Up@dawn 2.0

Monday, November 30, 2015

Bertrand Russells' The Conquest of Happiness. On impersoal Interests

Bertrand Russell describes impersonal interests as, not the major interests that our lives are built around, but the little interests that offer us an escape from the mundane, tedious, tenseness of everyday life. Unhappiness can be caused by our inability to interested in anything that is not of every day practicality. When are minds are constantly worried about the things like when homework is done or what needs to be done at work, we never get the chance to shut down and recharge. The result is anxiety, nervousness, and/or frustration. This cycle becomes a slippery slope. According to Russell, as man (or woman) gets more tired, he loses interests in his external interests, and he then loses the relief he was getting from said interests and becomes more tired. Russell stats that impersonal interests should not involve will and quick decisions, again the point is to kind of shut down and relax. Also impersonal interests should not have financial risks, such as gambling or be too excitable that they produce emotional fatigue, like following baseball or football. It seems that everyone will encounter some hardships in life, whether its a death in the family, financial hardships, or a broken heart. In this cases it is easy to get absorbed and fall into a dark, dismal abyss. Obviously we are expected to grieve, we are human after all, but becoming overwhelmed can be avoided. Becoming interested in something outside that cause of anxiety can, according to Russell, create an intense boon. We should do our best to escape those times of grief and fill them with something positive. A man full of vitality and zest will overcome any misfortune, and that vitality can sought by finding positive impersonal interest.


Damon McCook

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Happiness Gene Blog 1


The idea that a happiness gene can be artificially put into a child before birth to assure their happiness is a scary idea to me. This teeters on a thin line potentially opening the door for more genetically modified emotions and feelings that would create a huge disconnect between being a human and synthetic. I don’t believe there should be a place for the genetic engineering and mutation of a gene that’s sole purpose is providing what seems to be “artificial happiness.”



 Happiness may have some attributing biological factors, but in my overall opinion, happiness is relative to your surroundings and the logic and morality you have as a human. You develop your own morals and enter different scenarios with your ideals and morals. If you have created a happy atmosphere then you can enter and exit these scenarios with an optimistic attitude and understanding that does not affect your happiness. There is also no need to be constantly happy, if that is what this modified gene would aim to do.  This would seem like a fake, or as I said before, synthetic happiness. There are times and opportunities to be sad, happy and all different emotions. It’s how you use these situations and handle your emotions within and after they are over. Happiness is so much more than a gene to me, it’s what creates, molds and establishes a person, so why would we want the shortcut of a genetically modified molecule as opposed to the natural way of living and learning?

Thoughts on Bertrand Russell (For Exam 2)


In our readings of Bertrand Russell, I found his discussions on envy very enlightening. Russell explains envy as "rendering a man unhappy." This is beyond true in any case, and has been felt by nearly every person, at some point in his or her lives. Instead of delighting in the things I had, I was blinded by the things that were in another person's possession. Envy can cause a person to wish misfortune on another and envy brings out a certain type of unhappiness that seems contagious. He goes on to explain that even taking something from someone when you are envious can lead you to a darker happiness, just by making the other person unhappy. Envy seems to be a silently venomous emotion or feeling that can disallow true happiness within oneself. Daily thoughts can lead one to act envious, for example, just contemplating, as Russell says, why one person leads a life of pleasure while another has to live a life of hard work and turmoil can lend to this negative emotion. My favorite quotation of his on this subject in his writing, The Conquest of Happiness, is as follows, "But leaving saints out of account, the only cure for envy in the case of ordinary men and women is happiness, and the difficulty is that envy is itself a terrible obstacle to happiness,” (pg. 82). Human existence is such a peculiar thing, especially when you really think and analyze this quotation, but at the same time, it makes complete and clear sense. Happiness can be had without the presence of envy, but envy can rear it's ugly head at any minute or hour of the day, even if so slightly. Luckily, Russell explains that even though envy aids to unhappiness and happiness cannot be had without the absence of envy, the knowledge of one’s own envy is a large step in relieving envious tendencies altogether. Some believe envy can be alleviated by acquiring that which you didn’t have, but still someone will always have more for you to be envious of, as Russell explains through the example of Napoleon’s jealousy of Julius Caesar, who was most likely envious of Alexander the Great and so on, (pg. 84). The semi-full proof method for attempting to subdue the snake that is envy is through self-realization and mental training. Learning to truly appreciate your possessions and your relationships eliminates this unhappy emotion. It’s, again, this notion of self-realization of personal worth and understanding of fortune. As with most all philosophy, it begins with and understanding in your mind and logic.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Amir


