Thread: Western culture! How fortunate we are!

Great video. I watched it, and I think I'll stick it in my favorites.

Though I still think I'd rather be happy about having lots of quality time every week, than being happy about being happy with what I get with the current limitations of having small kids. I think.

To QuickOrange: yeah as much as I love my kids, they really put a cramp on the old quality time experience Somehow priorities change with swmbo. My best friend has the same problem, so I doubt that this is just me.
The thing is, if I could choose to go back the old situation but without the kids, I wouldn't do it. I love them too much.

I completely understand. I know there'd be no way I would regret having them, but I also know that I'm not ready to share yet. It's really interesting though watching people change when they have kids. I'm at the age where everyone around me it seems is having kids, and the transformation is remarkable.

Happiness may be what you make it, but I can think of a few things that would help my happy factor right now. I'm not saying completely happy, just baby steps. Lots of little happys makes a big happy, right?

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Man, I would be soooo happy if I owned a beemer!

hey, what happened with the accent and the goatee!

Originally Posted by Bruno

Though I still think I'd rather be happy about having lots of quality time every week, than being happy about being happy with what I get with the current limitations of having small kids. I think.

wrong!

Originally Posted by Bruno

The thing is, if I could choose to go back the old situation but without the kids, I wouldn't do it. I love them too much.

much better! as we just learned being stuck with them is what synthesizes the happiness

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

I'm not saying completely happy, just baby steps. Lots of little happys makes a big happy, right?

no, actually you need two adolescent happys that are stuck together... oh, sorry, you just need the stork of happy

Yeah, very nice video, I've wondered about that for some time now.

Is it ironic that the freedoms of "western culture" allowed those researchers to investigate the way the mind works and find out, rather happily it seems, that freedom is counterproductive to happiness?

Who is more qualified than myself to know what makes me happy? At least allow me the freedom to find out for myself. If I decide I don't like freedom, I am free to join the communist party

There goes your prefrontal cortex making a mess of things, the "knee jerk" reaction is to err on the side of choice and freedom.

But to be honest, from a philosophical perspective I'd have to say that true happiness lies within free society, everyone else is just making the best of the situation at hand.

Originally Posted by hoglahoo

Who is more qualified than myself to know what makes me happy?

A Harvard academic, proudly sponsored by BMW, obviously.

At least allow me the freedom to find out for myself. If I decide I don't like freedom, I am free to join the communist party

Or simply switch off the brain and let economics and capitalism control your life.

James.

But... I'm part of capitalism. I control other people's lives - that's what makes me happy

Gentlemen,
my view from down under is about the personal freedoms we all enjoy, my great fear is the nanny state, and the insufferable political correctness. I suspect it is swings and roundabouts.
If any of you get a chance read Winston Churchills " History of the English Speaking Peoples" if gives a great veiw over the centuries of how our lives have improved, and how much blood was spilled to earn our current way of life. America features greatly in the latter chapters.
In observation of my first comment, it seems you need a view of history over a much larger frame than ones own life time to get a proper perspective of how life is improving, as so often in our own short lives the opposite may seem to be the go.


Cheers

Gordon