Hierarchies of happiness
I think about happiness a lot. Yeesh, that sounds incredibly gothy and mopey. Rest assured I'm not going to go off down Angst Lane just yet. But I do think about the nature and provenance of happiness, given that, well, I like being happy.
Plus I'm a big nerd. But you knew that.
I meet a lot of unhappy people. I've spent some unhappy time myself, as we all do. I try not to let it get to me. In college, I had the fond illusion of 'fixing' these unhappy people, so they could learn to be happy. Well. That certainly went the way of all illusions. I remember what my mother would say to me -- and this doesn't translate well, but I'll do my best: "El que se mete a redentor muere crucificado." 'Being a redeemer gets you crucified.' True words, Mom.
So, after watching some people make the same mistakes over and over again, or beat themselves against Wall X or succumb to Horrible Behavior Pattern B, what I've come up with is: People are generally as happy as they know how to be. Learning how to be happier than your current maximum is nonintuitive and can be a sucky process. Most people don't bother. It's too meta.
Not that I'm a stranger to Stupid Behavior Pattern A, you understand. But on to Happiness!
0) Baseline. This is not really any sort of happiness, just an absence of immediate Suck. Not in pain, basically. Grayish and unexciting. I'm sure we all feel we spend too much time here.
1) Content. This is the kind of feeling you get from an okay-to-decent videogame, or whittling, or watching a brainless zombie flick. Fun, but not, you know, huge. This ain't a bad spot to hang out.
2) Happy. The old Aristotelian definition still works: "The exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope." Solving a tough problem with skills you've practiced is a good example. If you've worked a tricky math proof, or read a good novel, you might know what I'm talking about. The feeling you get after successfully striving for a nontrivial goal.
3) Joy. It's going to get metaphysical from here. Joy is humbling. If happiness is born of accomplishment, of being equal to a task, joy comes from being exceeded. Happiness can be earned; joy is always a gift. I've been fortunate enough to have joyful moments in my life; they're always unexpected, and leave me a little shaken and very thankful. There's a feeling of hugeness, of something barely contained, powerful yet fleeting and fragile.
4) Glory. I have no personal experience with this, but I'm pretty sure it's out there. I think only a very few people are vouchsafed this kind of experience. And I'm frankly a little scared of it. This is the kind of stuff that completely transforms lives, the refining fire, the brush from the fingertip of God, if you'll indulge me.
And I guess that's all I've got for today; happiness as I understand it. Hope you liked it.
Plus I'm a big nerd. But you knew that.
I meet a lot of unhappy people. I've spent some unhappy time myself, as we all do. I try not to let it get to me. In college, I had the fond illusion of 'fixing' these unhappy people, so they could learn to be happy. Well. That certainly went the way of all illusions. I remember what my mother would say to me -- and this doesn't translate well, but I'll do my best: "El que se mete a redentor muere crucificado." 'Being a redeemer gets you crucified.' True words, Mom.
So, after watching some people make the same mistakes over and over again, or beat themselves against Wall X or succumb to Horrible Behavior Pattern B, what I've come up with is: People are generally as happy as they know how to be. Learning how to be happier than your current maximum is nonintuitive and can be a sucky process. Most people don't bother. It's too meta.
Not that I'm a stranger to Stupid Behavior Pattern A, you understand. But on to Happiness!
0) Baseline. This is not really any sort of happiness, just an absence of immediate Suck. Not in pain, basically. Grayish and unexciting. I'm sure we all feel we spend too much time here.
1) Content. This is the kind of feeling you get from an okay-to-decent videogame, or whittling, or watching a brainless zombie flick. Fun, but not, you know, huge. This ain't a bad spot to hang out.
2) Happy. The old Aristotelian definition still works: "The exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope." Solving a tough problem with skills you've practiced is a good example. If you've worked a tricky math proof, or read a good novel, you might know what I'm talking about. The feeling you get after successfully striving for a nontrivial goal.
3) Joy. It's going to get metaphysical from here. Joy is humbling. If happiness is born of accomplishment, of being equal to a task, joy comes from being exceeded. Happiness can be earned; joy is always a gift. I've been fortunate enough to have joyful moments in my life; they're always unexpected, and leave me a little shaken and very thankful. There's a feeling of hugeness, of something barely contained, powerful yet fleeting and fragile.
4) Glory. I have no personal experience with this, but I'm pretty sure it's out there. I think only a very few people are vouchsafed this kind of experience. And I'm frankly a little scared of it. This is the kind of stuff that completely transforms lives, the refining fire, the brush from the fingertip of God, if you'll indulge me.
And I guess that's all I've got for today; happiness as I understand it. Hope you liked it.