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> How can life be good if it's not comfortable and easy ? Really? As soon as you encounter discomfort or difficulty, life's no longer good? That philosophy wil
by abraae 8y ago
> How can life be good if it's not comfortable and easy ?
Really? As soon as you encounter discomfort or difficulty, life's no longer good? That philosophy will be wearying over the years.
- TheOtherHobbes 8y agoHow much discomfort and difficulty are too much?
- Aaargh20318 8y agoAny. Good doesn't compensate for bad. That is: if you start out life at a neutral score of 0, subtract points for anything negative, do not add any points for positive stuff.
- krageon 8y agoThis is hedonism. If you are a hedonist, then this sentence will not make sense to you. Some people go through their entire lives without ever thinking they could approach it any other way, so I don't think it's as wearying as you imply here. It all depends on what you think is important.
- rusk 8y agoMy personal take is that Hedonism isn't zero-sum. By that I mean, a hedonistic life-style can't support itself, so if you're living a hedonistic lifestyle and never have to rebalance yourself you're taking energy somewhere or somebody is emotionally bankrolling you. Thus you sacrifice your individuality, independence and a sizeable chunk of the human experience. For most people if such an approach continues unchecked it leads to burnout.
- Aaargh20318 8y ago> if you're living a hedonistic lifestyle and never have to rebalance yourself you're taking energy somewhere What kind of energy are hedonistic people taking ? Electric ? Kinetic ? Thermal ? Magnetic ?
- rusk 8y agoA bit of everything. Of course I meant emotional energy which you're likely to poopoo as "not" energy but I'd contend that the definition of energy in physics is an operational one. But even so, if you're partying all the time then somebody has to pay to keep the lights on. Somebody has to clean up after you and somebody has to constantly buoy your emotional state and protect you from the negative thoughts that might otherwise threaten your party. I would contend that all of this takes "energy" as defined in the canon of physics.
- Aaargh20318 8y ago> if you're partying all the time then somebody has to pay to keep the lights on. Somebody has to clean up after you and somebody has to constantly buoy your emotional state and protect you from the negative thoughts that might otherwise threaten your party Sure, but that's not what I would call and 'easy and comfortable' life. If I live alone on an island with enough food growing around me to feed me, that would be an easy life. What would that take of other people ?
- rusk 8y agoFair enough. I don't think that's what most people think of when they hear the word "hedonism". Sounds lovely though. Sounds like a very nice holiday. Wouldn't want to get sick.
- tomrod 8y agoSounds like a form of karma.
- rusk 8y agoYeah it does actually, though again I'd be concerned about being consigned to the woo category if I used that term. Also, being a westerner it's one of those concepts I've heard a lot about but almost certainly don't completely grasp, so I wouldn't feel comfortable using it for any kind of rigorous analysis.
- Aaargh20318 8y ago> As soon as you encounter discomfort or difficulty, life's no longer good? Yes. I'm also of the opinion that the good doesn't compensate for the bad. Life is suffering, and being born is the worst thing that can happen to a person (I'm an anti-natalist and supporter of the voluntary human extinction movement).
- tomrod 8y agoYou and I have very different views I think. I'm amazed, humbled, and grateful to be alive (not to any sentience, mind you, just grateful). To be the universe experiencing itself. Life includes suffering, yes, but also the opportunity to ease the suffering of self and others. I interpret your point of antinatalism that you see humanity as the fluke of the probability. Personally, I think we give ourselves meaning, and I can think of no better long-term mission for existence than beating heat death of the universe, even if it's simply to give a middle-finger to the universe for the suffering people endure.