Up@dawn 2.0

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Vote for happiness


Our other priorities today, besides finishing Ricard and taking the exam: 1. regroup (and resolve to give the group concept a fair trial in October). 2. Vote for our November read. Here are the nominees, based on last class:
  • Exploring Happiness (Bok)
  • Generosity (Powers)
  • Geography of Bliss (Weiner)
  • Selected essays culled from the Internet (Aristotle, Montaigne, James...)
  • How to See Yourself as You Really Are OR For the Benefit of All Beings OR Art of Happiness (Dalai Lama)
  • The Monk and the Philosopher (Ricard & Revel)
  • Existentialism and Human Emotions (Sartre)
  • Flow (Csikszentihalyi)
  • The Alchemist (Coelho)
  • Surprised by Joy (Lewis)
With so many nominees, there may be no clear winner (with at least half the votes) on 1st ballot. If so, we'll have a 2d-ballot runoff between the top two or three choices. If a tie-breaker is then still needed, I'll cast it.

It's good to be King.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Group 1 ?'s

1. Does Ehrenreich think positive thinking is destructive?
2. How does Ricard view renunciation? What is being renounced?

3. Does Ricard believe suffering is inherent to life or can we control it and turn it into a tool for learning?

4. How does Ricard think we should react to the concept of ego?

5. does Ehrenreich think negativity is more realistic than positive thinking?

I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO EMBED THE SLIDESHOW HERE, BUT YOU CAN FIND IT ON MY DAWN BLOG. HERE'S A "TRANSCRIPT" OF THE SLIDES, SANS ANSWERS. CHECK GROUP LEADERS' POSTS FOR OTHER QUESTIONS, AND MINE ON UP@DAWNAND DELIGHT SPRINGS

HAPPINESS FACTUALQS - PRESENTATION TRANSCRIPT

  1. Philosophy of Happiness Fall 2011 Factual Questions
    • Does Ehrenreich claim that the positive thinking movement just another form of self absorbed distraction that is blinding us from the real problems of the world?
    • What object does B.E. feel insulted her intelligence and made her feel “infantile”?
    • Considering B.E.’s view of positive thinking, what does she believe concerning motivational schemes promoted by employers? Is this a type of encouragement for personal well-being or a means of social control in the workplace?
    • What was the reason, given by a California court, for ruling against a female employee’s charge of sexual harassment after being publically spanked for under performing for a home security company?
  2. Happiness Questions
    • When M. Ricard was approached about writing a book with his father, why did he agree but not believe he would ever write it?
    • According to Ricard, there are three modes of suffering. What are they?
      • Visible Suffering
      • Hidden Suffering
      • Invisible Suffering
        • What is significant about Invisible Suffering?
          • It stems from the “blindness of our own minds”
  3. Happiness
    • T/F The more you can free your daily activities to the autonomous the more you free consciousness for higher functions? (True)
    • What are the basic elements of suhka? - The joy of being alive - The conviction that we still have the ability to flourish -An understanding of the epheneral nature of all things
    • Who does B.E. identify as believing that poverty is a voluntary condition, and is a direct result of one's willful failure to embrace abundance?
    • T/F The world of ignorance and suffering is not a fundamental condition of existence but a mental universe based on our mistaken conception of reality is called samsara? (True)
    • #1: Has our Positive Thinking Movement done nothing but Capitalize happiness? #2: Does Ehrenreich believe that the Positive Thinking Movement is nothing but a self-absorbed distraction from the threats, problems, and shortcomings that plague our world?
    • T/F
    • According to M. Ricard, there is a distinct difference between true and false altruism.
    • At which American university did M. Ricard undergo his neurological analysis?

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Group 1 questions and thoughts

Well, they are really my own questions and thoughts on the book. Upon completion of the book, I came to understand the some of the thought processes of Buddhism in Matthieu Ricard's perspective. Its basically about happiness coming from within, and not outside sources or circumstances; and training the mind to be able to achieve this level of introspection. Honestly, not a bad idea; but I wonder if that is really all that necessary for happiness or required for pragmatic views and ideas?


