"Most people are happy"

[Messgram]

You sort of are:

My claims are based on what people tell me, my friend. They are all brunch of optmistic pro-lifers who tell me they are happy, then they start complaining about work, life, government, society and they even say really dark shits like "humanity is a plague" and "meteor is a hope". I'm not deciding what they consider happy or unhappy - they told me. The only thing I'm deciding here is lack of consistency in saying that they are happy when they hate most of the time on their life.

 

[its-about-time]

Most of us wouldn't be a pit of sadness if the events around us weren't so hellish.

As you said, it's just a trick. They're not really happy, they just "think" they are and everyone is wrong as well about their life being "worthwhile" , because death will come to take It all, consequently any life won't be worth living.

I agree, to some extent. It's not the sole contributor - I guess that was my point. You can read about rich privileged people committing suicide, and you can read about people imprisoned in nazi concentration camps finding happiness despite their situation. Environment is an influencing factor, but it's not the biggest one.

That said, I believe the structure of society greatly hinders "happiness" and personal meaning. But that affects 99.999% of the world's population, and it ain't changing, so I find it pointless to think about much.

 

[motel rooms]

My claims are based on what people tell me, my friend. They are all brunch of optmistic pro-lifers who tell me they are happy, then they start complaining about work, life, government, society and they even say really dark shits like "humanity is a plague" and "meteor is a hope". I'm not deciding what they consider happy or unhappy - they told me. The only thing I'm deciding here is lack of consistency in saying that they are happy when they hate most of the time on their life.

Cool. Does believing that "only a tiny portion of the population can be considered happy" console you? Does it make your suffering any more tolerable?

 

[Zzzzz]

One of the biggest problems in life is people denying reality and the true nature of life. The world would be a much better place if everyone wasn't so delusional. Delusion is an evolutionary band-aid. It's purpose is to blind people so that business as usual can continue unchanged. Evolution-- Survival of the fittest,is obviously not condusive to great happiness for most people. It is condusive for a few people at the top to have most of the resources.

 

[Messgram]

Cool. Does believing that "only a tiny portion of the population can be considered happy" console you? Does it make your suffering any more tolerable?

What do you mean? that i should put on a rainbow glasses like everyone around me and believe i'm happy even when my life is full of disgrace?

 

[Fragile]

I fundamentally disagree. For most people, being happy is not a state of constant bliss without any concern for anything else. They are content with a life that has less negative experiences than positive ones, and I'm 100% sure that they are the majority.

My claims are based on what people tell me, my friend. They are all brunch of optmistic pro-lifers who tell me they are happy, then they start complaining about work, life, government, society and they even say really dark shits like "humanity is a plague" and "meteor is a hope". I'm not deciding what they consider happy or unhappy - they told me. The only thing I'm deciding here is lack of consistency in saying that they are happy when they hate most of the time on their life.

Complaining doesn't necessarily mean being unhappy with the entirety of your life. I've met plenty of people who say similar stuff and I'd say that they live in a relatively complacent but overall happy state of mind, of course people hide a lot of stuff, but that's no reason to asume that everyone is hiding discontent or straight up suicidality.
In a similar fashion, I can say that I just had a really good cup of coffee, doesn't mean I'm happy with my life.

I think you are seeing things in black and white, which is understandable, but don't take any single negative aspect of other people's lives and asume that they are not having happy lives.

 

[WorthlessTrash]

What do you mean? that i should put on a rainbow glasses like everyone around me and believe i'm happy even when my life is full of disgrace?

No, but you being unhappy does not correlate to how others feel.

Honestly, i don't condemn you for this line of thinking. I am quite bitter myself.

 

[motel rooms]

What do you mean? that i should put on a rainbow glasses like everyone around me and believe i'm happy even when my life is full of disgrace?

No. Why? My only point is that not everyone is miserable. Not everyone is like us.

 

[Messgram]

I agree, to some extent. It's not the sole contributor - I guess that was my point. You can read about rich privileged people committing suicide, and you can read about people imprisoned in nazi concentration camps finding happiness despite their situation. Environment is an influencing factor, but it's not the biggest one.

That said, I believe the structure of society greatly hinders "happiness" and personal meaning. But that affects 99.999% of the world's population, and it ain't changing, so I find it pointless to think about much.

It's situations like these that make me think that the "happiness" that most people feel is not "real", but a way they find to cope with all the tragedies that happen around them. Evolutionarily speaking, we all tend towards optimism, because we are nothing more than machines made to survive and pessimism/suicidal ideation would be the ultimate flaw of our nature. So even in the most hellish situations many people will still say that life is worth living, they will have children and will find "real" meaning on that. But I can't believe in this "happiness". Feelings are illusory, they don't match reality and logic, so how can I say that these people were really happy and not just someone blinded by their survival instincts?

Not everyone is like us.

agreed , I just think most of them aren't nearly as happy as they say.

 

[Hirokami]

You could very well be right, actually. I'm in the US, so talking about our more negative feelings isn't exactly encouraged. We're expected to lie about how we're feeling. If someone asks how we're doing, we reply with "I'm okay/good/etc." instead of the opposite. Wouldnt want to kill the "good vibes", after all.

 

[its-about-time]

It's situations like these that make me think that the "happiness" that most people feel is not "real", but a way they find to cope with all the tragedies that happen around them. Evolutionarily speaking, we all tend towards optimism, because we are nothing more than machines made to survive and pessimism/suicidal ideation would be the ultimate flaw of our nature. So even in the most hellish situations many people will still say that life is worth living, they will have children and will find "real" meaning on that. But I can't believe in this "happiness". Feelings are illusory, they don't match reality and logic, so how can I say that these people were really happy and not just someone blinded by their survival instincts?

That is precisely what I'm saying, yes. I believe happiness and meaning and purpose are all self-constructed. There is no larger "meaning." Just the meaning we ascribe to ourselves. Some may take that as liberating; you can do whatever you want with life instead of subscribing to the "norm" and do what you personally decide is meaningful. Others take it as a prison of our own perception; why live if there is no "actual" meaning, why trick ourselves into happiness?

 

[Messgram]

Some may take that as liberating; you can do whatever you want with life instead of subscribing to the "norm" and do what you personally decide is meaningful. Others take it as a prison of our own perception; why live if there is no "actual" meaning, why trick ourselves into happiness?

most of the time i'm the last, and sometimes i think like the first. Nihilism can be comforting, because once i believe nothing matter, theres no need to worry

 

[its-about-time]

most of the time i'm the last, and sometimes i think like the first. Nihilism can be comforting, because once i believe nothing matter, theres no need to worry

I tend towards the latter, it's difficult for me to want to trick myself into enjoying life. But that feels kind of picky, because enjoyment is enjoyment, right? I don't know. It just doesn't feel genuine or authentic. Even when I find something I enjoy, I habitually ruin it by remembering I am just tricking myself. It's a hard pattern to break, existentialism completed by pessimism. Sometimes I do feel very free though, because as you said, there's no need to worry when nothing matters.