From: Jake Sapiens (every1hz@earthlink.net)
Date: Thu Jan 29 2004 - 02:29:20 MST
Now you are really cooking, Sebby. The nice big piles of warm steamy brown
stuff flourish in the CoV meadows again. I bet we can think of more
variables to add to this.
About happiness and all, this is where I have to diverge somewhat from this
"life is a game" self-help attitude. That's nice to think about, but I
somehow suspect that people are generally either hardwired for happiness or
not. I think that there are some people that are just genetically happy
and will always find a way to be happy regardless of how crappy things get
for them, and generally when things go well, they become rich and famous
etc., for them it doesn't really change their self concept that much
because they were already happy to begin with.
These happy exceptions are probably not as genetically fit IMO. I suspect
that people for whom happiness is more elusive are much more likely to
reproduce in some (probably delusional) hopes of reaching that great
happiness through their children that has otherwise eluded themselves
throughout their own lives. Whether or not we individually fall for this
reproductive strategy, I would imagine that most people reading this right
now are not the happy exceptions; probably dreaming of how to get to "wow",
possibly okay, possibly not. Aside from momentary thrills, occasional
philosophical moments, and perhaps drug induced euphoria, profound
happiness remains elusive, and uneasiness comes more naturally. I think
that's the way that mother nature keeps things running. Mamma may say that
she only wants you to be happy, but really she just wants grandchildren.
We may yet engineer a way out of this conundrum, but currently I think that
this is largely the default that humanity faces, no matter the self-help
strategies, game playing metaphors or the lack thereof. Just my 3.14 cents.
Love,
-Jake
(joke below)
> [Original Message]
> From: Dr Sebby <drsebby@hotmail.com>
> To: <virus@lucifer.com>
> Date: 01/28/2004 7:02:31 PM
> Subject: Re: virus: What's your law?
>
> ...i see potential for a fun game in this. lets see what varying
equations
> we can come up with to generate some sort of "Happiness Index". stupid
> example below:
>
> yrs of university/g.p.a + IQ(number of sex partners/number of diseases) -
> health insurance policy deductable(value of last years xmas presents
> received) * taxable income average for best 5yr period = X
>
> ...if we put some thought into this, perhaps we could come up with some
> interesting results..and maybe even some insight.
>
> DrSebby.
> "Courage...and shuffle the cards".
>
>
>
>
>
> ----Original Message Follows----
> From: Jei <jei@cc.hut.fi>
> Reply-To: virus@lucifer.com
> To: virus@lucifer.com
> Subject: Re: virus: What's your law?
> Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 01:44:44 +0200 (EET)
>
> On Wed, 28 Jan 2004, David McFadzean wrote:
>
> > > And the final score is measured in American dollars
> > > that you managed to spend during your lifetime?
> >
> > I would be interested to know how you came to that strange conclusion.
>
> It seems to me that it is the general consensus of a measure for success.
> Or actually, now that we think about it, rather it is how much you are
> currently worth in dollars. - I think it is the way how society largely
> (~90% of people at least) measures and defines success if they are asked
> to do it.
>
> I think personal satisfaction and happiness are a more accurate measure,
> but as it is more difficult to ask it from individuals, personal wealth
> is a good substitute and more easy to estimate without verbal contact.
>
>
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Q: What does it mean to a Chinese person when you exclaim, "You are a real
one in million!" ?? (scroll down)
A: "There are at least a thousand others just like you."
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