Now, I’m just pulling this out of my head…so I am sure there are many holes…and that is why I posted it.
Have you ever thought about how quickly good things seem to go away, and how permanent many bad things seem to be?
Now, I’m speaking of good and bad in a broad sense…ie “birth = good death = bad.”
Let’s take a look at some examples.
Birth = Good and temporary
Death = Bad and permanent
New Job = Good and temporary
Getting Fired = Bad and permanent
Friendship = Good and temporary
End of friendship = Bad and permanent
It seems that there are more permanent bad things in life than good. Is this only because we have a bad perception of what it means to “end” something?
Are there good things that are permanent?
There are bad things that may be temporary like sickness and poverty. But while these MIGHT be temporary (if you are lucky) they MIGHT ALSO be very permanent if you do not overcome them.
So…is life basically made up of a bunch of bad things that will only become good things with a lot of work and sacrifice?
Is life “bad” in it’s default and things only become good when you force them to be so?
hey there, i think that’s an interesting point. all of the good things do seem permeate and the bad stuff does appear to last. but i think that this is because we focus on the bad much longer than the good. i think that as humans we need to, for our survival mechanisms to kick in.
for instance, when something good happens immediately, before getting to comfortable, humans must ask, what’s next? how else can i maintain my edge? a new job, a new life, a new friendship, they aren’t celebrated every day you have them, they are just accepted and adapted into our lives. hence their temporary feeling.
bad stuff, on the other hand, must stay with us, hopefully so was guard against it from happening again. although you got me on death, events like loosing a job, loosing a relationship, etc., are to be avoided. the good stuff is where humans preferable wish to be, but it is in the expectation of bad stuff where humans state of mind must rest. i think this is a default position for the sake of the species. i don’t think it means that this mental state needs to remain here, however
Think about the natural state of the world, and how hostile it is to our lifestyle. In order for us to be happy and healthy, we have to build and maintain things. Things left to without our attention die, break down, fall apart and corrode. By contrast, if we want something really awesome, it takes a bunch of effort and maintenence. If I don’t put any effort into it, I’ll lose my job and won’t find another. If I don’t maintain myself, I’ll be unhealthy and die.
So, bad things tend to be permenant (or longer lasting) because they often stem from a lack of activity, or a cessation. Good things are more temporarily because they require more activity and energy, and are thus prone to mishap.
— I’m not sure where i read this. Are you familiar with the Doppler effect? That is if a train is coming towards you the sound waves get compressed so it sounds more high pitched; as it moves away the sound waves get decompressed resulting in a lower pitch. Everything that you mentioned with the exception of death can be thought of within this context. new jobs and friendships resonate higher and after they’re gone, lower.
— A lot of it is attitude. As Epictetus said, you don’t have control over what happens to you or your surroundings, only your own attitude.
At times i have actually embraced sickness as a time to think and as a way to keep me humble. A lot of very happy people have lived in miserable surroundings.
— Of course one can work to change one’s surroundings. our capacity to work may be one of the permanent good things you are looking for.
— One thing that philosophy has graciously given to me: Life has no meaning, we must impart the meaning to it.
p.s. I’m not sure death is necessarily a bad thing, it lends one’s life a certain amount of poignancy and clears the way for nature to try again.
