That said, all but the most religious people have a mix in their head (and I include myself in this) between what their religion says and what the culture around them says; and that mix usually destroys, in whole or in part, whatever sense of peace or fulfillment the religion could supply.
I would flip it around: the hedonic treadmill means people get to experience the same amount of happiness regardless of their lot in life. Is that not a good thing?
"You’re an animal, Sibling Dex. You are not separate or other. You’re an animal. And animals have no purpose. Nothing has a purpose. The world simply is. If you want to do things that are meaningful to others, fine! Good! So do I! But if I wanted to crawl into a cave and watch stalagmites with Frostfrog for the remainder of my days, that would also be both fine and good. You keep asking why your work is not enough, and I don’t know how to answer that, because it is enough to exist in the world and marvel at it. You don’t need to justify that, or earn it. You are allowed to just live. That is all most animals do. "
ghssds•6mo ago
joules77•6mo ago
Spinoza says everyone has a desire for self preservation. That desire produces "passions". Passionate people maybe passive or active. Passive is just being a leaf in the wind. A slave to the survival instinct. Just like an ant. Active is about understanding your passions deeply and how they fit into things much larger than you. That's how you make contact with things like beauty, love and happiness. And maybe even God.
gsf_emergency_2•6mo ago
I don't think the following thread's OT .. it's up to you :)
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44634998