tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post4322076978108422965..comments2024-03-28T00:11:33.489-04:00Comments on bensozia: "Prioritizing These Three Things" Etc.Johnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-70137884252704461052017-05-01T14:14:32.430-04:002017-05-01T14:14:32.430-04:00Seems to me happy people live a better life than u...Seems to me happy people live a better life than unhappy people but not necessarily a longer one. What makes someone happy varies from individual to individual. Unless you have a specific goal you must achieve, you probably aren't going to search for meaning unless you want to, and doing what you want to do usually makes you happier than doing what you don't want to do. The distinction between meaning and happiness here seems indistinct to me or maybe a category error. Happiness is a state of mind, while search for meaning is an intellectual pursuit (which could make you happy). Shadowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05353532874773316117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-63612249174789725462017-05-01T11:01:47.990-04:002017-05-01T11:01:47.990-04:00Socialization is important, but I'm a rather p...Socialization is important, but I'm a rather private individual so I prefer the option of having close friends and loved ones over that of interacting with strangers and acquaintances. I think it matters less whom you choose to socialize with, and more that you socialize regularly and in a positive manner.<br /><br />The matter of smartphones is beyond me. I don't use them, nor do I engage in the typical "social media". I do find that they seem to lead to certain people being very distractable, but that's a quality I firmly believe to be present in every kind of engaging medium. The problem isn't smartphones themselves - the problem is poor self control and a lack of discipline. <br /><br />Certainly modern electronics seem to share this problem. As a child growing up with an interest in video games, I had to learn early on not to let them overwhelm and distract me from other things. If life intruded on my game session, I had to be both willing and able to pause and come back to it later. And the same is undoubtedly true about television for countless people.<br /><br />But the exact same thing is also true of much less modern mediums like books. I - and I believe most other literate people - had to learn earnly on how to keep at least one foot planted in reality while reading, so that if someone asks you a question, they don't feel like they're talking to a brick wall as you ignore them and fail to answer.<br /><br />Thus, I don't think smartphones and social media are anything new in regards to causing people to zone out and be poor socializers - I think it's just the latest, trendiest version of a self control issue that has existed for centuries. The solution isn't to grumble and complain about the latest gadget or software that's leading people to zone out - the solution is to help promote better discipline, and do so in a positive, non-judgemental manner.<br /><br />As for meaning, I'm actually convinced there is no such thing. I have seen no compelling evidence to suggest that the universe isn't simply overwhelmingly absurd, and I'm fine with that notion.<br /><br />In fact, I'm better than fine - the thought that there is no grand scheme, no divine plan, no "shoulds" or "oughts" or "musts" factored into existence in the universe was incredibly liberating when it first occured to me. Nothing mattered, and thus I was free to care about whatever I wanted to care about. I did some naval gazing, rejected the option of being a self-serving asshole out of hand, and decided <i>"Heck, I'm just gonna keep on trying to be a good person, because I'm happiest when other people are happy, so why spend the rest of my life not being happy?"</i><br /><br />Belonging? Purpose? Transcendance? I reject them all.<br /><br />It's okay be to be different or to not fit in. It's okay to lack direction or to lead a fundamentally absurd existence. Transcendance is merely another word for isolation and death. Why cling to these notions and agonize over them when they don't really offer any answers?<br /><br />As for storytelling, that's a more complex issue. It is the very foundation of how we understand the universe... and yet, it is a deeply flawed tool that we should be careful not to place too much faith in, for it frequently produces detrimental results. We must rely on it to some extent to understand the universe, but we can't over-rely on it or we risk deluding ourselves through our own flaws and biases.<br /><br />Meaning? I think it's overrated. You can be perfectly happy without telling yourself that the universe has some sort of meaning. A certain degree of fundamental absurdity in reality shouldn't matter in the long run.<br /><br />If we eventually find rational, empirical evidence that logically suggests the existence of some greater meaning in the universe, then great! But until then, why worry over things that are beyond our ability to know and observe?G. 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