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> Amusing coincidence. I also wanted to be a rock star, or at least a successful working musician. > I still play music, but not full time, and with the comfor

> Amusing coincidence. I also wanted to be a rock star, or at least a successful working musician. > I still play music, but not full time, and with the comfort of supporting myself with a day job. Some people say; Pursue your dream or you will regret it. This is said by people who regret their own choices. Other people say; Don't make your dream a job, because all it will be is a job and no longer special. This is said by people who had misconceptions about what pursuing their dream actually entailed. I say; Happiness is found in neither a dream chased nor a chosen profession. It is instead a choice we make each day in what we do, in how we view same, and if we allow ourselves to possess it. What constitutes each day is immaterial. But that's just me.

dyauspitr 1y ago
I say if you have money to do whatever you want everyday, there’s an overwhelming chance you’ll be happy. The rest of those sayings are just for us plebs that have to rationalize working 40-60 hours a week.
- AdieuToLogic 1y ago
  My key point is that happiness is a choice. I hope everyone can find a way to choose it.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - balamatom 1y ago
    That's wrong. Plenty of people have "found a way to choose happiness" already, and we've all seen what exactly they've wrought.
- totetsu 1y ago
  I think PP's point was .. that even if you spend your whole life pressed into laboring to produce a surplus to satisfy the excessive consumption of the elites of your heretical society, in ways that create existential risk for future generations, and are at odds with your own inner values and moral compass.. you can still see the 'immateriality' of all that in the grand scheme of things and choose to be happy.
  - AdieuToLogic 1y ago
    No, my point is happiness is a choice. There is no sociopolitical statement, no call-to-arms, no pontification as to the measure of one's life, no generational implications. There is an existential consideration, but not of the nature your post implies. Happiness is an individual choice, available to us all at any time. Full stop.
    - balamatom 1y ago
      Yeah, no. What you're promoting is a deeply narcissistic worldview, and I hope either the cure or the consequences reach you soon. Though maybe those are going to present as the same thing.
      - Scarblac 1y ago
        I really don't see how your comment has to do with his at all. You're both talking about completely different things, I think.
        balamatom 1y ago
        OK, just to make sure we're on the same page here: you've already tried trying to make the connection, right?
      - braebo 1y ago
        They’re not entirely wrong, and your comment is seemingly unhinged and unprovoked… but there’s a lot of literature on stuff like mindfulness, CBT, and the impact thoughts can have on one’s emotions, especially happiness.
        cardanome 1y ago
        CBT and mindfulness can help with SOME problems. It is great when it does but it also can work less well or even harmful for other problems. Especially people that are prone to rumination don't benefit much from it, they need the opposite of mindfulness. The unhinged part was to imply that people can just choose to be happy under any circumstance which is obviously magical thinking.
- Scarblac 1y ago
  But that's a trap, the money you "need" is partly decided by how much you have available. Once you're used to the money from a 40 day job it's hard to do with less, but other people manage fine because they never got used to having a lot.
muzani 1y ago
I do think you need the dream to be happy. Money/career is a prerequisite of dreams. Some want to live on the seas. They can be perfectly happy as a sailor, even if poor and single. Some want a family, educated children, respect. They would likely need a nice house, enough resources to get a scholarship, a shot at retirement. This is obtainable working in public service, even without money. But most have multiple dreams. That's what makes things complex. The man who wishes for a wife but also wishes to be on the seas will find much fewer paths available. Sailors also don't generally get respected by most in laws. To mix the two, they try to find the dream-job. Perhaps work for a big oil company and be 'forced' to go offshore. Eventually people learn that desire is suffering in some form and cut down on the number of dreams. They may even see this as mature and try to educate others that this is the way. Those who have kids often are forced to pick kids as the dream. So there's a selection bias as well.
scrame 1y ago
vonnegut said: "Don't put one foot in your job and the other in your dream, Ed. Go ahead and quit, or resign yourself to this life. It's just too much of a temptation for fate to split you right up the middle before you've made up your mind which way to go".
balamatom 1y ago
Please step right into this here experience machine, it won't hurt you one bit
gverrilla 1y ago
Easy to say it's immaterial when you're probably an american or european with plenty of material comfort. When was the last time you didn't eat for lack of food, for instance? Adieu to logic, indeed.

dyauspitr 1y ago

I say if you have money to do whatever you want everyday, there’s an overwhelming chance you’ll be happy. The rest of those sayings are just for us plebs that have to rationalize working 40-60 hours a week.

