Are you happy

[AlisaD]

Feel free to elaborate. Or not

 

[EyeSeeCold]

To be happy means to be content. Of course one can never be truly content, yet still, idealized joy can override natural suffering. I have felt this idyllic joy before, and I can say that for once in my lifetime I was happy. Though the one who gave me that feeling is long gone, the memories of happiness linger on.

 

[CoryJames]

Am I unhappy? No. Am I happy. Not overly. Neither.

 

[echoplex]

I'd say so. I'm not at all satisfied though. And I'm not entirely pleased with your tone either. *glares at no one in particular*

 

[Ermine]

I guess I'm more happy than unhappy. I'm pretty content with my situation, but at the same time, I'm at the point in the semester where I want to just escape and let the final exams study for themselves. But I'm glad I have less than 2 weeks left, and then have 3.5 months to contemplate my next academic move (my current computer science major doesn't seem to be the thing for me). I'm also looking forward to having an income again and having more time to focus on art and music. And then there's skiing. And Christmas (a happy event if you stay away from the radio and stores). So there are plenty of things to look forward to that will make me feel more content.

 

[Bird]

I am going to need you to provide me with
your definition of happy-ness before I can
properly decide.

 

[Zero]

Should I be happy? Am I not happy now?

If someone tells me what happiness is, how to gain it and I realize I do not have it, then I suppose I'm unhappy.

At the moment, it doesn't really exist to me- because I don't really need it.

That makes me quite happy.

 

[AlisaD]

I am going to need you to provide me with
your definition of happy-ness before I can
properly decide.

I'll take that as a: "No."

Should I be happy? Am I not happy now?

If someone tells me what happiness is, how to gain it and I realize I do not have it, then I suppose I'm unhappy.

At the moment, it doesn't really exist to me- because I don't really need it.

That makes me quite happy.

 

[Bird]

Again, I would really like your
definition so I may properly decide.

 

[AlisaD]

Again, I would really like your
definition so I may properly decide.

How do you define feelings?
Preferably, happiness would be: "I feel so fucking good I can't stop grinning like and idiot, and can't really think about anything because there's just too much of the good I'm feeling now"
But it can also be: "I feel quiet and content, and can smile, and feel like I might understand some of the world and some of me"
I'll even settle for: "I'm not feeling bad. I feel good about not feeling bad."
Or: "I feel bad now, but I'm happy because it will end"

I don't know really, either you feel it, or not - it's not exact.

 

[Anchorite]

I guess I'll be the downer here and just say, No, I'm really not happy. I'm neurotic and I have depression. I'm surrounded by people that make me uncomfortable and I get migraines. My future looks increasingly bleak and no amount of effort I ever put in seems to be able to break me out the cycle of part-time friends and stagnation in daily life. I'm young though, and I'm very optimistic about the life I can forge for myself when control of it is finally handed over to me. (Even though that seems contradictory to what I wrote above)
Honestly, I don't even have emotions. I just have varying degrees of nauseousness.

 

[Taniwha]

Since when was an INTP ever happy?

 

[The Gopher]

I tend to be as happy as I am un-happy. as In I get really happy, and really un-happy. Just now I am feeling (in the words of that great American president) "meh" so I won't vote.

 

[SpaceYeti]

I'm totally alive, right now. Me = happy.

 

[Dimensional Transition]

No.
Confusion and depressed thoughts seem to be clouding my mind these days.

 

[kantor1003]

If one doesn't know the answer, is that an indication of happiness or unhappiness?
Perhaps that is a question similar to wether the glass is half empty or half full?

I think I'm pretty much right in the middle somewhere.. looking at my material living condition and my average day, I would say I have no reason to be unhappy though.. even though I can be.. sometimes.
Taking time into consideration:
Macro scale - 6.5/10 (on my just now imagined, arbitrarily defined happiness scale)
Micro scale - juggling between 3.8/10 to 8/10 depending on the day with numbers around 5-6 to be most common.

Looking at this.. yeah, I'm happy then I guess. *votes*

 

[JoeJoe]

Oh boy. This is waaay too vague for me to vote. Am I happy right now? That can change within a few hours. Am I happy today, this week, this month, this year? Judgment can change very quickly when you lose perspective of the things that caused happiness or unhappiness in the past.

