Survival At the Cost of Happiness

What would you do for your happiness?
When one is asked this question the general and typically answer is that they would do what they believe will make them happy.

Do you want to survive? Typical answer is yes, I want to survive.
What would you do for your survival? Typically answer is - anything to survive

So, what if your survival was at the expense of your happiness?

Ideally
Ideally, and commonly when people are faced with questions about living and happiness, they would answer that they would want to live happily. Their answer may also be somewhere on the lines of there's "no point to living if one is not happy/ miserable. However, there are some that would say that things change and that they will be happy.

Realistically though, I believe that when it comes down to it - we are hard wired to survive. Partially because I also believe that happiness is a state of mind. We may not be happy for a period of time for however long it may be... but to die or simply to not survive/living is a permanent end.


Just something to think about - since life is full of different colors and shades of colors and shades of those colors.


The Social Nerd

Colors of Life is a Continuum

Life is full of Color

However, since a young age we were taught about right, wrong, good, bad, yes, no, evil, and well..good again. These overly-simplified teachings were meant to help guide us in making  decisions for ourselves. Evidently as we grew and matured we learned that life is not cut and dry and that life is very complex. We learn that life is not black and white, it is not just good or bad, right or wrong, or even a yes or no. But rather life is colorful, complex, has a continuum that colors go from one to the next, even black and white have shades going from black to white or white to black. Although life becomes more complex and situations become more sophisticated, that is what makes life colorful and beautiful. We also learn that without the bad guys, there wouldn't be any good guys.

The Hero In Each Story
Without a villain there would be no hero, or the need for a hero means that there is villain (note- the villain and hero I refer to may not always be in the form of a human) the need for "good" people means that there needs to have "bad" people. Not only were we only taught the simplified extremes, as a matter of fact we were told who the mean/bad guys and over time we learned to identify them in movies and stores. But because we were often taught the extremes of our lives and rarely ever the shades of colors, we find it difficult  polarize the colors - difficult to polarize our emotions, judgement, and reason. We were never taught how to identify, filter out, and separate the colors in our hearts from our brains.

Furthermore, not only were we not taught how to identify, and filter out our emotions, but also our own reasoning. And the reason for that is that like everyone else in this world we don't know how to explain nor teach that kind of concept and how to apply the technique, plus many of us (adults) are still learning and for some have never even gotten close.

Ever heard an adult tell you, "You'll understand when you get older"? That is what I often hear adults say when they find it either difficult to explain a concept or knowing how to express them in simplified form.
We were never taught how to look at life through another lens so it becomes incredibly difficult when we have to do it for ourselves.

The frequency that such situations occur in my micro-society is frequent enough that I've learned a lot from it from a young age. The intensity of these situations has range from weak to strong to ultra intense. Thus, it has refined and sharpen my skills in this area, but of course there is still so much to learn, because each conflict presents itself slightly differently.

1st. filter out between emotions and reason/judgement
2nd. filter out your own reason -Is it rational? Is the point you're trying to make sound? Is it relevant? Are there any fallacies?
3rd - filter out your own emotions - How do you feel? Why do you feel this way? Did I overreact? Did I react appropriately?

We are sometimes our own worst enemis


Colorize your thinking questions!
Do bad decisions make a bad person?
Is the best option always the right thing to do?
Is the "right" thing to do always the best option?

"The very thing that gives you pleasure today, will bring you pain tomorrow."

The Social Nerd