pleasure versus happiness

• In your opinion... - sm
  • Happiness is a heart thing; pleasure is a head thing.nm - Wannie
  • pleasure - happiness (sm)
  • Here's how I see the difference - see inside
  • pleasure versus happiness - anon
  • good question--sm - DumDum
    • That was a good answer. - PAMT~MDM

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To me, pleasure is fleeting...

Happiness is lasting...

I've known other brilliant people who indulged in self-destruction.  There have been studies that suggest the smarter you are the less happy you are, and there may be some truth in it.

The first reason for this would be people with attitudes like yours, abc.  They hold smart people to the highest standards.  They don't allow a genius to be human, but they do have weaknesses.  Imagine spending your whole life hearing "If you're so smart how could you, why haven't you....".  There is enormous pressure put upon them by others to do something great, to perform mental tricks for the amusement of others, to "prove how smart they are".  Some become as insecure about it as beauty queens do about their looks - I remember when I was married to my genius, we watched a show about a child prodigy who could play great compositions at the age of 4.  This show upset my ex, I could see it made him jealous and insecure, and nervous that he was not as great as everyone assumed him to be.  Just like there's always someone richer, thinner, and better looking, there's always someone smarter too.

Another reason would be lonliness.  The smarter you are, the less you have in common with the majority of the population.  The things that interest you most people can't even understand.  I think one purpose Mensa was created was so that they could find people to talk to on their own level.  The pitfall there is most of them are so specialized in their own areas of interest they still don't have anything in common - the gifted musician does not want to discuss quantum theories with the scientist, they can understand it, they just aren't interested in it.

In my ex's case, his substance abuse has three factors - First, he's physically handicapped, and his health has always been a problem.  He self medicates with substances to escape the misery of being in his body.  Second, he's a classic nerd who never had any friends or a social life.  He started abusing substances to try to be one of the cool partying folk, to fit in.  All of his current friends abuse substances, but he at least has some friends now, that's how he sees it.  Third, the pressure to perform has caused him to give up.  He was a computer guru before computers were cool.  Once computers were mainstreamed to the general populace, and new software was coming out on a daily basis, he could no longer know "it all".  When he reached that crossroads, he panicked, gave up and dove into the bottle to hide from his insecurities.

A high IQ is often just as much a curse as a blessing.  I am assuming the reason to abuse substance is pretty universal - the desire to escape reality for a while, then it becomes a habit.  If a person doesn't have the courage to deal with reality and change their life, they may choose to destroy it instead.

and whatever else is bothering us.  it's nice to see that there are other people out there that bored just like me.  there are a lot of pros about working at home, but i have to say, i miss being around people, leaving work at work instead of it staring me in the face all the time.  i have two young kids who are in school and they are my main reason for working at home.  i want to be there for them when they need me instead of growing up in a daycare.

you're very rude.  maybe you need to get out the house a while.

Here is a quick question for all of you that think that the spanking from the school is okay and before any of you make any snap judgements, I was spanked as a child and when my children were smaller, they too were spanked(BY THEIR PARENTS)....Do you all realize that this school that uses these "swats" as punishment, would be on the phone immediately if they saw you or found out that you "swatted" that same child as punishment for deeds done wrong at home? Since nowadays they want to tell you what you can and cannot do as a parent to acutally parent your child( and then of course complain about said kids nowadays), that by alloing them to do something to your child that they would gladly report you for is quite ridiculous.

How long is this ISS.  For five tardies..it sure as heck shouldn't be a whole day or even a half day..it should be something realistic.  Yes, I do know what it is like to have to deal with school principals who are jerks, just remember that this is your child and not theirs and that it is your job to look out for them.

If you really feel that just to get this over with right now, you want to let them swat her, that is your choice but since she is so obviously not interested in ISS, I would definitely make sure that she and the school knows that this is a one time pass and yes, I too would either make her do some work around the house or take something away if only for the hassle.

Btw, five tardies in 4 or 5 months is really not that terrible IMO.  That is about one a month.  My goodness, we all assumed it was cause she talks anyone think that maybe the girl had to use the bathroom during her time of the month.  I would also find out when she was tardy and how tardy.  My son was given a tardy cause the bus was late getting him to school and I called and let them know that that is not acceptable in my book.  They had given several kids on his bus tardies and after several phone calls and a check with the bus company, the tardies were removed.  Yes, if my son had been chatting or something,  I would not have bothered to call, I would have just remind him that tardiness of his own making is not acceptable.

Best of luck. 

