Hi,
The question I'd like to pose is this: there's a lot of ideology out there that tells us that waiting for one's situation to change and expecting to be happy after is setting oneself up for failure. So, the paradigmatic example is this: person P, unhappy with their life, thinks to themselves "once I get that nice car, then I'll be happy." In this instance, I find myself in agreement with the adage: person P shouldn't wait on the car to make them happy. But I don't agree with it on the grounds that life changes don't bring happiness. I disagree with it on the grounds that a shiny car will bring lasting happiness.
Now, consider this situation: person P is someone working in terrible conditions somewhere in Asia. Person P works 15 hour days, seven days a week. In this person's case, the adage seems to fail: upon escaping this lifestyle, this person finds that they have the time they've always wanted to do the things they want to do. So, again, this person's situation changes, but, in this case, more time, maybe better work conditions, more sleep and rest, etc., are things that do in fact contribute to lasting happiness.
My main point is this: it may not always be wrong to assert that "once this thing changes, I can be happy." In other words, "I'll be happy once X, Y, and Z come to fruition."
What are all of your thoughts? Do you think this is true? Do you think there are some basic material needs or ways of living that are necessary for happiness? Or can the enslaved worker be just as happy as anyone else.
Thanks for your time.
Submitted February 02, 2017 at 02:37AM by honestasker http://ift.tt/2kW8MyD
