Does it pay to be a good person

[Strongbow]

Being "a good person" ultimately turned me into a human door mat. I went through a period that I thought being that good person meant I had to help to fix ALL their problems. Now I think it is more about being an honest person that keeps your word. But that doesn't mean I won't slap a beotch. lol

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[musclemom]

I am amazed you guys actually think about shit this deeply.

I envy people who don't dwell on shit, honestly. However, a person's brain works the way it does. There are those who dwell and think and meditate and pray and those who don't care about anything beyond what they can see/feel/touch. Neither is more right.

 

[cryptosporidium]

the pursuit of happiness is acting in what we perceive to be the optimal fashion. if we ignore what we feel is best, then taken to an extreme, we act completely arbitrarily and die too young to reproduce because we'll just stop eating or randomly walk out into the middle of the street

happiness is absolutely essential for the survival of sentient creatures.

lol, i hope you realize what total horseshit this is. "happiness" is an entirely subjective human concept and not required for biological function.

 

[cryptosporidium]

I envy people who don't dwell on shit, honestly. However, a person's brain works the way it does. There are those who dwell and think and meditate and pray and those who don't care about anything beyond what they can see/feel/touch. Neither is more right.

only in moments of weakness do i envy the ignorant. the majority of the time, i wouldnt trade my level of awareness and hardship for the comfort it would bring.

 

[cindylou]

lol, i hope you realize what total horseshit this is. "happiness" is an entirely subjective human concept and not required for biological function.

What gets people through tough times? The WILL to live? What is it that makes one holocaust survior live while others give up and die? Value based happiness (not feel good happiness) is essential for us (imo) if we want to survive should something happen to destroy the distractions from what we DO/should value..

 

[BlueBird]

lol, i hope you realize what total horseshit this is. "happiness" is an entirely subjective human concept and not required for biological function.

I'm thinking Nimbus means 'sentient' in the occidental sense. No, happiness is not *needed* for any biological function, but you cannot deny that happiness changes some aspects of body chemistry for the better. Also the word, happiness, yes, is a human construct, but I guarantee other mammals feel joy. I know my pup expresses so when his tummy is rubbed.

For the record, I do believe humans should experience the whole spectrum of emotions, if only to help them emphathize with others.

 

[cryptosporidium]

What gets people through tough times? The WILL to live? What is it that makes one holocaust survior live while others give up and die? Value based happiness (not feel good happiness) is essential for us (imo) if we want to survive should something happen to destroy the distractions from what we DO/should value..

yeah, the will to live, survival instinct, and hope all have more to do with hard times than happiness does. what is the difference between value based happiness and feel good happiness? and where does contentment fit into this schema?

i hardly think that a striving for happiness embodies the same objective goal for someone imprisoned in a death camp.

 

[PICK3]

I envy people who don't dwell on shit

I get fixated on teh poon

 

[cindylou]

I meant to quote you crypto

Feel good happiness = biological. alcohol, sex, etc. Temporary happiness. 'Going out and having a good time' , physical happiness
Value based happines = the mind or spiritual ; goal oriented. The non physical

The WILL to live. What is the point of living? Meaning gives us the will to live.

What kinds of meaning or goal would help someone survive a death camp? Whatever makes life meaningful for that person. A duty to help others? The hope of seeing children? The goal of getting back to work? Being able to appreciate beauty?

Those kinds of happiness, the kind that give meaning to life, giving their suffering a purpose; are what keep people alive. Those who had none are likely lose all inner strength and give up and die.

 

[cryptosporidium]

im not saying that i dont think "spiritual harmony" or "happiness" however you may define it doesnt promote quality of life; i just wouldnt say that its a requirement.

other than that, its essence lies in semantics.