We seriously need to put stuff into perspective
5 years ago by twerk · 1270 Likes · 9 comments · Popular
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guest_
· 5 years ago
· FIRST
Yes and no. I joke with my partner and say: “You are very good at improving my life in ways I never knew hey needed improving.” They see things and think they could always be better Somehow. But in a society the “better” you have it the less you worry about pressing concerns of basic survival. That’s kinda the point of society. To free up resources that could be used for other work and improving things. Perhaps an every day analogy would be that whatever skill- let’s say running- it’s relatively easy to become decent at it. The first 90% you see constant leaps in ability.
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guest_
· 5 years ago
But to go from being a decent runner to star of the track team takes more work than to go from a non runner to decent, and to go from the star of the track team to Olympic gold takes an even greater effort for even less improvement. As you improve most things, it takes more to get less return.
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guest_
· 5 years ago
Tl:dr- the more “fundamental needs” you don’t have to worry about, the more time and resources you have for other things. So yes, societies that worry about things like “optimizing” diets etc. tend to be ones that have things pretty well off. But it isn’t so much creating problems as it is finding problems that if you had bigger issues in your life you wouldn’t notice or be worried about. Many people just want “the best” and strive to maximize anything and avoid any discomfort, pain, inconvenience etc. I suppose we could say the larger goal is to get as close to “perfection” as possible, with different folks having different ideas what that means.
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guest_
· 5 years ago
Even those that reject science etc. not condoning them, but while they are misguided they are simply trying to “live the best life” they can and for whatever reasons have come to believe that their nonsense is the way to do that. Those trying to “get the most” out of their bodies and experiences in life will usually turn over every stone until they find something that simply makes them feel “good.” For those with few problems and disposable wealth, they can turn over more elaborate stones and so often don’t have to spend enough time on “simpler” things to gain s true appreciation.
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itsamemaria
· 5 years ago
Can't really think of resources now but it was been documented that societies with their basic needs covered dwell on smaller problems in comparison to others that still are surviving instead of living. That and changes in activities levels have been documented as possible causes in the rise of depression and suicide in developed countries. And I can see that. People with real survival struggles are juat driven to survive. And it seems like (clinical) depression is not as prevalent in places you would expect
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guest_
· 5 years ago
Very true. If we think about it- it largely has to do with value. As human beings we tend to naturally take for granted what is there- how many people for how long have echoed the sentiment they wish they had spent more quality time with a loved one who is passed? When we get used to things we take them for granted. When we have lots of things and it’s easier to get things we tend to value things less. So people who have less and work harder for what they have will often value what they have more.
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guest_
· 5 years ago
There are other psychological factors at play too- and those with less will often have stronger senses of community or family- which are things that not only bring happiness in life but give us reason to fight- knowing we are part of something meaningful and others we care about rely on us. In a developed world where everyone is more self sufficient (financially,) and people tend to have more personal space etc- there is more isolation in that sense as well as a feeling g of belonging to a vague social machine instead of a close knit emotional group.
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itsamemaria
· 5 years ago
Yup
xboxgorgo18
· 5 years ago
We need to start drafting people in the military again to reduce the amount of stupidity in our country
