Random Phylosophy/Physics 6

[Foxchild]

Ok, i'm going to uphold an o;d tradition that I once had from before i was a mod here, and thats this thread series. This one is a bit more simple, really, and is really not realated to physics at all.<br><br>What, to you, is happiness? Is it something quantifyable, or is ot only qualitative to you? What, in it's most basic form, is happpiness, and what to you is the most pure form of it youve ever reached? If you can quantify it, how so?<br><br>What is it that can destroy happiness, in the most basic form. <br><br>traditionally, these threads lead to some of the most interesting discussions i've seen here, and although the topic changes just as quickly as everywhere else, these topics always seem to keep some level of 'on topicness' together. Also, traditionally, I always wait a little before posting my responce to my own quiestions, so as not to inadvertantly guide the discussion myself. I like seeing where these things go without and form of set direction <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... /smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Tavis]

Take what you will or not from this, as I am simply speaking for myself, and like all ideas gleaned from subjective experiences, your mileage may vary.<br><br>I don't see happiness as something you can quantify, at least not on a universal scale. What one person holds as valuable, another can regard as worthless ("One man's junk is another's treasure", in other words.) Some people may believe happiness can be found in stuff, but like stuff, that is short-lived, as stuff breaks, stuff gets lost, and stuff simply gets old. For some people, happiness is found within. There is some wisdom to be found in this philosophy, yet even children have been able to find it to some degree.<br><br>I tend to think life itself is inherently a source of happiness, because it is in life that we can find experiences that elicit happiness. That is not to say living is without its sadness. Not by a long shot. Rather, a person filled with happiness is able to find comfort in those times, like one finds the kitten mentioned in a very recent poem (thank you, Phauxe.)<br><br>Happiness isn't something that would be destroyed as much as lost. As a function of consciousness, it is simply another state of mind, and while that state may change, it still exists there in some temporarily inaccessible space waiting for the right triggers to return the mind to the place it seeks.

[Henohenomoheji]

I had something incredibly sappy here, but I'm not going to say it.<br><br>Happiness is just brain chemicals and/or substitutes of said chemicals ingested through... well, I won't go into that. Foxchild's an expert though, hehehe.<br><br>No, we're never gonna let you forget the time you were drunk in chat <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... s/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo--> <br><br>Happiness is a psychic reaction that can be given or stolen.

[Zylo]

Happiness is those few brief moments when you curl up in bed to go to sleep for the night, and let your thoughts melt away, and for a few brief moments, consciousness is clean, pure, and relax, until it too slips away and you fall asleep into the only true state of peace and quiet.

[Foxchild]

<!--QuoteBegin-Henohenomoheji+Nov 15 2004, 09:06 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Henohenomoheji @ Nov 15 2004, 09:06 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> No, we're never gonna let you forget the time you were drunk in chat <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... s/wink.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br> Kinda hate to break it to ya, but i've never been drunk and in the chat at the same time <!--emo&:P--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--> . I've only been drunk once, and (although that was a really fun night) went to sleep after getting some final food into my system. I've been a wee bit tispy in the chat a few days prior to that one event, but never 'drunk' <!--emo&:P--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--><br><br>still holding back with my actual responce, for now.

[dragonranpu]

<!--emo&:lol:--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... /laugh.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='laugh.gif' /><!--endemo--> Well I am not sure. There are things that make me and I refer to things as antyhing and not just stuff. Although new computer Hardware always makes me happy. The shoffa as you walk through leaves in Autumn. The first snow that coats everything and make it all pure. My cat. But the questions as to what truly makes me happy I do not have an answer yet as I have not found it. I might have found it and been too blind to see it though. But I think it is just life but not sure yet.

[Burning Sheep Productions]

Yarr, I agree with the "it's just a brain chemical" idea.<br>Another reaction to the situation that your brain is expiriencing.<br><br>But happiness for me is... the "special songs," enjoying a game of sport in PE (like soccer or footy when your testosterone and adrenaline gets pretty high and you're no longer afraid of the ball or the other players), riding my bike at night with a full moon and the silloetted trees all around me in the streets and just feeling extremely powerful and like "Woo yeah!! This is where I belong!! Rarrar!!!" and reliving past "mindsets" from when I was younger and also when I see so much talent from the furry community from so many people just putting their hearts into a piece of art soley because they enjoy it and want others to enjoy it too... that's a biggie for me.<br><br>Yeah...<br>Come to think of it, I'm a really lucky guy...

[Miles E Traysandor]

Happiness can be many things.<br><br>Could be doing something good IRL, could be getting that job promotion, could be beating your all time best high score, could be falling in love with someone, could be acting out random insanit in #definecynical... Or a whole variety of other things that for space reasons is far too long to post here.<br><br>Am I truly happy? Not really, but then again, there probably aren't many people out there that would be.

[Holyman83]

I happy with every thing in my life

[Ozymandias]

Complete happiness is just about the opposite of where I am now. Even though I'm not really that unhappy right now. Do you follow?

[Salad Man]

Happiness is a sensation created by hormones in your brain in response to positive stimuli.

[Burning Sheep Productions]

When you're lacking happiness and just being depressed all the time then you just might possibly be depressed.<br>Which is supposed to be an imbalance of teh chemicals.<br>Seems likely since alot of people get it in their teens when they're high on the hormones.

[Ozymandias]

Happiness, I believe is an emotion caused by a difference in chemical amounts in the brain, particulary those involving serotonin. Emotions are often written off in science, but I also believe that they are part of a domain social science can study.<br><br>Let's take it down to its most basic level: Survival. Emotions are important in survival. The easiest ones to recognise are anger and fear (don't get on to me about Donnie Darko), happiness, attraction (I don't really believe in love), hate and sadness. <br><br>Anger is closely linked with hate, and is the opposite of fear. Fear enables us to run away or back down, allowing us to fight another day. Anger helps us to stand our ground, thus stopping one dominant figure/creature to come in and steal all the food/mates. Attraction is obvious in a procreation respect, and friendship gives us an important ally when challenged. Happiness is as much as a social signal as anything else; if you are happy, you can be made friends with, and therefore provide an ally. If you are happy, you are likely to like things as they are, and so being sad would help us to move on, when a place is no longer viable to inhabit (i.e. no food) even though, for instance, there may be some significance to the area we are in, like a religious shrine. Sadness shows that you need something, both to yourself and others. If you are sad, and you meet someone, then that happiness will seem much greater than if you were happy anyway, which again comes down to procreation.<br><br>I know that that's rather vague, and there may be some points missing, but that's the general jist of things, and I'm rushed, it being nearly the end of the school day and all.

[penguinita]

happiness is enjoying being alive.<br><br>like the feeling of sun on your face after a cold morning, or beautiful colors in a sunset, or staying up till late talking with freinds over nothing much, just passing the time.<br><br>of course, happiness can also be finding out that you passed math by 5% on the final... this is happyness caused by the switching of a bad thing (eg, failing) with a better thing (eg passing), enven though that better thing might not have made you as happy if it hadn't been for the threat fo the bad thing....<br><br>but i think happiness in its truest form is the joy in being aalive<br><br>these are just off of the top of my head. i may answer more later...

[dragonranpu]

I would bo more apt to agree with te fact that joy in life in general make happiness. granted chemicals do play a part but it is how to get the chemicals to do their thing to make us feel the emotion of happiness.