No circumstance or fact or event or thing exists that does not have a reason, and so it is with man. All harnessing of nature's elements and powers, all creation of material wealth and possessions are but passing fancies, things of the moment, for man enters into life naked, and naked he departs. The only thing, the single most important thing that concerns his existence on earth, is the discovery of his soul.
I would make somewhat of a distinction between organized religion and centralized church government. I have found that religion organized and governed on a local level is much more tolerable than bureaucratic forms of church government, although I have seen churches not connected to a denomination where the pastor has set up his only little fiefdom to serve himself more than any higher power.<p> This commentary by Charles Dickens in his "Tale of Two Cities" serves as a most eloquent support of your assertion. <p><CITE> France, less favoured on the whole as to matters spiritual than her sister of the shield and trident, rolled with exceeding smoothness down hill, making paper money and spending it. Under the guidance of her Christian pastors, she entertained herself, besides, with such humane achievements as sentencing a youth to have his hands cut off, his tongue torn out with pincers, and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards.<CITE/>
I'm a generally happy guy. The world is a much better place than 100 years ago. We have life so easy that we are overly critical of any blemish to it. You're worried about expensive oil? You shouldn't be. Check to see how significantly it has affected your life. Bird Flu? Compare that to the Black Plague. Last time I checked, it has affected me in no way. The key in this debate of how intelligence relates to emotion is to think of how the information will affect your own personal life. I could watch the news 24/7 and know an abundance of information. All of this information would be negative, because that's what grabs peoples' attention. Murders, rapes, thefts... unimaginable terrible things occur daily. But do they occur to me? Not at all. Ignorance is not bliss. I would be missing out on so much in life if I were just a fetus. Awareness of the good things around us bring happiness. The next time you go get ice cream, watch a movie, take a vacation, listen to music, work out, use a phone, or talk to a friend, think about how much you take for granted. Don't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Your life is a gift
I think that depends on where you live. Do some research on third world. Your lifestyle is at the expense of 10 others in another part of the world.
I love intelligent responses like the above, that actually stimulate my brain. I've been thinking about this response for hours now.
I am not sure how i feel about your comment. Yeah there are plenty of pretty shitty places to live in this world. But just because I have a good life, why do i have to stop enjoying the great gift I have been given and take on the huge responsibility and depressing guilt because my "lifestyle is at the expense of 10 others in another part of the world" ??? How do I know that is even true? What if i looked at the positive side and said "Donald trump and Bill Gates success is as a direct result of my actions" Why walk through life carrying around guilt for things you cannot change? maybe you can help some situations, if so, try to help in your small way. But get rid of the guilt for things you have no control over.
Actually, not entirely true: to take one example, homicide rates are now near the same level they were in 1940. The biggest jump in homicide rates in this century was from 1900 to 1930.
Not true. Wealth is created, not fixed. The current third world countries have frankly always sucked (with a few rare exceptions). I can't feel bad for being better off than others. If anything, it makes me more grateful for what I do have. Most third world countries are also seeing better days now, as well. Our modern conveniences are abundant and cheap enough that they can start having them. I went to the Philippines last winter, and even though all my relatives live in terrible housing, some with even dirt floors, they now have cell phones and text message each other to stay connected. I was amazed.
Iâve long held that smart people are more miserable that their less intelligent counterparts. The most fun people to be around are, very often, imbeciles. Perhaps this is my youth talking since youâll often find me in more casual situations as opposed to a poetry reading at the local library, but I think, by and large, less intelligent people are happier because their options are more limited. The opportunity cost of whatever else is out there is not really something that the imbecile ponders over frequently, if ever. When one is simply not aware of alternative perspectives or avenues, it becomes much easier to be happy with the current state. Smart people, on the other hand, are often very aware of their talents/abilities and are constantly searching for the absolute best executional opportunity to showcase and maximize those talents/abilities. In oneâs youth, this can cause a great amount of existential angst. Also, smart people, when young, are at a higher risk of appearing aloof or thinking that they are superior. If one is unable/unwilling to act humbly, then the world will often force one to do so in the form of a lack of friendships or relationships and/or an inconsistent employment record and/or just simple general displeasure with life and/or boredom if one does not feel challenged. Over time, however, the smart person â assuming they donât give up and regress toward the mean â will become self-aware enough to respond to the existential angst by maturing emotionally and intellectually and by figuring out what they want to do with their lives. Once that decision is made, their intelligence not only acts as a propeller, but also a trampoline and the self-confidence that flows from knowing that one will always be okay and isnât merely a pawn in the chess game of life gives one a high level of self-confidence, negates jealousy of or contempt for others, and removes many of the defense mechanisms that young and/or stupid people use to get them through the day without having the face the cognitive dissonance generated by being average/below average.