Richard talks a lot about letting go of the “ego” and the self and often times refers to them as being the same thing. What ever the “self” is, it must be some from of “thinking thing” as Descartes put it. “I think therefore I am”, a quote by him that details his understanding of the self. Whether is it an illusion or not, it is still there and I can't see it as being part or the cause of egocentrism. It is ultimately a personality trait, not some inevitable by produce of having a sense of “self”.Maybe the “self” isn't the cause of Westerner's ills/personality traits, they could just be arrogant. Is losing the self really required to reach some state of inner peace or ability to diminish anger? On page 84, Ricard talks about how a simply punch angered him for almost an hour. He blames this on the ego, but maybe if he was used to taking a hit, it wouldn't have bothered him either. I have had similar experiences in my life, at one time a friend of mine and myself was hit by a person for no real reason. While my friend fretted the entire experience long after it had happened, I moved on as if a simply mosquito had bitten me and forgot the incident until just now. It had nothing to do with letting go of the ego for me, I was simply used to getting hit and it just didn't bother me. It was more of a product of training and improving the self, rather than destroying it.


“Is losing the self really required to reach some state of inner peace or ability to diminish anger?”


“Honestly, not a bad idea; but I wonder if that is really all that necessary for happiness or required for pragmatic views and ideas?”

Monday, September 26, 2011

Group 1

In the chapter The Great Leap to Freedom Ricard talks about renunciation and freeing one's mind from negative or selfish thoughts. In my own life I have attempted to free myself of such thoughts by debating with myself about how logical these thoughts are in order to find the most reasonable path that will not only bring peace to myself but to those around me.

I would like to know what any of your tactics are in the battle against your own thoughts and impulses.

Next

On Tuesday it's
T 27 MR 16-20
Plus, we'll entertain nominations for our November text(s). Mine, in no particular order:
  • Exploring Happiness (Bok)
  • Generosity (Powers)
  • Geography of Bliss (Weiner)
  • Selected essays... 
NOTE: As of class time on Tuesday the 27th, there are still 21 of us. Where are the rest of you? Guess we'll see you at Thursday's exam, if not at today's review. JPO

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Group 2


Sorry for the late posting and absence in class today.

Because there was no time for discussion last class I took the opportunity to post a factual question that I found to be of interest and one that would make a nice addition to the list of exam questions.

In chapter 10, Ricard discusses negative emotions and how to deal with them. As a way to deal with negative emotions he suggests meditation. However, what does he mean by ‘meditation”? The popular ideas of meditation seem to be out of line with his view of how to realize true meditation.  Also, what results might one experience when trying to ‘weed out’ negative thoughts or feeling through meditation?

He also compares suppression of negative feeling to that of an infectious disease. How do you feel about that comparison?

Group 3

M.R. says "our attachment to the ego is fundamentally linked to the suffering we feel and the suffering we inflict on others....(after letting go of the ego) we no longer have the need to think, speak, or act in an affected and selfish way." this sounds great, but its being suggested by a long time Buddhist....do you think that absolutely ANYONE do this? Could "you" commit to this kind of change with all "your" responsibilities and obligations?

Sorry group three for the last minute post. had a break in yesterday while i was in class, so i have had a lot to do in the past 24hrs. this is a quik one so hope to get some quik responses.
Ricard says that "suffering can provide an extraordinary lesson capable of making us aware of the superficiality of many of our daily concerns..." (71)

I've certainly had my fair share of suffering, and I'm not sure which type of person described on the previous page I would be, as I see myself in all three of them.

While I sometimes ask myself why I must endure such things, I am reminded of the superficiality that surrounds me of which Ricard spoke. I try and and cheer myself up thinking its made me a better stronger man.

Is it worth it really? Or is it true what they say, that ignorance is bliss?

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Next

I'm not happy about the lack of participation here, but this is next:
Th 22 MR 10-15

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Group 4 - MR Ch.1-5

Our group discussion centered largely around what is happiness, and how it is relative to the individual and his/her past and present circumstances. Just into Chapter 1 of Happiness, Ricard discusses the difference between a glimpse, or a magical moment of happiness and immutable peacefulness. In recalling what event may have brought one joy - a surprise gift, seeing a friendly face, a test passed, etc. - "this experience is just a passing glimpse brought on by a particular set of circumstances." So I guess our question here, is a retreat to Bright Sided; if our happiness is primarily composed of fleeting moments is the key to "enlightened" peacefulness positive thinking? Is it something that we can actively control? There is certainly something to Ricard's notion that recognizing these fleeting moments gives us some purview into the conditions that favor it.

