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If you’re so smart, how come you’re not happy?

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Re: If you’re so smart, how come you’re not happy?

#51

Post by karaterobot »

maxfurman wrote: post #4

Maybe this is too simplistic, but pretty much no one is happy. Everyone has problems, even if those problems seem minor from another's viewpoint. I'm not sure smart/stupid has much to do with it.

I'm pretty happy. I do have problems, but they don't make me unhappy. I think I learned it from my parents, who have always been pretty happy, even though they certainly had problems of their own. I'm not sure what the secret to happiness is, but by process of elimination, I can rule out some sources: it's definitely not money, health, good looks, fame, influence, or success.

Re: If you’re so smart, how come you’re not happy?

#52

Post by thenerdhead »

creativeideas wrote: post #45
thenerdhead wrote: post #13

Joy is the emotion expressed when one accepts the courage to be themselves.

I agree that joy is obtained when one is true to who they are - but there is a much larger debate in the definition of one's "true self." Some would say that one's true self is defined by their creator. Others must determine some alternative way to define that self. I suggest that without being defined by a creator, then it is impossible to know one's purpose - or even to believe there can be a purpose. And if you do…

Life is full of paradoxes too. If you pursue happiness, you'll be less happy. If you pursue meaning, you'll not find it.

Nothing is impossible. Many philosophers/psychologists found ways to find meaning & happiness:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradox_of_hedonism

Re: If you’re so smart, how come you’re not happy?

#53

Post by Bubble_Pop_22 »

Happiness comes from sudden and unexpected improvements in quality of life.

It's 2022 and at least for those who are living in the West there is no sudden anything anymore.

Einstein theory is more than 100 years old and we still don't know what to do with it except for GPS which isn't really a big deal and could be re-created with mapping + sensors on the side of the road.

We fuck around less and less, hence we discover less and less. And when we do it takes centuries to turn theoretical discoveries into practical quality of life improvements.

We will never be as happy as the tribes who first discovered fire or the wheel. Not because there aren't discoveries just as consequential to be made but because of lack of urgency and too much smarts.

Nature only reveals its secrets to humans when we decide to throw our bodies at it.

Re: If you’re so smart, how come you’re not happy?

#54

Post by Towaway69 »

dimmke wrote: post #48
lukas099 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We haven't even established that intelligence should imply the desire to be happy. Most people desire to be happy. I don't believe I need to prove this. The point was that we should be able to use our intelligence to identify and resolve issues that decrease our happiness. I think this is true to a certain extent, but there is an upper limit where solvable problems are not the limiting factor to our happiness.

>Most people desire to be happy. I don't believe I need to prove this. Happy isn't a long term state of being. It's a short term emotion like anger or sadness. If you expect to feel that way all the time, and think you can achieve that through some kind of changes to your life you are setting yourself up for failure. You should aim to build a life that is in line with your values, and accept that you're going to have…

> And therapy. Therapy really helps. I think everybody should go to therapy

Friends. I think everyone should have good friends they can talk to. If not, then go to therapy.

Re: If you’re so smart, how come you’re not happy?

#57

Post by gooseus »

I also think "getting what you want" is less important than "knowing what you want", the fables and folklore of every culture has cautionary tales that boils down to "be careful what you wish for".

True happiness (imho, and I am no expert here) is about resonating with a moral philosophy you truly believe in, and then acting in a way that you believe truly aligns with it. I think the more people around you who validate your philosophy and actions the more happy you will be.

The consequence here is that smart people are less likely to resonate with the existing philosophies around them and end up having to make sacrifices (either social or moral) leaving them less happy than they would have been otherwise.

Re: If you’re so smart, how come you’re not happy?

#58

Post by Towaway69 »

nimbius wrote: post #50

Intelligent people see the truth of the world, the universe. If the truth, if it were good, that we lived in a wonderful society with wonderful people in a universe that cared about us, smart people would be so happy. But being smart is merely a conviction of your enlightenment to the awful reality of things. Bravo, you learned about all these awful things you can’t do much to fix, and the reward is to languish in ex…

I was just going say/write the same, smart people see both sides of an argument, see the good but experience the societal bad and generally spend more time reflecting, aka worrying.
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