If you had a choice between a Motorola cell phone or LG cell phone, which brand would you choose?  I had an LG and a Motorola several years ago and I really liked them both.  Everyone seems to prefer Motorola, although I hear a lot of complaints about battery life, etc.  I only renew my contract every couple of years so I need to make sure I get one I really like.  The one I have now is Samsung and I can't wait to trade it out.  The Motorola Razr V9m seems nice, but expensive, even with rebates and discounts.  If I know I'll like it, I wouldn't mind so much.  Everyone used to rave about the Razr phones and I know one of them has been discontinued now so I have to wonder how great they really were. 

Thanks!!!

Hi,

I am an MT looking to purchase a new computer, and it seems like unless you special order all the computers have Vista on them.  How is Vista compared to XP?  The companies I work for do support Vista, but I have heard more negative comments about Vista as opposed to good from people I know who use Vista who are not MTs.  I am hoping that this will be a smooth transition for me  as I am not that computer savvy.

Thanks!

Can anybody give me their experiences with cable televison or dish, specifically Dish Network or DirectTV?

I am considering getting one of these but don't know which one to go with.  Thank you!

Doctors

   (A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.

   (B) Accidental deaths caused by Physicians per year are 120,000.

   (C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.

Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health Human Services

Now think about this:

Guns

  (A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000. (Yes, that's 80 million)

  (B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups, is 1,500.

  (C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner .000188.

Statistics courtesy of FBI

So, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Remember, 'Guns don't kill people, doctors do.'

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN, BUT ALMOST EVERYONE HAS AT LEAST ONE DOCTOR.

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!

Out of concern for the public at large, I withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would cause people to panic and seek medical attention!

Do you really save that much on the electric bill by hanging out your clothes? 

DH doesn't think so, but I'm inclined to disagree with him.  If you do save on your electric bill, how much? 

Well I reckon this will start some fires...Hope I don't get burned. 

In your experience, ladies and gentlemen, who is happier?  Skinny people who are afraid of a calorie/carb/fat gram?  Or plump, curvy individuals? 

Having been skinny once upon a time and now having more curves than a country mountain road, I have to say I like myself so much better now that I weigh more.  It has been an experience, I tell you that much. 

So what do you all think? 

HC.

Is it just me or how many others out their would like to throttle Billy Mays.  I am soooooo sick of him.  He's loud, obnoxious, and I'm getting tired of him thrusting his arms out in front every other second.  And please someone tell him to stop using the grecian formula.  It looks very unnatural.  I will never ever buy a product he advertises.

The shamwow guy though.  Now he's very enjoyable to watch and I will probably buy anything he advertises.  Just a nice switch from watching that obnoxious a$$ BM (gee his initials match what I want to have every time I see him).

Just wondered if anyone out there is as irked as me at Mr. Billy Mays.

I was raised in a large single-family home, although it was on a cul-de-sac and there were no other girls my age in the neighborhhood.  That was okay for me at the time because I was a tomboy (and because that was decades ago!).  I didn't attend school with the kids on my street.  I went to a private school where my mom was a teacher.

Now, I am raising my granddaughter in an apartment community (I was already in an apartment when she came to live with me).  Because of my financial situation and the area in which I live and the schools I want her to attend, there is no possible way for me to purchase a home for the two of us.  My own kids lived in a single-family neighborhood before my divorce, then lived in a mobile home (double-wide trailer...common in these parts of the woods). 

I have so many conflicts about how children feel about the type of living arrangements they have, i.e., a _real house_ versus an apartment complex versus a mobile home community.  Personally, I would rather rent an apartment and not be responsible for reparis, but that means a constant turnover of other kids for my GD to relate to, which is also the situation in an apartment complex.  I don't want to buy a mobile home - which is what I qualify for grants, subsidies and low-interest loans in this area - so she can go to a better school.  Would this cause her to be more shame in her personal relationships with other kids at school than a mobile home community??

I would rather live in a townhome or condo, but that won't happen for some years to come.  Since I would be a first-time buyer, there are grants I would qualify for, just no financing because of the high cost of single-family homes and for TH/condos in the area where I want her to attend school.

Can anyone offer advice or experiences about growing up in a multi-family community such as an apartment complex...mobile homes (I know how my own kids felt about it now in hindsight)..versus a condo/townhome or single-family home?  I have some time to try to put things together before she starts school, so I am trying to decide what the best course of action for her sake.  If I decide to move, it will be to plant roots for the two of us for a long time, so I want to try to make the best decision possible.

Thanks for any input!