This in many ways relates to Ricard's caged-bird metaphor - that we are caged birds who have become so complacent we barely recognize the possibility of changed circumstances. "The prospect of change makes us dizzy" (31). I think we can probably all understand this at some level, change is hardly easy. But to think that happiness is a skill that must be cultivated is a entirely new idea. We don't think about practicing how to be happy. And if there was a way to practice, how would we do it? Meditate, pet puppies and kittens? I say this not to belittle any conception of meditation or the like; but looking at this from the perspective of people, who cringe at the thought of unscheduled time, merely considering practicing happiness is a very daunting task.


Monday, September 19, 2011

Next

Don't forget, everyone, to post your thoughts on anything that caught your interest (or your group's) in the first five chapters of Ricard's Happiness.   Up next:


T 20 MR 6-9


Our first exam is a week from Thursday. It'll be made up of questions your groups have submitted, so if you've not yet posted them here and in the Powerpoint database please do so promptly.


Also a week from Thursday we'll decide on our November text. The list of candidates continues to grow, check it out. 


We'll also re- group after next week. 

Group 3 "Happiness"

Lets start out with a joke.... What did the Buddhist monk say to the hot dog vendor? "Make me one with everything." after receiving his slathered bun he hands the vendor a $20 bill. After waiting for a moment, he asks the vendor for his change. what does the hot dog man say in response? "Change only comes from within." This is favorite of Christoper Hitchens when he speaks and writes about the seeker's quest for knowledge east of Suez. group three's discussion question for the first portion of " Happiness" is this: Who wants to suffer? M.R. asks who wakes up wanting to spend the day in agony....we do however wake up wanting to avoid unnecessary pain for ourselves and others around us. he lays out two ways of looking at this desire....one is a pursuit of happiness and the other is a sense of duty. What motivates you personally as you awake each mourning and visualize the day that lies ahead of you? is it an insatiable appetite for good feelings for yourself and loved ones; while, avoiding anything that could bring about its antithesis? Or, do you plan and prioritise your movements according to unspoken familial and social contracts to which you are bound? maybe its a mixture of the two...perhaps neither of these sound like you at all. i find that much of what i do is out of a sense of duty to my family and friends, and also to my fellow man. i do have some selfishness thrown in the mix which is purely doing things for my own pleasure and or to stave off boredom. luckily my life is free from genuine misery because of the accident of my being born as a white middle class male in the U.S. so what i call avoiding suffering should be qualified a bit. So i guess I'm a duty bound kinda person. what are you? and if there are specific examples that you can throw in to help illustrate your self evaluation please include them.

Our factual question is: When approached about writing a book with his father, why did he agree but not believe he would ever write it?

Friday, September 16, 2011

Group 1

We got into the subject of happiness from a Buddhist perspective. Most of my knowledge of Buddhism comes from the book Siddhartha, which is about his journey to find enlightenment. From what I've gathered, enlightenment is a state in which one has emptied his mind of all thought, of all notion of the self as seperate from the world. In this state he can "feel" the world around him, and so realizes that he and the world and all things in it are one. This supposedly brings one peace of mind. So what I would like to know is:

Is this peace of mind a neccassary condition to gain happiness? Is it only untill you reach this state of contentment with the world that you can begin to enjoy it and derive happiness from this enjoyment?

or

Does happiness lie within and of this enlightenment? If all is one then happiness must exist in all things, so does realizing this equate to becoming happy?

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Group 1

-In what ways does Ehrenreich claim Positive Thinking was desctructive?

-Why did Positive Thinking become so compatible with American culture? What made it so popular?

Group 2

Have we, as Americans, taken an idea that was meant to push us toward bettering ourselves and our way of life and corrupted it? The pursuit of happiness is an idea that people leave their own countries for daily. As someone that has traveled to many other countries, I can say that the "pursuit of happiness" is an idea that people in other countries seem to believe in more than we do. Or maybe I should say in a more pure sense than we do. The positive thinking movement has an air of arrogance about it that says we are owed happiness. If you are not happy then something is wrong. People that I have meet in other countries,especially third world countries, understand that they come to America for a "chance" to be happy, prosperous, and content. They have no ill advised notions that they can "think" their way into bending the will of the cosmos into giving them a new car. So this brings us to our two questions:

#1: Has our Positive Thinking Movement done nothing but Capitalize happiness?

