A Philosophy on Happiness

[Shane Grayson]

Hi Ena members,

 

This site seems to have a large amount of people

Who contribute to so many more aspects of life than

Just dating!

 

So I was hoping to get some personal opinions on a

Video that I recently watched. It is part of a documentary

About Western Philosophy, and this video primarily

Discusses "Epicurean Happiness".

 

In a way, this is me just sharing with the community,

And hopefully to help build better insight on how

We can live happier and better lives even in the face

of heart ache and break-ups.

 

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So, after watching the video, what do you think of his views

On Happiness and how they relate to today? How does this pertain

to the kind of life you live and happiness you seek?

(Or stating anything else you would like to say)

[Shane Grayson]

Lawl, I don't even know why I bother sometimes

[ApocalypseDreams]

Shane, thanks for this! It's the early hours of the morning here, so I'll watch the video tomorrow (or rather later today).

 

Unfortunately this forum can be a bit lame when it comes to things like this and in my experience, it is primarily a dating and breakup forum above all else. Just look at the differences in the average number of posts in the emotions and feelings/personal growth sections compared to dating/break up sections. It is kinda disheartening also that threads debating who should buy the coffee on some sort of quasi date and boob jobs generate alot of discussion (50 pages of it) but things like this won't.

 

Sad but true.

[markfromark]

Highlights from the video:

 

Shop your blues away

 

Don't worry - shop

 

Cheer up - spend

 

Be happy with shopping, TV and a yearly holiday

 

Fill that void in your life with a product

 

Bad day at work? Take it out on your credit card.

[Cheetarah]

I didn't watch that video, but from what I remember of Epicurus -

 

-Pleasure

-More pleasure

-'Mo pleasure

 

As an essential means to counter suffering...Just keep pleasing yourself. Pleasures of the mind, of course. Absence of pain. Surround yourself with friends. Analyze everything. Overcome all fears and pointless desires. If it feels good, it's good. If it feels bad, it is. Aim for no pain.

 

I

[Cheetarah]

Oops, premature...I'm just going to watch this video and see how they've butchered it.

[Cheetarah]

Ok -

 

If you have the $ to get the basic necessities in life, you have no worries, lots of friends and are 'self-sufficient', you will be steadily happy. If you have TONS of money, but anxieties and no friends, you simply won't ever be happy. Friends, freedom, analyzed life. Three keys.

 

Our desires are blurred by advertising...Example provided in the video would be an advert for Rum featuring a bunch of people sitting in a freaking canoe slurping away. It's not the RUM we want, but the FRIENDS, and thusly this is what stands in the way of our happiness because we're confusing being drunk on Bacardi with a canoeful of a friends...lol

 

Ok, I admittedly only got through 15 minutes of that.

 

I say there are some valid points in E's philosphies in a very basic way, such as striving to be self-sufficient, etc., taking pleasure in...well, pleasures. But...If being self-sufficient is so KEY, then why do we need to rely on friends? To me that's no different than the way people talk about romantic relationships on here...i.e., "You don't need a boy/girlfriend to be happy", "Have a life outside your S/O", "You must be happy and content with yourself FIRST if you want to be happy with others." ...These same things can be applied to friendships, family dynamics, etc...A dependence or reliance on anything outside yourself will inevitably lead to disappointment if that's where you've plopped your basis for it.

 

Some people simply fair much better in their solitude. It just seems really ass-backwards to me, to suggest we be as independent and free as possible from worldly desires, unnecessary pleasures, money, blah blah blah, all the while relying, yes depending, on our circle to keep up the happiness charade(" ").

 

I may be reading into that which isn't there and not getting down to the simplicity of it...But hey, E said analyze. So I am.

[Rangafro]

I don't know much of Epicurus beyond general Hedonism but I suspect the reason that materialism is scorned and community is emphasized is because of the argument that materialism is not sustainable and can have lagging negative consequences that would eventually negate the pleasure (such as credit card debt). In Hedonism these types of pleasures or not seen as intrinsically good. However, whether or not living in a commune actually has negative consequences is debatable (it sounds like hell to me). I also hesitate to think that being constantly surrounded by friends affords you the space for effective self-reflection that Epicurus valued.

 

I have two main issues with Ethical Hedonism as a way to Happiness. First it assumes that pleasure is the only motivation people have for wanting the things they want. This doesn't account for cases where people desire to do things altruistically even if it does not intrinsically give them pleasure. Secondly it doesn't account for cases where the pursuit of pleasure may not have negative consequences for you but does have negative consequences for someone else. There is no way to reconcile whether one person's pleasure is more important than someone else when the only intrinsic good we can judge actions by is solely what feels pleasurable. If there were other intrinsic goods then Hedonism renders itself redundant.

[Moonphase]

Loved this. I can't stand materialism (even though I am guilty of it sometimes too!). Honestly, I'm happiest when I'm away from the everyday hustle and bustle of the city. A small town or a rural cottage where things are simple and the people are nice. Where I'm not thinking about my hair or makeup or clothes, or how much work is going to suck, etc etc. That's where I'm at peace. We all need a getaway place like that.

But god, I am weak when I'm in a mall. So weak. This video made me want to work on myself and my view of life. Thanks!