The Happiness Money Can't Buy

[lordpasternack]

But for the love of God, I can most certainly eat my cake and have it too, if I get my way.

Certainly, not all of humanity could live in the wilderness as HGs if science, medicine, and whatnot are to continue to exist - but as an individual most certainly could - and I could potentially get a few pals along, without stepping on anyone's toes in their high-flying 9-5 lifestyle. Or at least do what FBM's done and get a low octane, fairly well-paid vocation that suits me just fine. We can create our own little niche in the sprawling morass of the "global village" if we damn well want to. We just have to put our minds to it, and work at it a little harder than they might have had to back in the day...

+1 brazillion to everything except the "work at it a little harder" part. Really, I don't think we should have to work any harder. The stress involved in the current model of human 'success' is ridiculous as it is. I'm suggesting that a more moderate lifestyle would involve less struggle, not more. After all, all paths lead to the same place: the grave. So why work harder? Moderate...find the happy median...

Yes - but you may need to work hard in some ways to pave your way into the lifestyle you want. Yourself, for instance, probably had to do a bit of studying and whatnot, and do a bit of paid work for the travel costs, to get into your current position...

[Clinton Huxley]

Certainly, not all of humanity could live in the wilderness as HGs if science, medicine, and whatnot are to continue to exist - but as an individual most certainly could - and I could potentially get a few pals along, without stepping on anyone's toes in their high-flying 9-5 lifestyle.

Go for it, but don't expect the "high-flyin'" 9-5ers to send an evac helicopter when a she-bear gnaws your leg off....

[lordpasternack]

Certainly, not all of humanity could live in the wilderness as HGs if science, medicine, and whatnot are to continue to exist - but as an individual most certainly could - and I could potentially get a few pals along, without stepping on anyone's toes in their high-flying 9-5 lifestyle.

Go for it, but don't expect the "high-flyin'" 9-5ers to send an evac helicopter when a she-bear gnaws your leg off....

I don't necessarily want to live in the wilderness myself - I just want, at the very least, not to find myself grumbling too much about my chosen vocation, but feeling tied to it due to various obligations and wants, etc.

[FBM]

[Existentialist1844]

edit: damn!

[Existentialist1844]

A recent article in Scientific American suggested that the reason people are more depressed in industrialized societies is because everything is handed to us on a silver platter. Technology does everything for us. The people that have to hunt their own food, and really get their hands dirty are the most happy. Something about the benefit of completing a task, as opposed to having a machine do it for you. Personally, I always feel a great deal of satisfaction after I get my hands dirty.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

A recent article in Scientific American suggested that the reason people are more depressed in industrialized societies is because everything is handed to us on a silver platter. Technology does everything for us. The people that have to hunt their own food, and really get their hands dirty are the most happy. Something about the benefit of completing a task, as opposed to having a machine do it for you. Personally, I always feel a great deal of satisfaction after I get my hands dirty.

I don't think they were referring to semen in SA...

[JacksSmirkingRevenge]

A recent article in Scientific American suggested that the reason people are more depressed in industrialized societies is because everything is handed to us on a silver platter. Technology does everything for us. The people that have to hunt their own food, and really get their hands dirty are the most happy. Something about the benefit of completing a task, as opposed to having a machine do it for you. Personally, I always feel a great deal of satisfaction after I get my hands dirty.

I'll go along with that. There is something very ungratifying about modern society. - The way you can be 60 or 70 miles away in an hour - something that would, not too long ago have taken 4 days or so. The way, at your merest whim you can have almost anything (within reason) from almost anywhere in the world within a couple (or so) days. The way we are no longer really tied to a circadian rhythm and can operate 24 hours a day if need be - but are still tied to work. The way we can find food etc. without any effort - when is the last time any of us went properly hungry?
It's almost like good, honest toil and necessary concern for our own welfare have been replaced with drudgery and stress.

[Beelzebub2]

A recent article in Scientific American suggested that the reason people are more depressed in industrialized societies is because everything is handed to us on a silver platter.

Instead of taking Prozac perhaps they should see these videos:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ubJp6rm ... re=channel[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0miXRyN ... re=channel[/youtube]

Double click does the trick for the first video.

[lordpasternack]

The odd thing is that, in a way, the problems in Zimbabwe are in part due to our industrialisation. The value of their money is entirely dependent on individuals worldwide choosing to buy or not to buy and trade in Zimbabwean dollars - which of course they are loathe to do when they catch wind of how psychotic the man at the helm is, and how deeply the country is already in foreign debt.

Those people are in a serious rut. They likely don't even have any opportunity to subsistence farm, or hunt, or have any other means of survival besides foraging - not for food - but for a particular metal, to trade for food.

[FBM]

The odd thing is that, in a way, the problems in Zimbabwe are in part due to our industrialisation. The value of their money is entirely dependent on individuals worldwide choosing to buy or not to buy and trade in Zimbabwean dollars - which of course they are loathe to do when they catch wind of how psychotic the man at the helm is, and how deeply the country is already in foreign debt.

Those people are in a serious rut. They likely don't even have any opportunity to subsistence farm, or hunt, or have any other means of survival besides foraging - not for food - but for a particular metal, to trade for food.

Agreed. If they hadn't abandoned their subsistence agricultural lifestyles due to pressure from the industrialized powers, they'd still have enough food to eat. The Maasai have held on and have been quite successful, but even they are dwindling under the false promises of easy luxury and 'progress' from the advertisers and robber-barons.

[Clinton Huxley]

Re Zimbabwe - Read Martin Meredith's The State of Africa to see how things have gone so painfully wrong in the last 50 years. A lot of the problems are the West's fault but by no means all.....