Apparently you are unfamiliar with how emotions work. Emotions are a response to our own thought process. Nothing more. Nothing less. That is why two people can go through the exact same experience and have completely different emotional responses to it. They think differently. You control your emotions by altering your thought process.Not really. It just means you've put up a lot of walls...
And why would that be such a terrible thing ? Happiness is overrated. I find happy people insufferably dull. And rather scary. To live in denial is not much of a life, IMO.
If it was possible to alter your brain (chemically/ structurally) so that you could never again be unhappy, there are people who would choose that... People lacking in character and depth.
Still, good for you. It's awesome that you're happy.
Faith is not a choice. It is a delusion.
If someone suffers from chronic depression, do you have the right to suffer from dysthymia (which is more long-lasting, but milder)?
Apparently you are unfamiliar with how emotions work. Emotions are a response to our own thought process. Nothing more. Nothing less. That is why two people can go through the exact same experience and have completely different emotional responses to it. They think differently. You control your emotions by altering your thought process.
One person sees suffering and is sad...someone you would call great character.
Someone else sees suffering and is happy and excited by the opportunity to help...someone you would call delusional and full of walls.
This does not even touch on victim thinking. Someone with victim thinking does not believe they have the power to change their situation or another person's suffering. They feel trapped like life is happening to them and not that they are the architect of their life. This causes depression and unhappiness.
Someone with a strong locus of control sees that they do have the power to affect their own life and the lives of others for good. This sense of personal empowerment leads to optimism and happiness.
So, do you still want to stand on your "unhappiness equals character" pile of horse hooey?
What about someone who suffers from neither?
It's like when you say it's hot or it's cold and someone is always within earshot to say, "I'm from Texas/Alaska/Pluto etc, THIS is NOT hot/cold!"
That scenario, like the one in the OP, gets under my skin because it's usually a stranger or an acquaintance saying it, and they just want to preach.
Preaching is so yuck.
I've always held the belief that to manage to be happy when others around you are not (and I mean this in a global sense) is an indication of something lacking in one's character.
Also, I think questions of "rights" don't apply when it comes to internal states. No one can legislate for those. Even the US constitution only offers the right to the pursuit of happiness. If pursuing happiness is every person's right, then the fact that so many are denied that right is going to occasionally put a damper on your day. Unless you're entirely egocentric, that is.
http://www.narcissismepidemic.com/I agree with you here. I came from a community recently where one of the biggest problems was that people were completely egocentric, and formed up all these little cliques. They would pretend to be nice to your face, but in reality they were all hanging out in these tiny little chats enjoying watching others get excluded or feel lonely or miserable. And they would constantly backstab each other too. I seriously think there WAS something lacking in their character. They had no sense of justice and didn't really care about anyone except themselves.
Apparently YOU are. Emotions precede thoughts, in evolutionary terms as well as in human terms. Thoughts 'make sense' of emotions. Actually thoughts create meaning for emotional arousal, since all emotional arousal is identical in physiological terms.Apparently you are unfamiliar with how emotions work. Emotions are a response to our own thought process. Nothing more. Nothing less. That is why two people can go through the exact same experience and have completely different emotional responses to it. They think differently. You control your emotions by altering your thought process.
Apparently YOU are. Emotions precede thoughts, in evolutionary terms as well as in human terms. Thoughts 'make sense' of emotions. Actually thoughts create meaning for emotional arousal, since all emotional arousal is identical in physiological terms.
Go read a book, or something, instead of trying to patronise your betters.
So which are you saying comes first?
1. You are conflating feeling and emotion.
2. Objective beliefs do not drive us. We like to think we are more rational than we are. Beliefs are the stories we spin to explain our behaviour (and the behaviour of other objects) to ourselves.
That's your assertion, not fact.It is unimportant here because in context to objective belief, they are subjugate.
No, I'm not. Both are rational. Both are (can be) responses to emotional cues.When you speak of rationality, I believe you are speaking of 'thinking' as a function opposite 'feeling',