<div>It is a scientific fact that "happiness" is greatly determined by genetics that influence brain chemistry. This is not chosen by the individual. Someone born with a unfortunate role of the genetic dice regarding happiness influencing brain chemistry will be hampered in attaining happiness, no matter what they do or what luck they may have. The suicides occurring among the successful (they apparently made good choices) and well loved reveal this. Someone born with a very lucky role of the genetic dice in this regard can face great challenges and tragedy and still maintain a degree of "happiness." </div>
<div> </div>
<div>The "happiness" pills (Prozac et. al.), taken in astonishing quantities by prescription (though often not, given the black market in prescription drugs) from the pharmaceutical/psychiatric clergy (I write "clergy" because they in some respects provide the spiritual guidance once more commonly sought from priests and shamans et. al.), provide a scientific argument for happiness being a matter of altering brain chemistry via drugs. If happiness were really primarily a matter of choice for most everyone, then the science of neurochemistry, coupled with the commonplace prescription of anti-depressants, is scientifically in error in the emphasis on widespread use of anti-depressants; and implies a grave social problem robbing people of their free willed happiness in favor of drugs as a solution to life's problems. After all, we are waging a so called "War on Drugs." What sort of message does it send society for the psychiatric profession to advocate widespread use of drugs as a path to attaining happiness, given the mainstream use of anti-depressants?</div>
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<div>Virtue? There are very virtuous people who are not very happy. Doing the right thing can bring personal ruin. That's why potential whistle blowers regarding crimes and corruption in government, military, law enforcement, and corporations et. al. often keep silent. Honesty and virtue might bring great unhappiness if it means challenging those in power: loss of career, financial ruin, negative impacts on a person's family, hatred from colleagues, black listing, if not outright physical harm. And there are some rather morally compromised people lacking in virtue, who appear to be happy. Of course this depends on how happiness is defined, a definition that will vary tremendously given subjective biases.</div>
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<div>Is ignorance bliss? I think sometimes it very well is. The whole truth about humanity, war, starvation and abuse of each other and the biosphere on Earth which gave us birth, and the ultimate consequences of these failings that are upcoming, are realities I think most people chose to deny, in one way or another, in favor of comfortable delusions that increase happiness. Of course many people are oblivious to what the future will bring. And they are happier in this oblivion, it seems.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>I'd like to believe that an essential element of happiness is a full honest awareness of all realities in life, good and bad, with no illusions, delusions or fairy tales required, no need to deceive oneself or anyone else. A world where happiness pursued by all would mean honesty in all things by all, where science is harmonized with spiritual and emotional needs, with the mythology of the human story. There is something hollow, it seems, about happiness being based on deception, escapism, or fairy tales, or denial of the findings of science. And of course honestly facing objective reality allows the avoidance of disasters that cause great unhappiness. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>But it is human nature to seek delusion, deception and escapism in life, it seems. And dishonesty sometimes does appear to make people happy, without harming anyone. Perhaps our brains are hard wired to seek escape and deception of others or self as a needed psychological defense mechanism. Of course deception can confer great powers of control over others who are being deceived; and it seems people rather willingly allow themselves to be deceived in some some cases, as if some kind of comfort or happiness is gained by blindly following authority figures in government or religion, etc. This blind following of leaders may be more an unconscious than conscious choice.</div>
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<div>Ted Moffett<br> </div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 1/9/09, <b class="gmail_sendername">Nick Gier</b> <<a href="mailto:ngier@uidaho.edu">ngier@uidaho.edu</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<div>Hi Joe,<br><br>I should have been more clear. For Aristotle happiness is the result of developing an ensemble of virtues. Although the virtues start very early in childhood, I think a good case can be made that as we mature real choices are made every day to enforce and enhance the virtues.<br>
<br>Thanks for the dialogue,<br><br>Nick
<div><span class="e" id="q_11ebd7290aa82e43_1"><br><br>t 01:54 PM 1/9/2009, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite">Nick,<br><br>I don't think that happiness is a choice. That is not say that whether or<br>not I'm happy is a function of choices that I've made! That seems true to<br>me. But not everyone gets those choices.<br>
<br>Best, Joe<br><br><br>On 1/9/09 1:50 PM, "<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:nickgier@roadrunner.com" target="_blank">nickgier@roadrunner.com</a>" <<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:nickgier@roadrunner.com" target="_blank">nickgier@roadrunner.com</a>><br>
