I'm sure most people in first-world countries are content with their existence. If most people weren't content, this would be apparent - most people would rebel and try to make a better life for themselves. This is not what I see, both in real life and on the internet; instead, I see many people living life steeped in mediocrity. Maybe they're unsatisfied with their sex life? No problem, watch some porn. Maybe they want to make new friends? That's okay, you can talk to your online homies that you play MMORPGs with. Maybe they're sick of their job? Don't you worry, watch some TV when you get home and you can forget all about your troubles.
It's easy to make yourself content with your existence. It's much harder to make yourself feel proud. Materialistic stimulation can't make you truly proud, that comes from your own decisions and resultant actions (at least, proud in my sense of the word).
My first question: Are you proud?
Most likely, you are, and if you aren't, you're working towards a goal that will make you proud (maybe being on that path already makes you proud). I expect most people here have started out as a comfort seeker like I described in my first paragraph, and then gradually clawed their way through adversity, to become proud. Me? I'm not yet proud. I've changed quite a bit for the better in the last 9 months or so, but I'm still not living the lifestyle that I want. I'll get there eventually, don't worry.
My second question: Can everyone be?
This isn't a sermon, by the way. I have another question to do with economics - can everyone be proud? Let me be clear, the standards vary from person to person, and that is fine. Some would be proud of being a tradesman; some would be proud of having a corporate job; some would be proud of being a schoolteacher; some would be proud of being a criminal; some would be proud of living a survivalist lifestyle in the wilderness. All have their merit, but not everyone would be proud living a specific one of these lifestyles.
Much like the euphoric feeling of excelling at something is killed by the ubiquitous distribution of participation trophies, perhaps if everyone is proud of their lives, no-one is? After the spiel I wrote in the previous paragraph regarding different lifestyle choices being optimal for different people, you'd expect that to be false. But what about girls and money? When it comes to those two aspects, there surely must be some winners and losers. If everyone had the same level of game, would anyone really be proud of the girls they've won over? If everyone earned the same income, would anyone really be proud of the money they've worked to get? Communism works a charm, doesn't it? Perhaps becoming proud of yourself not only involves triumphing over your old self, but also vanquishing your rivals...
So let me know what you think. Tell me why you're proud, or why you aren't. And, if you're a big boy, consider the question of whether everyone can truly be proud or not.
It's easy to make yourself content with your existence. It's much harder to make yourself feel proud. Materialistic stimulation can't make you truly proud, that comes from your own decisions and resultant actions (at least, proud in my sense of the word).
My first question: Are you proud?
Most likely, you are, and if you aren't, you're working towards a goal that will make you proud (maybe being on that path already makes you proud). I expect most people here have started out as a comfort seeker like I described in my first paragraph, and then gradually clawed their way through adversity, to become proud. Me? I'm not yet proud. I've changed quite a bit for the better in the last 9 months or so, but I'm still not living the lifestyle that I want. I'll get there eventually, don't worry.
My second question: Can everyone be?
This isn't a sermon, by the way. I have another question to do with economics - can everyone be proud? Let me be clear, the standards vary from person to person, and that is fine. Some would be proud of being a tradesman; some would be proud of having a corporate job; some would be proud of being a schoolteacher; some would be proud of being a criminal; some would be proud of living a survivalist lifestyle in the wilderness. All have their merit, but not everyone would be proud living a specific one of these lifestyles.
Much like the euphoric feeling of excelling at something is killed by the ubiquitous distribution of participation trophies, perhaps if everyone is proud of their lives, no-one is? After the spiel I wrote in the previous paragraph regarding different lifestyle choices being optimal for different people, you'd expect that to be false. But what about girls and money? When it comes to those two aspects, there surely must be some winners and losers. If everyone had the same level of game, would anyone really be proud of the girls they've won over? If everyone earned the same income, would anyone really be proud of the money they've worked to get? Communism works a charm, doesn't it? Perhaps becoming proud of yourself not only involves triumphing over your old self, but also vanquishing your rivals...
So let me know what you think. Tell me why you're proud, or why you aren't. And, if you're a big boy, consider the question of whether everyone can truly be proud or not.