Meaning or Happiness? Which Would You Pick?

[Me Myself]

I'd go happiness. If you aren't happy then I don't see how having a strong sense of meaning would be fulfilling. Sure, it might keep you going in the morning, but sounds a bit plodding.

Though, I don't think that your addendum-- that the happiness would be inherently selfish and the meaningful purpose would be good to others-- is necessarily fair.

Agreed. While exceptions may happen, I truly and deeply feel that it is almost impossible to truly make a positive and sustained difference in people's life's while being miserable.

For most of us, we really need to be happy if we want to make others happy. Humans are social creatures. Our happines is deeply entwined with the happines of those we see regularly, wether we consciously realise it and act on it or not.

 

[Revoltingest]

I've been doing just fine without meaning.
Happiness is better.

 

[Sunstone]

Though, I don't think that your addendum-- that the happiness would be inherently selfish and the meaningful purpose would be good to others-- is necessarily fair.

My interest was not in being fair when writing the OP.

 

[Sunstone]

THe disctinction sounds "poetic" more than anything to me.

I am not even very sure I can get into the mind frame.

What good does purpose make if it does not bring some kind of pleasure? If having "meaning" didn't brought you pleasure on some level or avoided you pain on some level, you wouldn't prefer it over "happiness"

I am not sure if it is a semantic thing.

would this be an acceptable rephrasing of your question? :

Do you prefer a life of pleasure coming from immidiate sensorial stimuli (food, sex, nice things to see) that is not based on empathic social pleasure or would you prefer a life full of empathic social pleasure without any other direct souce of pleasure?

If that was, I would prefer to be happy through making others happy than through alcohol sex and food.

If your question actualy is:

Would you prefer to be completely miserable and have no happiness whatsoever in your life but have something you call "meaning" that does not give you any pleasure and does not avoid you pain on any level in no way or would you prefer to be happy by sensorial overload?

I would choose to be happy by sensorial overload. (provided I am not making others suffer in this way (or at least not bringing more suffering than I bring happiness (even if I dont realize/care about giving them happiness) )

And if for some reason I would choose purpose (which wouldnt register unless this purpose was an altruistic one) the "me" in such a life would likely choose happiness over purpose, because provided he does not find any pleasure in this life and is not avoiding any pain, why on Earth would he like to have a purpose?

I mean you like something because it gives you some kind of pleasure or avoid you some kind of pain. That's it.

Astonishing! You, sir, are an absolute genius at missing the point of an OP!

 

[chinu]

If for some reason, you had to make a choice between, on the one hand, being happy in life, or, on the other hand, having a strong sense of meaning and purpose in life, which would you choose? And why would you choose it?

Both are one and the same things, there's no choice, indeed. because if one is having a strong sense of meaning and purpose in life, than also one is doing it for the sake of own happiness.

Whatever one do, is just for the sake of own happiness.

 

[Breathe]

Although I do believe the two inseparable, for the sake of argument...

Happiness.

No happiness and you're just going to be a miserable little pillock who nobody likes.

Who wouldn't want to be a happy, singing hobo?

Spoiler: Sorry, I had to

Spoiler: And no, I'm not supporting it

[youtube]i_6TBTP-EJI[/youtube]
Hobo Knife! - YouTube

 

[Pegg]

If for some reason, you had to make a choice between, on the one hand, being happy in life, or, on the other hand, having a strong sense of meaning and purpose in life, which would you choose? And why would you choose it?

Please assume for the sake of this discussion that there is no "middle way". You can choose one option or the other, but not a mix of both. If you choose being happy, you will live without a strong sense of meaning and purpose in life. If you choose living with a strong sense of meaning and purpose, you will not be very happy.

Also, please assume that your happiness, if you choose it, would be hedonistic -- that is, it would be based on your success at obtaining pleasure and avoiding pain -- and in that sense be self-centered. While your meaning or purpose in life, if you choose it, would to some significant extent involve service to others -- and in that sense be oriented towards other people.

Purpose and meaning because these will bring us happiness even in the skrewed up world we currently live in.

Happiness can be fake. People who smoke weed are happy.

 

[Sunstone]

I might gather from this thread that it can be very difficult for people to choose between happiness and meaning -- even when answering the question has no real life consequences!

 

[gerrywilson]

I prefer strong sense of meaning and purpose in life. At end of our life we feel satisfied, if we choose strong sense of meaning and purpose in life.

 

[chinu]

Is it really so very difficult to, purely for the sake of discussion, make a choice between two hypothetical options?

Firstly, its not hypothetical for me.
Secondly, I can only make choice between two different options, rather than one single option, because both these two options are one the same options for me.

It really won't bite you no matter which option you choose. So, what's the problem with humoring me and picking one or the other option?

Yes, it won't really bite me, but what can I do if they are one and the same ?