#2: Does Ehrenreich believe that the Positive Thinking Movement is nothing but a self-absorbed distraction from the threats, problems, and shortcomings that plague our world?

New Book Candidate.

Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis.
I think that this book could shed some light on the search for joy/hapiness/fulfillment from a Christian perspective. This book is a loose autobiography of Lewis's journey and search for that ultimate prize. It tells of his coversion from Atheist to Theist, and then Theist to Christian. I love this book because it is written in a very philosophical and logical tone (not the usually flavor that is attributed to the Christian mind set) and I think it would serve for some very interesting conversations, questions and reflections.

Three more candidates

I've added these titles to the growing roster of possible November reads:
 The field is getting crowded, kinda like the GOP...

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Group Three

We didn't have a lot of time to discuss the reading; however, we did come up with questions this time. one for three on questions if you are keeping score...but we got it in finally. Here are the questions group three generated in our short discussion on Tuesday:
1. Who does B.E. identify as believing that poverty is a voluntary condition, and is a direct result of one's willful failure to embrace abundance?
2. After reading Seigleman's quote on pages 150-151; what amount of good things should be sufficient in, in his eyes, to reduce the mass depression in our society? what amount of negative events in one life would he consider sufficient to wear a frown around 24/7? (if you have any other relavent comments reguarding the quote that is not a direct response to our question, please share that as well.)

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Book Suggestion

"Dont Sweat The Small Stuff........and Its All Small Stuff." i havent read it but some anoying people have told me its the book that changed their life and made them way too happy and made them want to share it with me. here is a review from the Amazon website: "Stress consultant Carlson reads his self-help guide with conviction, his gentle voice clear and persuasive. He presents common-sense advice for living a less hectic and more meaningful, loving life. His essential message is that we get caught up in minutiae, "the small stuff," and never get around to doing what makes us or our loved ones happy. He advises readers to engage in such small acts as paying someone a compliment daily, putting a lid on keeping track of who does what around the house, and writing a letter to a friend. Carlson urges small daily changes and uses examples of improvement from his own life to show how the advice works, making the book ideally suited to the audio format. Tape quality is excellent. Recommended for public libraries.?Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo" i never thought i would read this book, but i think it fits what we are doing in this class. Brian

Group 3 class discussion 9/8

For our group we mainly focused on the direction the author took towards Chapter 5 and the specifics of why should God want us to be rich. In my personal opinion, I found this chapter very intriguing. The analysis of Joel Osteen and his mega church was of particular interest especially his views of what god wants for us and his neglecting sin as a whole. From the author's POV it seems that people in Osteen's profession seem to treat God like a proxy for a butler or some type of servant. This seems like a slippery slope for a belief in God. If one keeps telling himself " God wants me to have this" and does not get it, could that not wear away at his belief system. This act also seems like more bargaining with God than praying which completely misses the point of communicating with God. When the author talks about attending a worship service it seems like more of a rock concert where the production value is greater than the message that is being delivered. When people are looking forward to seeing themselves on a jumbo tron rather than looking forward to scripture there is a problem. In response to corporate or mega churches the author points out an Atlanta Baptist church that responds to production value and greater audiences. The church said, "...Nobody ever started a business without hoping that someday,..., it would be a big success. That is the American dream isn't it?" This is true, when referring to business that is the American dream. But when we put this in terms of religion, does God really want us to view our church in a business sense? Yes, this is the American dream, but is it God's?

Group Three

our last discussion was fairly short and it focussed on the Joel Olstean flavor of TV evangalism. Our main focus was on the preaching of prosperity that is characteristic of these wide smiling hucksters, that convince people that all they need to do is send them money......so that god will give them money...what ever happened to the whole camel and needle analogy? http://youtu.be/RqoYQPMAMBs check out this video and tell me what feeling you get from watching....something short like: "I just threw up in my mouth a little." that was mine after "The Hair" came on and was bouncing as she talked about god making me rich....now ia want some good one liners from the rest of you guys.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Group 4

To summarize the discussion, we raised the question of why is it neccessary for the creation and bastardization of new idols (whether religious, political, social, et al)? We seemed to answer our own question with the a seemingly clear answer of Profit. While in the short-term people do profit from the immediate gratification, found in believing one has acheived some sort of answer, and higher-ups profit in dollars and control of social power and status. The long-term effects of this way of thinking for population of our scale certainly are more harmful than productive; however, coincidentally enough, none of us could find one common answer to combat the issues. This absence of an "answer" or even "secret" to combat the "Secret" seems necessary, since there can be no one route, but it becomes even more problematic, since there are certainly some things that need to be fixed.