I once read about a study, where they asked people if they are happy at the moment and if they were happy the last week or something like that. IIRC in the USA the people claimed to be happier over the last week, than at the moment and in China they claimed to be happier at the moment, than over the last week.
I think they concluded, that Americans are happier with their overall situation, while Chinese are living more in the moment.

 

[Bird]

No.

 

[AlisaD]

No.

Told ya.

 

[AlisaD]

...I thought you deleted your post.


And then it was here again.

Nope, just added a "."
It was necessary.

 

[EvilScientist Trainee]

"I'm not feeling bad. I feel good about not feeling bad."

I really liked this. It makes me even happier to feel good about feeling good about not feeling bad.

 

[Jennywocky]

There are a few things in my life that I am not happy about and need to figure out how to fix or improve.

However, on a core level, I'm very happy and I feel like my life is getting better and better overall, which makes a huge difference from that time in my life where I just felt like my life was getting worse and worse regardless of what was going right.

 

[BigApplePi]

Again, I would really like your
definition so I may properly decide.

You want MY definition? You'll be sorry. Happiness must relate to a time period. So happiness over a given time period would be the average state of satisfaction one has over that time period. One could have a spike of misery surrounded by contentment. That would be happy.

Feel free to elaborate. Or not

I chose "or not." I am not happy with that definition. Show me happy. Maybe I'll recognize it when I see it. You are probably not happy with this response. I'm unhappy you have to go through this. I'd be happy if you read this far. Now I've worked myself into a sulk. I'll be happy when it passes.

 

[Inappropriate Behavior]

I chose no but it's tentative. I'm mildy unhappy I suppose. That's more from being spoiled about not having the life I want instead of the one I have and knowing I'm not going to have it. Also: Death looms ever closer and I'm not happy that it doesn't seem to bother me anymore.

Plus: How can I be happy knowing there's this crusty old bat (on the inside) plaguing poor Serbia? <--------That made me kinda happy, can I change my vote now?

 

[Words]

To consider myself happy would be to accept a standard of my aim. As long as you are not happy, you look for things.

There are two parts of yourself. Subconscious and conscious. If you can create a conscious philosophy that will allow you to accept all things, you are happy. If you can adjust your subconscious reactions to promote contentment, you are happy.

Or is happiness not contentment?

 

[Jesse]

No. I will not elaborate AlisaD.


I find happiness hard to find. I feel like I need to socialize more but find socializing awkward so I think that creates tension, also I have zero money. It's a constant downer. Also your own thoughts AlisaD

 

[AlisaD]

I chose no but it's tentative. I'm mildy unhappy I suppose. That's more from being spoiled about not having the life I want instead of the one I have and knowing I'm not going to have it. Also: Death looms ever closer and I'm not happy that it doesn't seem to bother me anymore.

Plus: How can I be happy knowing there's this crusty old bat (on the inside) plaguing poor Serbia? <--------That made me kinda happy, can I change my vote now?

This crusty old bat plagues all parts of the world
Where oh where does little IB live?
Does this make it better?

To consider myself happy would be to accept a standard of my aim. As long as you are not happy, you look for things.

There are two parts of yourself. Subconscious and conscious. If you can create a conscious philosophy that will allow you to accept all things, you are happy. If you can adjust your subconscious reactions to promote contentment, you are happy.

Or is happiness not contentment?

By your theory, only the dead and the poor in spirit are happy.

No. I will not elaborate AlisaD.


I find happiness hard to find. I feel like I need to socialize more but find socializing awkward so I think that creates tension, also I have zero money. It's a constant downer. Also your own thoughts AlisaD

I am happy. I have bad days, as we all do, but generally, I consider myself both incredibly lucky and happy. I know a couple of really great people I can spend time with, without having to fake anything, I travel a lot, I don't worry even when I should, I enjoy food and music and being outside, I don't get sick or seem to be able to feel a lot of physical pain, I don't hate anyone, and I'm very good at being in love.
To ask for more would be just plain rude. I still do, but don't whine about it.

 

[Fukyo]

My range of moods can be approximately summed up as miserable or apathetic.

 

[shoeless]

apparently i voted in this thread a long time ago, and i voted yes, which is good, because that's how i'd vote anyway, despite the fluctuating tendency of my happiness/outlook on life.

i still think i'm basically happy. it's just easy to get caught up in shit sometimes.