            Happiness is not just a thing that we can have at all the times. Life has it up’s and down’s. we can not plan for everything in our life to make it full of happiness, because there will always be unexpected situations that will make us unhappy or just normal. Here are four things that I believe it will make our lives more happy if we think about them and made them. First, family and relationships: intimacy with others fulfills two basic human needs. accept social invitations, and social gathering with family, such as, face-face meetings and less network chatting and texting. Second: meaningful work: engage in activities that makes us forget ourselves. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it the “flow” experience.  he said the best way to achieve “Flow” when we do what we do best. such as: making music, play with children, playing sports, writing etc. when we complete a challenge or task that we are pleased with. Third: Positive thinking: our attitude contributing to happiness. Be content, we shouldn’t compare ourselves with others. if you have to compare, compare down not up. Another useful attitude is to choose to believe the better option. For example, if your partner often works late, accept that he is overwhelmed instead of saying that he doesn’t care enough to spend time with you. Fourth and finally, Gratitude: Grateful people are happy people. it can be expressed in writing or talking. also saying prayers aloud is a way to increase your happiness. thank God for everything he did for us. If you have food in your fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep you are richer than 75% of the world. if you have money in the bank, your wallet, and some spare change you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy. if you woke up this morning with more health that illness you are more blessed that the million people who will not survive this week. If you can read this message you are more fortunate than 3 billion people in the world who cannot read it at all.

Nietzchea Happiness

 I do not think it is possible to sustain happiness without strong goals, purposes, and strong opinions. Not necessarily to say that we only need to have these in order to be happy. So in addressing Nietzchea's proposal in having strong opinions as being necessary for happiness I will have to agree, but with conditions. 
 My thought is that we live in a society where it is easy to fall into a trance. I mostly mean that people make choices that fit within current trends. Sadly, if one is the type that blindly follows the latest trend without any thought or knowledge  of why or how it came to be and by not participating you experience self pity, I cannot say that those people are happy. The reason is because they do not have any opinions for themselves. They are just adpoted and accepted without question. This is not so terrible when it concerns material things, but for ideas, I believe has a much worse affect on a society.
 Having strong opinions can be somewhat necessary to happiness depending on the subject at hand. Standing firm that purple is the prettiest color may make me happy, but someone else could easily deny and say orange is the prettiest. Although this is much like an argument between 9 year olds it is an essential part of being an individual. Sometimes having strong opinions cover a much more controversial subject, for instance, abortion. However, with topics like these, it is especially important to know the source of your opinions towards the subject because decisions are made that affect entire populations. I think it is essential to make sure you have heard all sides of a story before strong opinions of an individual or group affect laws especially if it imposes upon other individuals rights. Meaning just because one has strong opinions about a topic that is important to their happiness does not mean it's the same for others and therefore cannot be treated as fact. 
 Finally,  concerning the dangers of strong opinions  to happiness. One cannot be the holder of a strong opinions when it concerns questions of fact. The very reason a fact is a fact is because it cannot be debated through opinions, yet, especially in politics, people continue to trample facts with strong opinions. It is completely ridiculous. For example, saying global warming is not real as a difference in opinion as to it being real is incorrect to say because it crosses a line of fact. 
 As human beings we all tend to have strong opinions and usually there are questions of right/wrong and best/worst, but it is crucial to know when to compromise and when to accept a difference in opinion. As long as you can live in a society alongside strangers and neighbors and as long as you can keep your opinions essential to your happiness then that's the least one could do. However, feel free to change your mind. That is growth.
What makes living with each other bearable, and civilization possible is the willingness of all parties to limit the exercise of their rights - Daniel M. Haybron 

How Happiness Pursues Us?
We can find happiness and sadness in everything around us at the same time. People who tend to think about the rotein of the day would find it boring and this will make them sad. People who do not think about every action or behavior of others tend to be happier. I think that letting go or forgiveness would help people not to get upset of others’ actions. Happiness pursues us through the things that we have for granted such as: health, shelter, family, friends, money and belief. Thinking of these good things and being grateful would help us to feel happy. Happiness could pursue me maybe through a small party my friends made for my birthday. I find happiness by relaxing, having time with my family and friends. Friendship is one of the most important things that bring happiness to me. Happiness could pursue us in a beautiful sunny day which we enjoy.

There are many things can make us happy. Setting goals, finishing a job correctly, having someone in our life that cares about us and we really love and care about that person make us feel happy. Happiness is momentarily because the reason of it is momentarily. We have to have an eternal goal to have eternal happiness. God is the only eternal reason for our eternal happiness/joy. We just have to think about pursuing happiness in different way as happiness is pursuing us. I believe that thinking about happiness and the future does not allow us to enjoy the moment that we have and this would leave us unhappy.