances they end up with and prefer to be dead.
> - expectations that have inflated so far from
> reality that they cannot be met in the real world.
Easy to claim, hell of a lot harder to actually substantiate that claim.
> Frankly, if their expectations cannot be met in
> Australia, then they cannot be met anywhere,
Easy to claim, hell of a lot harder to actually substantiate that claim.
> and the only solution is for these men to be made to know how good
> they have it by comparison to what people face in the rest of the world.
They dont care. What they care about is what they end up with.
You dont approve that they dont care for that ? YOUR problem.
> Which may also give them appreciation for the liberal principles and great
> people who made it possible for them to have the life that they have.
Or they have enough of a clue to realise that that doesnt appeal
to them, regardless of what fools like you want them to believe.
> Only then - when the overly-inflated expectations are shown
> for the folly that they are - can people develop the appreciative
> state of mind that is required for actual happiness.
Mindlessly silly.
> It is then that happiness can in fact grow.
Mindlessly silly.
> And then these same people can become contributors to happiness
> of their families and of their country rather than its detractors.
You dont know that any of them are that last either.
> Which will be a far better use of their resources than whining about
> feminism in one of the First World's least feminist countries,
Easy to claim, hell of a lot harder to actually substantiate that claim.
> or taking away women's rights in a country
> known for violence against women,
No worse than any others and much better than plenty of others.
> strident chauvenism,
No worse than any others and much better than plenty of others.
> and atrocious treatment of wives.
No worse than any others and much better than plenty of others.
> For happiness of people at both individual and collective level,
Only mindless fools are silly enough to assume that thats what matters.
> it is worthwhile to encourage happiness growth and confront expectation inflation.
Not even possible. In spades with your silly waffle.
> In this the good is not wasted but is appreciated, and what is affectuated
No such word.
> is improvement in human condition and in people's experience of life.
We've been doing that for millennia, fool.
> And then it in fact becomes a worthwhile endeavor to put in work
> to improve people's experience of existence, knowing that it will
> not lead to inflated expectations but rather lead to greater
> happiness in the people who are now living and who are yet to live.
Wota fucking wanker.