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Is optimizing for happiness a worthy goal? Another approach is optimizing for having meaning in life. As humans we can’t escape some suffering in our lives, but

Is optimizing for happiness a worthy goal? Another approach is optimizing for having meaning in life. As humans we can’t escape some suffering in our lives, but doing it for something we consider meaningful makes the suffering more bearable. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl is a classic book on the topic.

moviewise 4y ago
Why not both? We can optimize for happiness and meaning: "First, let’s disentangle the difference between feeling sad, empty, and dissatisfied with life, versus wondering that the purpose of life is all about. They are somewhat related in that people who are content with life and the opportunities it offers don’t generally feel bad when thinking about philosophical questions like, what is the meaning of life?" From: Going Through An Existential Crisis? Some Advice On Happiness From A Few Good Movies https://moviewise.substack.com/p/going-through-an-existential-crisis https://moviewise.substack.com/p/going-through-an-existentia...
cortesoft 4y ago
Yeah, I was going to respond with a missing possibility: maybe happiness is not the point of life. Personally, I feel like happiness is a PART of a fulfilling life, but not the whole of it. I know in my life, I was likely ‘happier’ when I didn’t have kids… I spent more hours of the day doing things that I wanted to do, and those things made me happy in the moment. Now, with two young kids, I am spending less time doing the things I would choose to spend my time on, and I have fewer moments where I am in the flow and maximally happy. However, I feel WAY more satisfied with my life now, and feel much more compete and with a clear purpose in my life. There is a reason why hedonism is often looked down on; if your only motivation is your own happiness, your life will end up lacking.
- mherdeg 4y ago
  The Bluey episode "Fruit Bat" touches on this -- when you decide to have kids you're choosing to forego a lot of fun, in Bandit's case pickup football matches with adult friends. It's a conscious choice and the tradeoff is a very different life focus. I don't think one or the other purpose is inherently better, just different. Having two young kids at home for the past two years with full-time jobs and minimal childcare has really stretched things further than I would have expected. Watching how much the older kid loves going to the library, check out a stack of books, take them to the playground and read them while his sister plays -- while they both exude sheer joy -- has been unforgettably good. It's not all happy times; the kids need a lot of help and they aren't always cooperative. But it's the job I signed up for and it has a uniquely valuable comp structure.

moviewise 4y ago

Why not both? We can optimize for happiness and meaning: "First, let’s disentangle the difference between feeling sad, empty, and dissatisfied with life, versus wondering that the purpose of life is all about. They are somewhat related in that people who are content with life and the opportunities it offers don’t generally feel bad when thinking about philosophical questions like, what is the meaning of life?" From: Going Through An Existential Crisis? Some Advice On Happiness From A Few Good Movies https://moviewise.substack.com/p/going-through-an-existential-crisis https://moviewise.substack.com/p/going-through-an-existentia...

cortesoft 4y ago

Yeah, I was going to respond with a missing possibility: maybe happiness is not the point of life. Personally, I feel like happiness is a PART of a fulfilling life, but not the whole of it. I know in my life, I was likely ‘happier’ when I didn’t have kids… I spent more hours of the day doing things that I wanted to do, and those things made me happy in the moment. Now, with two young kids, I am spending less time doing the things I would choose to spend my time on, and I have fewer moments where I am in the flow and maximally happy. However, I feel WAY more satisfied with my life now, and feel much more compete and with a clear purpose in my life. There is a reason why hedonism is often looked down on; if your only motivation is your own happiness, your life will end up lacking.

mherdeg 4y ago
The Bluey episode "Fruit Bat" touches on this -- when you decide to have kids you're choosing to forego a lot of fun, in Bandit's case pickup football matches with adult friends. It's a conscious choice and the tradeoff is a very different life focus. I don't think one or the other purpose is inherently better, just different. Having two young kids at home for the past two years with full-time jobs and minimal childcare has really stretched things further than I would have expected. Watching how much the older kid loves going to the library, check out a stack of books, take them to the playground and read them while his sister plays -- while they both exude sheer joy -- has been unforgettably good. It's not all happy times; the kids need a lot of help and they aren't always cooperative. But it's the job I signed up for and it has a uniquely valuable comp structure.