Paradox of ChoiceecafracsOctober 24 2008, 09:42:17 UTC
Eh, that was a bit too scattershot for my tastes. If there was a common theme that really ties these gripes together, it's that the world we live in now has MORE in it.
More choices in lifestyle, more choices in music and TV, more people around, and hence more anonymity, more ways of communicating with people, of finding people who share your more esoteric interests or worldly delusions.
On the flipside, this means we have less in common with those around us in meatspace, and less time for each person in your life.
Sure, text is less personal, but 50 years ago, you'd be lucky to trade letters once a month or so with friends and family who lived in another city. We can still choose to live in a way that we did 50 years ago, but very few people do, and for good reason. From the telephone to e-mail and cell phones to texting and blogging, each new mode of communications came with a different set of advantages and disadvantages. Gripe all you want about the disadvantages, but the advantages can't be denied.
As for happiness... well, it's really a matter of perception. Because we have the world at our fingertips, and we all know there's so much potential that each of us could be living up to, and so many things to choose from, it's a lot harder to feel satisfied with what you have and where you are.
It's the "paradox of choice". The more choices we have, the more likely we are to regret, and thus the less happier we are.
More choices in lifestyle, more choices in music and TV, more people around, and hence more anonymity, more ways of communicating with people, of finding people who share your more esoteric interests or worldly delusions.
On the flipside, this means we have less in common with those around us in meatspace, and less time for each person in your life.
Sure, text is less personal, but 50 years ago, you'd be lucky to trade letters once a month or so with friends and family who lived in another city. We can still choose to live in a way that we did 50 years ago, but very few people do, and for good reason. From the telephone to e-mail and cell phones to texting and blogging, each new mode of communications came with a different set of advantages and disadvantages. Gripe all you want about the disadvantages, but the advantages can't be denied.
As for happiness... well, it's really a matter of perception. Because we have the world at our fingertips, and we all know there's so much potential that each of us could be living up to, and so many things to choose from, it's a lot harder to feel satisfied with what you have and where you are.
It's the "paradox of choice". The more choices we have, the more likely we are to regret, and thus the less happier we are.
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