LiveAnotherDaySeptember 19, 2020 at 19:581925 views6 comments
Is it essential to have others (animals, things, humans) in your life to be happy? Or is it possible to be happy without them?
Comments (6)
Jack CumminsSeptember 19, 2020 at 20:19#4538150 likes
Reply to LiveAnotherDay
That is a good question but obviously depends on individual psychology. Personally I sometimes feel able to enjoy my own company but do spend my time reading books by others and CDs which are made by others, so I am not really an island. I do have a friend who can go for weeks with no conversation apart from getting served in shops and cafes. He really enjoyed lockdown and perhaps lockdown.
Perhaps the lockdown is the best way to judge this if you live alone. I lost my job and had to move in lockdown and had to move into new accommodation. I am currently living with a group of boys who deliver food on motorcycles and English is not their first language. They were puzzled by me moving in with my piles of books. I have barely seen friends for 6 months and have only seen my mum. It is probably why I end up tinkering around on this site.
So, my general conclusion would be that most of the people who are replying to threads are looking for some happiness through human contact even if it is relating to philosophy. I once had a tutor who said that ideas do not exist if we keep them in our heads without other people.
OutlanderSeptember 20, 2020 at 03:26#4539560 likes
We're intrinsically social creatures so, usually. What do you mean by things? Any non-entity aside from food, water, and shelter?
They say only you can create happiness as it comes from within, seeing how the only common element is- you. Anything else is simply a fleeting distraction from monotony and/or misery.
Kenosha KidSeptember 20, 2020 at 17:56#4541320 likes
I think the first. For most people, even those in prison surrounded by murderers and rapists, solitude is something to be feared. I think that, on a psychological level, much of our sense of self derives from our interactions with others. People have been driven bonkers through solitude, and loneliness is a major cause of suicide.
There are doubtless those who find social interaction so difficult that solitude is preferable, but that's one disorder trumping another.
Gus LamarchSeptember 21, 2020 at 00:08#4542380 likes
Is it essential to have others (animals, things, humans) in your life to be happy? Or is it possible to be happy without them?
Potential objects external to the egoist have only one total certainty – that of pain. To be more direct:
If you want to be "happy"- whatever that means to you - you need nothing but yourself.
However, if you want guaranteed pain, anguish and suffering, live and enable the external factors.
Comments (6)
That is a good question but obviously depends on individual psychology. Personally I sometimes feel able to enjoy my own company but do spend my time reading books by others and CDs which are made by others, so I am not really an island. I do have a friend who can go for weeks with no conversation apart from getting served in shops and cafes. He really enjoyed lockdown and perhaps lockdown.
Perhaps the lockdown is the best way to judge this if you live alone. I lost my job and had to move in lockdown and had to move into new accommodation. I am currently living with a group of boys who deliver food on motorcycles and English is not their first language. They were puzzled by me moving in with my piles of books. I have barely seen friends for 6 months and have only seen my mum. It is probably why I end up tinkering around on this site.
So, my general conclusion would be that most of the people who are replying to threads are looking for some happiness through human contact even if it is relating to philosophy. I once had a tutor who said that ideas do not exist if we keep them in our heads without other people.
Personally, I'm confident the answer is no.
They say only you can create happiness as it comes from within, seeing how the only common element is- you. Anything else is simply a fleeting distraction from monotony and/or misery.
There are doubtless those who find social interaction so difficult that solitude is preferable, but that's one disorder trumping another.
Quoting LiveAnotherDay
Potential objects external to the egoist have only one total certainty – that of pain. To be more direct:
If you want to be "happy" - whatever that means to you - you need nothing but yourself.
However, if you want guaranteed pain, anguish and suffering, live and enable the external factors.