My buddy, Kurt send me this great TED talk by Barry Schwartz:
My notes:
no, but can people be happy without knowing they have access to all available choices?
so, if i seek fewer choices in, say, an mp3 player, i might be happier, but i might end up getting a lesser value. or i might regret it later when i come across a better one.
on the other hand, learning to make decisions more quickly and live happily wih the consequences is a much more sane way to live, from organizational and professional effectiveness to personal choices (eg, home improvement, clutter).
crazy juxtaposition with Malcolm Gladwell's TED talk about more choices in Pepsi, Prego, etc...
right: we have more choices, and can do better if we run the traps, but we feel worse.
btw, his cartoon presentation is a very effective use of PowerPoint.
'the secret to happiness is low expectations'
so is the key learning to be satisfied with lesser results? expecting less-than-perfection without being disillusioned?
i had an unconscious philosophy for many years: 'hope for the best, expect the worst and you'll never be disappointed.' and you know what? given the rest of my belief system and psychology, that didn't work very well for me.
clinical depression has exploded in the industrial world, partially as a result.
yes. i am constantly evaluating myself, including as i am re-caulking the tub and not feeling very good at it, and it gets to be awfully damn tiring.
yes: i am often disappointed and usually think i have only myself to blame.
or, i get angry at other people, or the system, but bottle it up, and that's another great prescription for depression.
but then he goes for the major socialist dogma at the end (wealth redistribution), and we know socialism is one of the best ways to kill economies. voluntary wealth redistribution (through giving to actual development) is great, but rare and difficult. there are so many choices! ;-)
but seriously: hand outs and mandated redistribution are historically proven to not work.
dang: he ends up with a very Lutheran perspective of freedom! cf The Bondage of the Will
'everybody needs a fish bowl.'
Thursday, February 28
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5 comments:
Re-grout all the tile in the bathroom it'll make the caulk job look better. If you still don't like it(the caulk job)pull it off, do it again. Only this time start with a smaller more angled cut to the tube of caulk AND use a caulk gun. ;~)
A friend of mine that lives in a developing country and who has had a bit more difficult life than many Americans said this about the clip: "Thinking about the phrase "What makes you happy? Low Expectations", for me the point is not to have low expectation, it is to have the capacity and ability to marvel with simple things... " She is a person who has taught me much about happiness and how to be happy in every circumstance. I think she made a nice point that in a way runs counter to the video.
Is "choice" the point? Or anything else external to who we are? Could he be missing the "point" entirely? Could the problem and solution be something other? What if the "point" concerning "happiness" is relational? Could it be that I/we would be happier, all things considered, if I worked harder at cultivating good relationships?
He is entertaining, and "choice" can be frustrating at times.
Also, I agree that some of our choices are an intentional shift in responsibility (liability). Take retirement planning. It used to be you worked somewhere and retired with a pension. Now pensions are almost non-existent. In there place are IRAs/401ks which put the responsibility squarely on the individual who may not be equipped to handle the process.
Where R U?
That dude could have used one more choice in his wardrobe! ;)
Seriously though, this guy is pointed slightly in the right direction, but not hitting the mark. Instead of choices, this guy is cursed with always trying to be the "best" in everything.
The secret to happiness is gratitude. Like Kurt's friend, it's being happy for what we have. One way to obtain gratitude is to have low expectations. If you expect to be healthy all of the time, you'll never take the time to appreciate the health you do have. However, that does not mean always being satisfied. That would mean equating desire with expectations (as is done in Buddhism). Without desire, we never strive to improve. No desire means no progress.
Expect less, desire more and rejoice in the choices/freedom you have. Learn to prioritize your life so you know which choices are worth fixating over and which choices are to be looked at as simply offering more variety.
For example, I don't care that there are countless choices in white wine because I don't like it. I am happy that there are dozens of movies to choose from because I enjoy one from time to time. And finally, I love that there are tons of options in pediatricians because I was able to keep looking until we found one that we trusted with our son. Being happy meant knowing what to care about but also that I knew not to care if I got "the best" any of these examples.
This presenter only gets part of that equation. Choices aren't the problem, it's his obsession with finding the "best". Does he think that income redistribution and limited choices lead to happiness in the Soviet Union? I thought he was kidding are first about that but he was serious!
Sorry for the long comment! I should just copy>paste over to my own blog!
Jeez... if I wanted income redistribution and the government to limit my choices/freedom in everything from what light bulbs I can buy, what car I can drive, who I can hire, etc, I'd vote Obama! ;)
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