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
What is it, how can we best pursue it, why should we? Supporting the study of these and related questions at Middle Tennessee State University and beyond. PHIL 3160 – Philosophy of Happiness - "Examining the concept of human happiness and its application in everyday living as discussed since antiquity by philosophers, psychologists, writers, spiritual leaders, and contributors to pop culture."
Monday, November 30, 2015
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.
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