AdieuToLogic 1y ago
My key point is that happiness is a choice. I hope everyone can find a way to choose it.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- balamatom 1y ago
  That's wrong. Plenty of people have "found a way to choose happiness" already, and we've all seen what exactly they've wrought.
totetsu 1y ago
I think PP's point was .. that even if you spend your whole life pressed into laboring to produce a surplus to satisfy the excessive consumption of the elites of your heretical society, in ways that create existential risk for future generations, and are at odds with your own inner values and moral compass.. you can still see the 'immateriality' of all that in the grand scheme of things and choose to be happy.
- AdieuToLogic 1y ago
  No, my point is happiness is a choice. There is no sociopolitical statement, no call-to-arms, no pontification as to the measure of one's life, no generational implications. There is an existential consideration, but not of the nature your post implies. Happiness is an individual choice, available to us all at any time. Full stop.
  - balamatom 1y ago
    Yeah, no. What you're promoting is a deeply narcissistic worldview, and I hope either the cure or the consequences reach you soon. Though maybe those are going to present as the same thing.
    - Scarblac 1y ago
      I really don't see how your comment has to do with his at all. You're both talking about completely different things, I think.
      - balamatom 1y ago
        OK, just to make sure we're on the same page here: you've already tried trying to make the connection, right?
    - braebo 1y ago
      They’re not entirely wrong, and your comment is seemingly unhinged and unprovoked… but there’s a lot of literature on stuff like mindfulness, CBT, and the impact thoughts can have on one’s emotions, especially happiness.
      - cardanome 1y ago
        CBT and mindfulness can help with SOME problems. It is great when it does but it also can work less well or even harmful for other problems. Especially people that are prone to rumination don't benefit much from it, they need the opposite of mindfulness. The unhinged part was to imply that people can just choose to be happy under any circumstance which is obviously magical thinking.
Scarblac 1y ago
But that's a trap, the money you "need" is partly decided by how much you have available. Once you're used to the money from a 40 day job it's hard to do with less, but other people manage fine because they never got used to having a lot.

muzani 1y ago

I do think you need the dream to be happy. Money/career is a prerequisite of dreams. Some want to live on the seas. They can be perfectly happy as a sailor, even if poor and single. Some want a family, educated children, respect. They would likely need a nice house, enough resources to get a scholarship, a shot at retirement. This is obtainable working in public service, even without money. But most have multiple dreams. That's what makes things complex. The man who wishes for a wife but also wishes to be on the seas will find much fewer paths available. Sailors also don't generally get respected by most in laws. To mix the two, they try to find the dream-job. Perhaps work for a big oil company and be 'forced' to go offshore. Eventually people learn that desire is suffering in some form and cut down on the number of dreams. They may even see this as mature and try to educate others that this is the way. Those who have kids often are forced to pick kids as the dream. So there's a selection bias as well.

scrame 1y ago

vonnegut said: "Don't put one foot in your job and the other in your dream, Ed. Go ahead and quit, or resign yourself to this life. It's just too much of a temptation for fate to split you right up the middle before you've made up your mind which way to go".

balamatom 1y ago

Please step right into this here experience machine, it won't hurt you one bit

gverrilla 1y ago

Easy to say it's immaterial when you're probably an american or european with plenty of material comfort. When was the last time you didn't eat for lack of food, for instance? Adieu to logic, indeed.