*Any delay on this was because I wasn't certain if we were required to post the discussions (there were no other posts until today)... I did post my own thoughts in a previous post, which stemmed from our discussion.

Group 1 - 9/8

Last Thursday we got on the subject of religion and happiness. We talked about the conflict of religion as a means of finding peace and comfort in life and the darker history of religion as a means of mass control, and if one voids the other, or if they are seperate ideas coincedentally linked by a common theme.

Sep.13

Group leaders should all have their posts discussing last class & it's material up NOW, all group members should all post your comments before class Tuesday. If your leader is lagging, go ahead and post your thoughts. We're officially supposed to finish Bright-sided, with Mathieu Ricard's book on deck for Thursday.

I've added a fiction title to our list of candidate texts for November: the novel Generosity by Richard Powers. It's about what happens to a young woman and everyone around her when it is discovered that she possesses a rare "happiness gene." It's a terrific read & would give us a great look into the notion that genetics holds the secret of life.

Remember, we'll vote on this in a couple of weeks.
JPO

Group 2


Our discussion during the last class began to focus on the aspect of religion and a ‘mind over body’.  The cultural mixture of the New Thought movement and a splash of Calvinist religious thinking create an interesting mentality.

1.      It seems that the ideas about being able to ‘cure’ certain diseases like neurasthenia with positive thought could have worked. However, with such a deeply engrained Calvinist mentality, those who sought positive thought only became worse because of a kind of religious guilt….

2.      How does Mrs. Ehrenreich feel about the New Thought movement and its approach to alleviating symptoms of an almost imagined ‘disease’ during the early to mid-1800s?

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Slightly Happy, According to Mr. Diener… Tangent Ahead

To begin, I took the happiness quiz, and of course, I ranked slightly happy. Five questions, and I'm told how I feel (with a much less accurate description than what I could say myself). It's very hard for me not to become the class grouch while reading Ehrenreich's book, as Dr. O put it at the beginning of the semester. To preface this, I should say I'm enjoying Ehrenreich's book and agree with many points… On most days, I'm very comfortable with myself, but I can't help but feel emotionally hung over while reading this.

Instead of asking why are or are we not happy, what it is or is thought to be, and where can it be found, I feel like we should be asking how can we reclaim reason? How can anything be fixed? I know that these are questions that have been often asked, and more frequently responded with a cure-all idol (whether God or life-coach), quick-fix drug, or guidelines to restructure one's life, written by some other person who is only capable of living one life.

I don't believe there's one, definite way to fix anything or to generally live by, but I certainly feel like everyone's so muddled in a mess of (un)happiness (and illogic, if you want to use that term), certainly there has to be some reason to fix this and some other people that feel likewise? We're sitting in classroom (or currently, behind our laptops) and discussing with at least somewhat like-minded people instead of engaging in action which would involve more people, allowing for these legitimate concerns for logic to be heard on a larger scale. How much can be done by discussion, and when/if does anyone feel like we should act?

Thursday, September 8, 2011

"A" for group leaders...

but where are the rest of you? Remember, you need to get your comment posted before class. That gives you about 17 minutes from the moment I push "Publish Post"...

JPO

Group 2


My name is Connor Moss and I am the spokesperson for group 2. Our discussion centered around the idea that people who may not actively seek happiness or the secret of life are sometimes forced to be engaged in the marketing and cultural aspects of happiness. Barbara Ehrenreich seems to feel that the sale of happiness is in some was disgusting and should be dealt with individually instead of everyone putting on a happy face for things that may not be especially happy about.

Our questions are:

 1. Can the marketing and forcing of cultural ideals about happiness make people more anxious and angry at those around them even as they put on the happy façade as well?

2. What does Mrs. Ehrenreich suggest we, as a population, do to alleviate this forceful and faux idea of happiness? Does she have some overall alternative methods for dealing with sadness or the over production of a “happy America?”   