wrote:<br><br>> Greetings:<br><br>I agree that achieving happiness is a choice and it has a lot to<br>> do with attitude, but the end of the following sentence simply does not make<br>> sense:<br><br>Thus, weıre more likely to experience happiness if we realize itıs not<br>
> <br>just getting what we want. Itıs learning to want what we get. <br><br>Just one<br>> problem with this last sentence is the obvious fact that there are lots of<br>> things we get that we did not desire.<br><br>
Perhaps some of you saw my column on<br>> happiness--"Happy Hour is not what Aristotle Had in Mind" at<br>> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/happiness.htm" target="_blank">www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/happiness.htm</a>.<br>
<br>Nick Gier<br><br>---- lfalen<br>> <<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:lfalen@turbonet.com" target="_blank">lfalen@turbonet.com</a>> wrote: <br>> Thanks for the email. Happiness is a choice.<br>
> This reminds me of the story of the lady that went to the Nursing home. She<br>> said her room was ral nice and she liked it. The attendant said : but you<br>> haven't even seen it yet." The lady said " I made up my mind bere I came that<br>
> I was going to like it". Im glad you like Dennes Prager<br>Roger<br>-----Original<br>> message-----<br>From: Tom Hansen <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" target="_blank">thansen@moscow.com</a><br>
Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2009<br>> 06:41:34 -0800<br>To: <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>Subject: [Vision2020] Happiness is a<br>
> Choice<br><br>> Happiness is a Choice<br>> By Michael Josephson<br>><br>> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://charactercounts.org/michael/" target="_blank">http://charactercounts.org/michael/</a><br>
> <br>> In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy asks<br>> Charlie Brown, ³Why do you think we were <br>> put on earth?²<br>> <br>> Charlie<br>> answers, ³To make others happy.² <br>> <br>> Lucy replies, ³I donıt think Iım making<br>
> anyone happy,² and then adds, ³but <br>> nobodyıs making me very happy either.<br>> Somebodyıs not doing his job!²<br>> <br>> People like Lucy are so sure happiness is<br>> a matter of getting something <br>
> that they ask not what they can do for others<br>> but what others can and <br>> should do for them. They usually feel shortchanged<br>> or cheated. They become <br>> so preoccupied with what they donıt have that they<br>
> canıt enjoy what they <br>> do have.<br>> <br>> Whatıs more, they donıt realize one of<br>> the best ways to be happy is to <br>> experience the joy and self-worth of making<br>> others happy. <br>> <br>
> In his book Happiness Is a Serious Problem, Dennis Prager<br>> argues that itıs <br>> human nature to want and feel we need more. The problem<br>> is, the quest for <br>> more is endless because we can always add more to<br>
> whatever we have. As a <br>> result, the Lucys of the world often live in an ³if<br>> only² world that keeps <br>> them one step away from happiness: ³If only I get<br>> this raise, make this <br>> sale, pay off my debts, or win this game, Iıll be<br>
> happy.²<br>> <br>> Abraham Lincoln understood that happiness is essentially a way of<br>> looking <br>> at oneıs life. ³A person is generally about as happy as heıs<br>> willing to <br>> be,² he said. <br>
> <br>> Thus, weıre more likely to experience<br>> happiness if we realize itıs not <br>> just getting what we want. Itıs learning<br>> to want what we get. <br>> <br>><br>> -------------------------------------------------------<br>
> <br>> Stay healthy.<br>> Stay happy. Stay informed.<br>> <br>> Seeya round town, Moscow.<br>> <br>> Tom Hansen<br>><br>> Moscow, Idaho<br>> <br>> "For a lapse Lutheran born-again Buddhist pan-Humanist<br>
> Universalist <br>> Unitarian Wiccan Agnostic like myself there's really no reason<br>> ever to go <br>> to work."<br>> <br>> - Roy Zimmerman<br>> <br>> <br>><br>> ---------------------------------------------<br>
> This message was sent by First<br>> Step Internet.<br>> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.fsr.com/" target="_blank">http://www.fsr.com/</a><br>> <br>> <br>
> <br>><br>> <br><br></blockquote></span></div>
<p><font size="2">"Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it to human affairs."<br>--Ralph Waldo Emerson<br><br>"Abstract truth has no value unless it incarnates in human beings who represent it, by proving their readiness to die for it."<br>
--Mohandas Gandhi<br><br>"Modern physics has taught us that the nature of any system cannot be discovered by dividing it into its component parts and studying each part by itself. . . .We must keep our attention fixed on the whole and on the interconnection between the parts. The same is true of our intellectual life. It is impossible to make a clear cut between science, religion, and art. The whole is never equal simply to the sum of its various parts." --Ma</font><font size="1">x Planck<br>
<br></font>Nicholas F. Gier<br>Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, University of Idaho<br>1037 Colt Rd., Moscow, ID 83843<br><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/home.htm" target="_blank">http://www.home.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/home.htm<br>
</a>208-882-9212/FAX 885-8950<br>President, Idaho Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO<br><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/ift.htm" target="_blank">http://www.roadrunner.com/~nickgier/ift.htm<br>
<br></a></p></div></blockquote></div>