wpainterw

In the July 20 New York Times Sunday Review section there was an interesting front page article discussing the sources of happiness and unhappiness. Among the points made was to discuss “extrinsic” versus “intrinsic” goals.The former are exemplified by goals such as "career", fame, fortune, power, artistic achievement, excellence in sports, pleasure seeking; the latter exemplified by a focus on deep, enduring relationships, moderation in life style and expectation, careful attention to priorities, interest in helping others. As might be expected, persons with “extrinsic” goals tend to experience unhappiness in direct proportion to their success in achieving them. The more famous you are, the richer you are, the more “pleasure” you seek, the more miserable you tend to be. The reverse is true for those with intrinsic goals. The article acknowledges that this comes as no surprise, for it has been known for thousands of years. it is wisdom ancient as the Greeks, Buddhism, Ecclesiastes. It is legendary, as with the myths of Faust or Icarus. As the poet William Blake, wrote, wisdom is “sold in that desolate marketplace where none come to buy.”

W.

least

Can you link to the article? I'd enjoy reading it.

wpainterw

Sorry can't link to this. Somewhat beyond my capacity. I read the Times in hard copy. Maybe someone else can access this on the internet and provide a link.

W.

BrandNewMeAgain

Is this it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/op...sure.html?_r=0

MythOfSisyphus

Very true! The more we link our happiness to material wealth and worldly status the more precarious our sense of self worth will be. I may never be a rich man but I hope to become a good man.

wpainterw

Thanks! That's it! I particularly like the Coolidge joke and the reference to the idiot advice of "If it feels good, do it!" Indeed at one time we had a neighbor who professed to follow this disastrous philosophy, who has since been divorced, is said to have fathered an illegitimate child and proselytized a certain adolescent friend who, becoming a convert to this belief, has had two divorces and struggles with alimony payments to an ex wife who refuses to work. Once, in a drunken state at a wedding, he was found propping up a tent pole and bragging about the tremendous service he had rendered to the groom. Sic transit gloria mundi!

W.

jdooner

My experience - I wanted, no, I needed to be rich and famous to offset my deep insecurities and fears of irrelevancy. When I achieved both I wanted to kill myself daily, go figure. The only worldly possession that matters to me is my house, as I take pride in providing shelter and privileges for my family. The rest are just accouterments. Happiness I believe is an illusion. Contentment and serenity I believe is what I am after and this has everything to do with being at peace inside.

least

Very interesting article. Much truth to be found there.

wpainterw

Interesting also in its omission to refer to the more primitive parts of the brain (the so called "Beast" with its AV), focussing instead on the left and right cerebral cortex.As we know, the cerebral cortex may be numbed and comparatively inoperative due to large amounts of alcohol or other substances. This of course is primarily relevant only to addicts and yet does not the pursuit of "pleasure" (e.g. "If it feels good, then do it!") often result in addiction? Some of the richest people I've ever known have been falling down drunks, particularly if they inherited their wealth rather than made it themselves.

W.

least

Indeed. I didn't even notice that omission until you pointed it out.

Soberpotamus

W, I really needed to hear this today Thanks for the post. And I *knew* I should've read the Sunday edition. Missed it this week.

jdooner

You may want to read In the Realm of Hungry Ghost, by Gabor Mate. Its goes into much detail about the cerebral cortex function and orbital frontal cortex and its role. The pathology of addiction (alcoholism is addiction btw) and the damage to the prefrontal, orbital cortices, as well as how meditation can actually heal certain areas. Light therapy is also showing promise for assisting in the regrowth of grey matter. Just like certain frequencies that varying mediation techniques use can actually stimulate different regions of the brain certain special irradiance can have specific circadian function too.

There is much in the way of healing that can take place, just as there is much damage we can do by both behavior and substance addiction. The hungry ghost is an addiction and no addiction can ever be good.