BBC Happiness Quiz

Here's the link to the Ed Diener quiz if anyone is interested. I think the old link on wordpress is broken. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/happiness_formula/4785402.stm

9/6 Group 4 Discussion

A couple big questions from chapters 2 and 3, for Group #4:
"Why spend so much time on oneself when there are so many things to be done?" (96)
Is indulging in this "positive thinking" movement not a way to evade responsibility to society and others at large? "PT" is egocentric, even though it may aim at self-betterment. Should we be pushing an idea centered on individualism, when in fact sharing, giving, being part of a community are in themselves means to happiness and well being?

We got off on a tangent about the advertising campaign of PT, but this is a valid point. On the one hand, in management "success campaigns" are clearly profitable in the sense that they may empower and inspire the employee. At the same time, does this not suggest that success is a necessary end? That such is required to be happy? Look at the discussion of the money-talisman in Bright-Sided, where we are encouraged to paste the corners of a dollar bill onto paper and hold it to our heart every day, praying for prosperity. Where is the line between faith and good-will PT and delusion? Furthermore, is happiness essentially intertwined with a wealth conception? Money can make you happy, but obviously we realize it has limits (i.e. people who have everything and endless$$$).

On a somewhat cynical note, we think it has to be said that a main objective of the PT movement is to make happiness profitable. The movement itself is a sampler of ways to market happiness, through books, lectures, clothing, and any number of labeled/inspired/bedazzled items. Would the PT movement have gotten this far if it was not profitable? Obviously people are still unhappy.... A question we turned to is altruism - where doing the right thing has to be profitable. Look at natural disaster relief where infomercials beg for donations, where pennies a day can feed the starved child.... Contributing to these needs can make one happy, but clearly this also involves a profitable business. Some may even point to organized religions as "making happiness profitable." The point here is that Doing the right thing is not profitable. If it was, there would be many more people doing the right thing! So how does this relate to happiness? We believe happiness is a consequence of doing the right things but that it may in fact also be an intended consequence - is it wrong to make a contribution because it makes me happy? is it any less of a contribution?

As a group, I think we are of a consensus that there are inherent problems with PT, and especially the movement itself, but that the question remains as to how we can "break the bubble." PT may be good for one's self esteem, may enable success in the workplace, etc. but at some point it is simply not enough. Is the individual responsible for bad things that happen - is their PT not strong enough? Their faith weak or shaky? This is a huge problem within the PT movement and if it cannot be resolved with yet more PT or a reconfigured ideology, the next step is blaming one's own illness/disease on lack of PT. Although central to some believers of PT, personal responsibility for illness is contrary to our scientific knowledge of health and genetics. Such a conception is patronizing to the very people who are suffering and trying to find happiness in the reality of illness.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

My name is Brian Woulfe and i am the spokesperson for group #3.
in our discussion Tuesday, group 3 focused on BE's pessimism and dark humor that was pointed at the cult of positivity, especially in the breast cancer community. i think the aspect that really got a good and thoughtful response from all the group members is "is there any merit in an overemphasis on the silver lining that one may find in the darkest clouds of our experiences, or, is the American Psyche trained to try and find the lining even when it doesn't exist? Also; if the silver lining can not be found in these situations, are we manufacturing it through wishful thinking to keep ourselves from dealing with the darker side of the human experience?" we did not come to any consensus on these points but did have some good debate and some great analogy's that illuminated the different points of view. I'll share my own anecdote with the class since i cant touch on all the great points from our talk. i feel that we construct the silver lining in the dark clouds of our lives....it softens the blow from terrible realities, and for one reason or another, we have trained ourselves to truly believe we could never face without these emotional "air bags". i have a friend from high school that is happily married; unfortunately he and his wife lost their first born child four days after he was delivered. in my eyes, and i trust in most of yours, this is a tragedy....however; on facebook for the days and weeks following their loss, the most common words that were written were less consoling than they were explanatory. So many of his friends and acquaintances said that it was better that their new born, and now dead baby boy was in a better place....and this should make this unlucky couple feel better about their and their baby's misfortune. i can critisize what those people said, but i was no better than all of them. i dared not point out that these people were saying something that i found attestable because i saw what effect these condolences had on him and his wife...they responded to all of them with a polite thank you and expressed how their supernatural justification helped them through a tough time.....i think that BE is right on with her snarkie criticism of the cult of positivity and think that i speak for the rest of group 3 as well.... any thoughts?

