"Man can do what he wills but he cannot will what he wills.”
“What disturbs and depresses young people is the hunt for happiness on the firm assumption that it must be met with in life. From this arises constantly deluded hope and so also dissatisfaction. Deceptive images of a vague happiness hover before us in our dreams, and we search in vain for their original. Much would have been gained if, through timely advice and instruction, young people could have had eradicated from their minds the erroneous notion that the world has a great deal to offer them.”He's wrong about that. But provocatively so, and worth arguing with.
I actually agree with Schopenhauer! I believe that, especially now with social media, that we as a whole get a wrong perception of happiness. We see these people's posts of their "happiness" and we compare our own lives to theirs so we say to ourselves "oh, they do yoga, that must be the key to happiness" so we try yoga and it sucks and we get discouraged which is stupid because just because yoga is somebody's happiness doesn't mean that it is OUR happiness.(/rant) I was definitely raised under the conception that happiness is out there and you have to find it. I wish instead that I was told that even if you haven't found your happiness, doesn't mean you're not allowed to be happy. I'm actively happiness, but not as vigorously as I am trying to build my character. There are too many people in this world who find happiness from Dragon others down, I do not plan on being one of those types of people
ReplyDeleteSome people find Schopenhauer a drag on their happiness, with his philosophy of pessimism and his metaphysics that says we're all just blind agents of Will (and not really free agents at all). But if you grant yourself enough free will to choose not to be a "dragon," you've already moved beyond old Schopenhauer's misanthropic philosophy. (Maybe he was nicer in person than in his writing, but the familiar anecdote about him pushing an old lady down the stairs suggests otherwise.)
DeleteI agree with Schopenhauer to an extent. The pursuit of happiness can make people miserable. It's easy to fixate on how/ why other people are happy and you are not. When this is the case, it is easy for many individuals to become discouraged. " I'm not happy because my job sucks, my house isn't nice enough, etc.." Instead of focusing on being happy, we begin to focus on the reasons we are not. Our minds are ridiculous objects in that way. In my opinion, happiness appears to be found when it is not being searched for. It's not an animal that can be hunted, it's a cove of treasure that must be stumbled upon by chance. Just do what feels right for you. No magnifying glass or pipe needed.
ReplyDeleteMy definition of happiness is the same for any emotion, a feeling, a pleasant feeling, but never everlasting. Which is why it’s not something I try to pursue constantly. I can understand doing things you enjoy, but happiness is not an emotion I would like to feel all the time. I believe you cannot have the good without the bad. And as for comparing it to other things such as success, I’m not entirely sure I care about those values any more than that of happiness.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Schropenhauer. I feel as if my peers are constantly trying to find ways to be happy, whether it be with significant others, friends, religion, controlled (and uncontrolled) substances, whatever. But to be 100% honest I don't believe happiness is something we cannot procure--ever. It's temporary; its wishful thinking, but I don't believe you have to be a negative person to think that life has no meaning. Just the fact that we exist is enough for me. To quote one of my favorite philosophers:
"Sometimes you just need to take a step back from your universe and remember that everything that is, ever was, and all that ever will be, is currently hurling itself through forever.
Lol.”
Lol, indeed!
ReplyDeleteHappiness can't be caught, like a butterfly in the net. But we can try to identify its conditions so that we'll be more likely to know and enjoy it when it comes. No?
I agree with Schopenhauer to an extent, especially given the rise of interest in social media and advertising. I see, what i believe to be, many deceptive images of happiness in our world today and think this is putting an erroneously false/distorted idea of happiness into the mix. From someone posting a picture of having a good time, even if they're not, to get likes, to the commercials we see,almost everywhere, to get people to buy buy buy. In contrast, I don't believe happiness is unobtainable or that the world has nothing to offer. Rather, i think people should be informed that what some are trying to offer as happiness may not be what you yourself are really looking for (or even, happiness at all), whether you're aware of it or not. I think people should strive to be more individualistic in their pursuit of happiness or, at least, check the facts and make a balanced and informed decisions.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Schopenhauer completely. I think the world is absolutely limitless. You can literally be whatever you want. I think the world has a ton to offer. We live in the greatest time in history. The safest time, the most advanced time. All the knowledge in the world sits in our palms every waking second. If you chose to use that knowledge anything is possible. Happiness by definition is the state of being happy. We can create that state instantly. We are the only animals that can instantly change our state. All other animals work on instinct, humans can create a state of being.
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