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Post by eliflauta on Nov 12, 2007 19:45:30 GMT -5
Without reading anyone else's posts except the very first one, I would like to agree that short-term happiness is superior to long-term happiness. When it's short, it's exceptionally lovely and you know it's only for a short time, so you enjoy it to the fullest. With long-term happiness, there's always that little voice at the back of your mind chuckling at you for wasting time, and then you finally achieve it, enjoy it for a few days, then it becomes habitual, which is a terrible thing to allow to happen but it does anyway because we are humans with short attention span. Wouldn't you rather enjoy happiness for a bit instead of having blase happiness for a very long time?
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Kyle
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~~~~~ Trust Beyond See ~~~~~ "One light will tear apart the night"
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Post by Kyle on Nov 12, 2007 20:01:27 GMT -5
I beg to differ o.o;; I'm beyond that kind of long-term happiness. My happiness isn't dependent on anyone or anything O.o True, though, I have to remind myself of that sometimes. It's hard to explain... If you want, though, I can give an example. In the meantime, I love Thought of the Day e-mails, so here's one I saved that applies to this: Source: www.thoughtfortoday.uk
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Post by Oliveman on Nov 12, 2007 21:51:18 GMT -5
Ok- disregarding this "real happiness" for a second, I must also beg to differ with eliflauta - short term happiness is superior to long term happiness? Not only is that false, but dangerous.
We end up defining ourselves by the long term. If we place short term happiness above the long term, we become inconstant and subject to the winds of circumstance. You base your happiness on what's around you and can feed your happiness. Your long term happiness still exists, but it hinges on you getting those bursts of "happiness" which are inconstant by nature. Inevitably, by placing short term above long, you will cause yourself to be unhappy.
Where is this shown? Drug addiction is the most potent example.
You talk about long term happiness as if it is happiness you will get eventually. Long term happiness is by definition a higher level of happiness, because it is happiness that lasts over the long term.
What Kyle said about "real happiness", this is basically the same thing, but it is a specific type of long term happiness. It is happiness found from within, not from external sources and things that merely "happen to you".
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Post by dangerjane on Nov 13, 2007 0:59:26 GMT -5
Basically if everything's short term gratification...then we all are striving toward hedonism when we strive toward happiness.
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Kyle
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~~~~~ Trust Beyond See ~~~~~ "One light will tear apart the night"
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Post by Kyle on Nov 13, 2007 19:16:00 GMT -5
If we make the distinction of bliss, I agree you, eliflauta, when I think of this example:
* short-term happiness, excitement: riding a roller-coaster one time a year * long-term happiness based on excitement: able to ride roller-coasters every day * bliss (everlasting): being excited by everything, always
In that case, my preferences are bliss, then short-term, then long-term. As she pointed out, you get bored with the long-term and there's always that certain doubt. You don't have that with bliss, though.
As another example, think of people who win the lottery. Usually, if they were unhappy before winning, they experience a brief period of excitement (the honeymoon phase), but eventually return to their original state because we become used to the new circumstances.
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Let's focus this thread back on topic: People do what they perceive has the most value.
Feel free to read all of the posts on this topic ^_- To continue the discussion of happiness, please make a different thread. *said with love*
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Post by Oliveman on Nov 16, 2007 18:13:12 GMT -5
For anyone who didn't know (like me), hedonism is:
1. the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good. 2. devotion to pleasure as a way of life: The later Roman emperors were notorious for their hedonism.
It reminds me of another word... "emptiness"
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Kyle
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~~~~~ Trust Beyond See ~~~~~ "One light will tear apart the night"
Posts: 204
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Post by Kyle on Nov 16, 2007 20:40:41 GMT -5
Be careful what you relate to "emptiness"--one of the goals of every major religion is happiness or release from strife.
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