This is a picture, titled "Content" by my friend Felicia Chunn.
I've yet to decipher whether she means content as in substance, or as in the emotion; however, for the purposes of this post I'm choosing the emotion.
I personally think the fact that there could even be disagreement about which the piece means warrants such a post.
In any case, I'm curious, do we consider "content" a mode of happiness? Likewise, does this piece in any way change or alter your idea of what it means to be "content"? Furthermore, is this what you think "content" would look like?
I don't know how I would begin to picture my emotions without content or with just colors and brush strokes (not the feeling hah, this is going to be an interesting discussion if it comes up). This looks a lot like fish in water to me...which would make me content (the feeling) to stare at. The painting itself has a sort of calming effect, but I wonder if that's the content (not feeling) or the cool colors broken apart by the least loud/bright of the warm colors...Whatever the intention, I like it.
ReplyDeleteAs for contentment being a mode of happiness, I'd have to say yes, but it's much "lower" on the scale of intense feelings. Contentment is kind of a baseline, about the same distance from apathy as mildly disgruntled. It's kind of like a comfortable feeling for me--not necessarily happy, but definitely without feelings of negativity.
A better way to put it would be "acceptance." When I'm content, I'm in a state of complete acceptance, perhaps even appreciation, of my life or my situation at that moment.
DeleteFor me this picture made me feel discontent, but perhaps it is because, like I think someone else mentioned in class, it depends if you are only “looking at it”, or if you are “looking into it” for something more. I am someone who is always looking for something more, a deeper meaning if you will. I over-analyze many things in life, which I feel can be directly related to ones happiness. Over-analyzing makes me great at what I do, and makes me interested in things like philosophy, but it can be a catch 22, because (at least I feel) those that over-analyze life, much like those that go out searching for happiness, are likely to miss the ride, and sometimes forget that just "being" is sometimes enough, and is where many claim to find contentment.
Delete...So how did over analyzing this make you feel discontent? What about it did that? I'm interested in your reasoning here. I, too, find myself over-analyzing some things to such an extent that it results in displeasure with my activities or objects of analysis. However, I've found that this discontent, at least on my part, is strictly because I've put it under so much scrutiny in the first place and failed to simply see things as they are.
DeleteI think this looks like contentment because it gives off the impression of "going with the flow" while using a simple, satisfying color scheme. I like it; it seems mellow. I agree with Kat in thinking of contentment as acceptance.
ReplyDeleteI think this looks like contentment because it gives off the impression of "going with the flow" while using a simple, satisfying color scheme. I like it; it seems mellow. I agree with Kat in thinking of contentment as acceptance.
ReplyDeleteoops..
ReplyDeleteAnyways, my discussion question is Seneca had a lot of critics to address, do you think he was in fact guilty of not practicing what he preached?
My factual question is, how did John Stuart Mill's opinions differ from Bentham's?
Answer: Mill felt that Bentham was to narrow minded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2slvqU1Zajo
ReplyDelete