i just had a philosophical epiphany!

you should never be unhappy about anything in your life because someone always has it worse and would gladly take your life over theirs. :D

Sorry OP...time to head back to the drawing board haha.

Therefore, if you lose everything you own and your family dies in a fire, you really shouldn't complain because there's someone who'd trade places with you.Theokhoth

That's fun..:o

Therefore, if you lose everything you own and your family dies in a fire, you really shouldn't complain because there's someone who'd trade places with you.Theokhoth

Therefore, if you lose everything you own and your family dies in a fire, you really shouldn't complain because there's someone who'd trade places with you.Theokhoth

counter: sucks for them. what if they are some poor haitian living off grain and mud? its not too comforting thinking "atleast im not that guy."

counter #2: using that same rationalization, you could say that no matter how good you do there will always be somebody better than you and therefore you should never feel good about yourself.

What if you are that person that has it the worst? He's a person after all.Genetic_Code

Therefore, if you lose everything you own and your family dies in a fire, you really shouldn't complain because there's someone who'd trade places with you.Theokhoth

counter: sucks for them. what if they are some poor haitian living off grain and mud? its not too comforting thinking "atleast im not that guy."

counter #2: using that same rationalization, you could say that no matter how good you do there will always be somebody better than you and therefore you should never feel good about yourself.

LoG-Sacrament

What about the person who has it worst? Secondly comparing yourself with someone else only makes you comparatively happy not objectively happy. You can apply this to other things such as injuries: if one man has a broken finger and another has a broken leg the man with the broken finger is less injured than the one with the broken leg though in no way could you say that he has no injury. You may also want to note that quality of life is not an objective hierarchal scale. What you consider good another may consider hell, ie a lot of people say they want to be a rock star but i'ld hate that.markop2003

Zero sum happiness? the underlying concept seems to be that there is only a finite amount of joy to be spread among the people of the world, and if you aren't the one individual who has the absolute minimum, you are "winning". Hrm, no thanks.xaos

your epiphany has opened my eyes. thanks tc

your epiphany has opened my eyes. thanks tc

zmbi_gmr

counter: sucks for them. what if they are some poor haitian living off grain and mud? its not too comforting thinking "atleast im not that guy."

counter #2: using that same rationalization, you could say that no matter how good you do there will always be somebody better than you and therefore you should never feel good about yourself.

[QUOTE="fdsfgs"][QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"]

counter: sucks for them. what if they are some poor haitian living off grain and mud? its not too comforting thinking "atleast im not that guy."

counter #2: using that same rationalization, you could say that no matter how good you do there will always be somebody better than you and therefore you should never feel good about yourself.

LoG-Sacrament

[QUOTE="fdsfgs"][QUOTE="xaos"]Zero sum happiness? the underlying concept seems to be that there is only a finite amount of joy to be spread among the people of the world, and if you aren't the one individual who has the absolute minimum, you are "winning". Hrm, no thanks.SEANMCAD

its been said that in life you are either moving forward or moving backward.

The 'life is worse for some others' is almost aways used to convince someone its ok to move them backward. Think about who told you this 'others have it worse' and why they maybe trying to shift your view point. It can be used as a tactic

If I'm upset and someone told me that I'd be even more upset that it essentially is telling me that this feeling I have is not one I am allowed to feel and express.Nifty_Shark

[QUOTE="Nifty_Shark"]If I'm upset and someone told me that I'd be even more upset that it essentially is telling me that this feeling I have is not one I am allowed to feel and express.fdsfgs

Oh I don't blame you. Just that simple phrase. It can get under my skin.

Except that it's a pretty silly philosophy because even though yes, there is probably a child in Africa who's starving to death, if you break your back that's not going to comfort you that much...bobbetybob

If I lose a leg i should be happy because somewhere some guy just lost two legs? oh lawdy

[QUOTE="bobbetybob"]Except that it's a pretty silly philosophy because even though yes, there is probably a child in Africa who's starving to death, if you break your back that's not going to comfort you that much...fdsfgs

[QUOTE="fdsfgs"]

[QUOTE="bobbetybob"]Except that it's a pretty silly philosophy because even though yes, there is probably a child in Africa who's starving to death, if you break your back that's not going to comfort you that much...bobbetybob

I always really disagree when people say that. I don't see how anyone else's life should affect your own. Certainly there will always be someone who has it 'worse' if you want to put it that way, but that doesn't and shouldn't invalidate your own feelings. A starving child in a third-world country might be unfortunate, but just because these people exist doesn't mean that you can't feel unhappy.

We all have different goals, expectations, hopes, desires, needs, etc., and if they're not being met, then we're going to be unhappy.

I really disagree when people tell other people that they 'shouldn't' be happy because it could always be a lot worse. Of course it could, but feelings are feelings.

[QUOTE="Brainkiller05"]If I lose a leg i should be happy because somewhere some guy just lost two legs? oh lawdufdsfgs

It's easy to talk but you guys need a practical experience to see how it actually feels like, you cannot talk about philosophy unless you feel it - such people are rare in history.

[QUOTE="zmbi_gmr"]

your epiphany has opened my eyes. thanks tc

fdsfgs

of course 8)

Isn't this something every parent says to there youg children?

That's not the way to think..

The way to think is that you should always be happy because YOU could end up in such a position yourself. I'm being serious, it can happen, and it can be out of your control.

The only way to break through to people today is to make them realize that these tragedies are real and can happen to them, not just "the people below". Because lets be honest, nobody thinks about the people below. I mean not in that way. So they aren't going to consider that a reason to appreciate what they have.

[QUOTE="LoG-Sacrament"][QUOTE="fdsfgs"] 1: thats not how i think about it though. i dont say "at least im not that guy". im thinking the exact opposite, im thinking they would wish they were us. like we think we have it bad when there are people that would gladly take our position 2. if you look at it that way. i dont really see it like that. thats true and all, but it doesnt matter because someone is (i dont know how to make italics)worse(lol) than you.fdsfgs

Therefore, if you lose everything you own and your family dies in a fire, you really shouldn't complain because there's someone who'd trade places with you.Theokhoth