Group 1: Our Discussion on Tuesday, 6 September.

My name is Taylor and I was elected to be the spokesperson for Group 1. Our group discussion on Tuesday mainly focused on the negative attitude that Barbara Ehrenreich seems to have toward a society that tries nearly everything to soften the blow of the real world in general, and breast cancer in particular: from teddy bears to positive thinking Charlatans and their get-happy-quick schemes and seminars. We agreed that there is a certain sense of goofiness in these examples, and realized that Ehrenreich just seems to be so negative after having battled breast cancer, which led us to ask our first question (Note: Barbara Ehrenreich seems very negative, but we did not decide if it is a warranted negativity, or a correct negativity):
(1) Is there a positive side to negative thinking?
This is a question that we discussed for several minutes. I believe the four of us in Group 1 interpreted the question four different ways, perhaps, and answered it four different ways. We decided that it is a question worth asking. Perhaps it is a sort of paradox, or confusion of terms, but that does not mean it's not an interesting question.
Our second question - the factual question is this:
(2) Was it Calvinism that scared earlier Americans into the New Thought movement?

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Barbara Ehrenreich on The Daily Show

I mentioned this is class and wanted to share the link. Some of you may have already seen it, but if not, here you go.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-14-2009/barbara-ehrenreich

Monday, September 5, 2011

We've moved!

Wordpress wasn't working, so our new home is http://philoshap.blogspot.com.

Invitations have been issued, we'll get everyone else on board here by Tuesday (Sep.6), when we'll be discussing the first three chapters of Ehrenreich's "Bright-sided."

Group leaders, please post your summaries and questions from last class here as soon as you can. Everyone else, please reply with your own comments (including bios) before Tuesday's class if possible.

Happy Labor Day!
==
A late post to the old blog, reposted here:

My name is Erik McInnis, and I’m in my fifth year of college (not sure what you call that) as a video production major or as MTSU calls it, electronic media communications. I hope to one day be a movie editor/director/producer/whichever part of it I feel like doing at the time. There’s a great deal of philosophy in film which is why I’m minoring in philosophy.
As for my take on happiness, I think that it’s not some external, inherent “thing” that you can just go get. It wasn’t part of nature before we got here. It’s just an idea we made up, a thought. I’m not saying your enjoyment of that cool new thing you just bought is empty, nor that you shouldn’t have bought it. What I mean is that there is no inherent value or property of happiness in that thing, but rather it is you that decides that it makes you happy, and so it might as well. When we ask ourselves in our minds, “Am I happy?” it seems we half-way expect some other voice to chime in and say, “Yes you are.” Only you can answer that for yourself, you just have to believe that’s it true, because if you do, then it is.

Hello, is there anybody out there? (Reposted from 8.31.11)


Hello, is there anybody out there?

Is anybody else here? Post your short personal bios and replies to the question about whether you’ve found or are seeking a secret, the secret, or no secrets to happiness.
(UPDATED 5 pm Wednesday) The bios aren’t exactly rolling in, there must be a technical glitch we’ll need to address in class if most of you are still unable to post. But go ahead and respond to the first-day questions on your index cards and be prepared to discuss your general view of the search for Happy secrets… then we’ll turn our attention to Thursday’s syllabus listing,
“BS Intro, ch1. “Smile or Die” – Positive thinking in America, Positive Psychology”
That’s Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Bright-sided,” thru ch.1. Are we too manically driven by the “pursuit of happiness”?
We’ll talk about the general stuff first, I’ll answer your questions about the course and syllabus, then we’ll split into five small discussion groups. You’ll pick a leader, talk, listen, talk, repeat…
JPO

6 responses to this post.