In option first one is trying to get happiness from different things, and in option second one is trying to get happiness by having strong sense of meaning and purpose in life. The only difference is that in option first one doesn't know that it can get happiness by having a strong sense of meaning and purpose in life, Or in other words one is worthy for option second only when one gets fed-up by the option first, or when the option first gets fail completely. And only after the failure of option first one is said to be worthy for choosing the option second in true terms.

If the reason behind choosing of option second is the failure of option first, than it doesn't mean that one has changed the point of view of getting happiness, it only means that one has just changed the tactic for getting this happiness. And If the point of view remains same in both the options, than of course they are one and the same options, indeed,

I hope you can understand my point.

 

[gerrywilson]

I prefer strong sense of meaning and purpose in life. At end of our life we feel satisfied, if we choose strong sense of meaning and purpose in life.

 

[chinu]

I prefer strong sense of meaning and purpose in life. At end of our life we feel satisfied, if we choose strong sense of meaning and purpose in life.

Isn't this your own way of getting happiness by feeling satisfied at the end of your life, by choosing this option ?

 

[chinu]

1st: All humans on this earth has only one "Point of view" behind for choosing anything, and that is to get Happiness for own self.

2nd: Man will never change his/her "Point of view", but can change "Tactic" for his/her "Point of view" (Happiness).

3rd: By the above two points am just trying to change your tactic, not your "Point of view"


Tell me what is wrong in the above three ?

 

[Me Myself]

Astonishing! You, sir, are an absolute genius at missing the point of an OP!

chew it up for me then :cover:

Did you see my other posts?

I wonder if the problem comes from how you define happiness and how I define happiness.

for me, happiness is general plesure or content with your life, being "satisfied"

So that's why I dont undertand what purpose would "purpose" serve me if I am not happy

I mean, people that feel like havinga purpose I tend to see them satisfied when they describe themselves fulfilling it, or if not I have no ide what you mean by purpose. I mean in the most literal sense it is impossible to my knowledge to not have any goal. In the hedonistic life, fulfilling the immidiate desires of the senses seem to be the purpose. In the life with "purpose" serving others seem to be the means of achiving happiness.

So I dont get it.

I really tried to understand just saying you dont get it felt kind of... rats I tried! you could at least try to xplain me the question better! :cover:

 

[Me Myself]

I might gather from this thread that it can be very difficult for people to choose between happiness and meaning -- even when answering the question has no real life consequences!

I think people find it difficult to understand what you mean by those in a way that you find them different.

What does "happiness" mean to you? what does "purpose of yur life" means to you?

Would "purpose" mean "something you spend your life trying to accomplish"?

would happiness mean "enjoyment of the moment without any long term goal and excluding all pleasure coming from empathical ineractions"?

I cant make another reading by what I gather from the OP, but that may very well be lack of creativity on my part. IF you explain what you mean by those terms, maybe people will find it easier to choose.

I dont think I have a sense of "purpose" in my life as in I dont know what I want to make of my future.

I know I am happy, things that make me happy are mostly social:

I am happy to have a family that loves me and good friends who are loyal and to whom I am loyal. I am happy to have this deep meaningful relationships. "meaningful" in the sense of "important" or "that matter to me" (I would say "serious" but that sounds cold and de-tached which wouldnt make sense as something that makes me happy)

THe problem is that to me, that is happiness, so I dont understand why you exclude relationships with other people in "hapiness" .

If I chose purpose, but no happiness, then what is the point of my friendshis? If I am not happy, they wont feel happy associating with me so I wont make them happy either. So it would be like a contractual obligation to spend time toether and that woul allegedly be "purposeful" ? I just dont understand the mindframe.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Happiness, I don't really care if I have a reason for being here or a purpose to fulfill, all I want is to kick back with a smile

 

[Me Myself]

I mean who is assigning the purposes? If I am on which basis would I pick something that wont give me absolutely any kind of pleasure? I can choose it by altruism because in this example, I cannot be happy, so I must derive no pleasure from seeing other people happy, and no pleasure from feeling I am someone "useful" for society, because you are telling me I cannot be hapy with this purpose.

SO I dont get it.

 

[Marie75]

Happiness only if I knew for sure there was an after life. I can't say that I am a truly happy person and would love to be happy all the time. Of course I have my "moments" of happiness. But I think there are many many unhappy people out there. Just think, if we lived in total happiness/ bliss our whole lives, we wouldn't want to die and be devastated at the thought of death. Which I believe is one reason people resort to self destructive behaviors because of their fear of death, or covering up some unresolved emotional distress.

 

[adi2d]

I would much rather choose meaning and purpose because I don't think life is suppose to be all that pleasant.

Such a sad outlook on life.

:sorry1:

 

[Falvlun]

My interest was not in being fair when writing the OP.

To clarify, your addendum essentially made people choose between two sets of things, rather than just one:

1. Meaning vs Happiness
2. Helping others vs Selfishness

I don't see why the two sets should inherently be linked. And the fact that you linked them will skew the results to the main question: Meaning vs Happiness.