Thursday, January 10, 2013

It is the very pursuit of happiness that thwarts happiness

Interesting article in the Atlantic about Nazis, happiness and finding meaning in life. The author makes an interesting point that happiness and meaning are inversely related, the things that give life meaning often make us less happy. She clearly has a pretty low opinion of happiness, describing it as an empty and fleeting emotion. However I don't think she really provides any satisfactory definition of meaning. Perhaps, like happiness, the pursuit of meaning thwarts meaning. Frankl found meaning in his experiences, however I can't "find" his experiences.

Some 450 years ago on his deathbed Montaigne wrote "Life should be an aim unto itself, a purpose unto itself." So perhaps its not about where you end up but how you get there.

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/theres-more-to-life-than-being-happy/266805/

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