  1. My name is Taylor Mershon, I’m a Junior, and I am fairly certain that I am a Philosophy major…After graduating from MTSU, I plan to acquire a M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee. I am from Dallas, Texas, but have lived in Murfreesboro for ten years.
    I think that I have found a secret to happiness, but I’m only 23, so I might be wrong. I do not believe the opposite of happiness is sadness, necessarily, but boredom. Boredom, as I understand it, is another term for discontentment. I try to remain content in whatever situation I am in, and chase boredom away in whatever way I can.
  2. So first of all, let me know if I’m posting this on the blog properly, please. I may not be navigating this site properly.
    My name is Claire Randolph. I’m double majoring in philosophy and psychology. I’m not exactly positive of how I’d like to use either of those majors. I’m interested in attending culinary school (with imaginary money, at this point) as a break between a bachelor’s degree and, hopefully, a Ph.D. I’m from a small town in West TN that you’ve most likely not heard of and hopefully will never be so unfortunate to visit. I’m not entirely sure of what sort of facts about myself related to happiness to include. My only sentiments on happiness that I’ve formed so far is that I have experienced it. I think that happiness is not some tangible place that we reach, and there is no secret to pertaining it. I think that it does not “come” to us or that we can “find” it, but that we feel happiness after fleeting seconds where things feel comfortable and safe, we feel in control (if not in control, then satisfied with our position), and we’re near someone/people that we can identify with, discuss, and feel compassionately towards. I don’t believe that there is some “secret” that we can use as a tool to unlock some mystical door into complete happiness/utopia or whatever word you want to use; I think that we stumble into when we’re not necessarily thinking about finding it. This is a vague interpretation, I think so far, but I could change my mind; it’s just what I’ve understood so far.
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  3. Whew only one other comment, okay.
    Well I’m Colton Durham currently a sophmore pursuing a dual major in Psychology and Philosophy and when I graduate my plans are to attend a yet to be decided graduate school and study Psychology.
    It’s hard to think of what could be the one secret to being happy when there are so many cultures in the world with so many different ideas on what happy is. Therefore I would have to say that I don’t think there is one secret way to being happy, but instead multiple (this could be hundreds or thousands or hundreds of thousand!) “secrets” if they can even be called that anymore to be happy.
    Now am I actively searching for these secrets? No, but I am taking notes on ways that seem to make me and the people around me happier.
    • Posted by rebekah48 on September 1, 2011 at 9:16 pm  edit
      I think it’s cool you’re noting the ways other people appear to find happiness. A lot of times that is something that is overlooked – happiness is relative. Religion is often something people turn to, particularly those devastated by socio-economic conditions or natural disasters… just think about the rise of religion in third-world countries. Now whether religion can lead to happiness, or even a sense of peace, is subjective; but I believe the crucial point here is that happiness cannot be singularly defined. It is great to observe other people, to respect their ways of being and finding their own path to contentment/happiness, but at some point we have to realize that we are individuals who right or wrong are responsible for ourselves alone. We have to reconcile with the choices we make, the lives we live. Who am I to judge what makes another person happy? (An obvious exception being murder!)
  4. Posted by rebekah48 on September 1, 2011 at 9:29 pm  edit
    Hi, I’m Rebekah Horton soon to be Rebekah Cochran… I am a senior this year, double major in Philosophy and Pre-Law. Originally I was also a Instrumental Performance major (trombone); things change and I still am not sure exactly what I want to do with my life! After graduating next fall (fingers crossed!) I hope to get into an amazing, super awesome masters program in which I can pursue Political Theory/Philosophy.
    As far as happiness goes, I personally have struggled with this my entire life. There is a difference between being “happy” and “feeling happy.” You can have the most amazing life, but if you perceive things in a negative way (even unintentionally, unknowingly) it is very difficult to find happiness.
    I believe another huge contributor to this happiness dilemma is the materialistic culture in which we live. Instant gratification makes us happy, buying that new computer makes us happy, that chocolate cake you wake up thinking about makes you happy (when you finally eat it!). I don’t think there is a secret to happiness, but to find any sense of meaning in the word I think we have to realize what artificial, THINGS, we use to fill this void. I believe true happiness comes from clarity, not necessarily knowing or understanding everything, but having faith in yourself and in the possibility of possibility (if that makes sense). I’ve been thinking about what Dr. Oliver mentioned Tuesday about the walking a mile in any direction – that is clarity. Sometimes your mind can lead you to question things too much, but at the same time I think this awareness of yourself, separated from the anxieties and stresses of life and the world, is essential to finding happiness.
  5. Posted by osopher on September 2, 2011 at 6:50 am  edit
    Actually I think I’m happier anticipating and remembering my chocolate cake than eating it. Anyone else that way? But the trick is to enjoy the maximum benefit of both having and eating.
    Congrats on the impending nuptials, Rebekah! Hope you’ll both be very happy…
(Originally posted on Wordpress)