Civilized we may be, but we are not happy.
@Professor2010 (20162)
India
October 7, 2010 6:07am CST
Friends, scientific development, during the last few decades have drastically changed the entire spectrum of our life.
We have every gadget in the home to make our life comfortable. We live in luxury, air-conditioned skyscrapers from where a car on the ground looks like a tiny toy. Our sleek, luxury cars run at more than 100 kilometers an hour, and supersonic jets take us nonstop from one corner of the world to the other, in less than 15 hours. Cell phones have changed the way we communicate. We do business, and chat with friends on Internet at the other corner of the world. Man has conquered space, landed on the moon, and the day is not far off when he will set his feet on other planets. Everyday new discoveries in medical sciences take place, and numerous wonder drugs are advertised that promise to prolong life, and make it more comfortable. All this and much more that we have today is wonderful indeed. But are we happy?
Certainly ‘NOT’, on the contrary, we are the unhappiest lot, in spite of having everything at our disposal. Obsessed with a culture based on consumerism, comfort and convenience, we are running a rat race to acquire ever more things, forgetting the basic purpose of life, which is to seek everlasting happiness. To cope up with modern living, we have to be more informed, knowledgeable, fast, competitive, aggressive, challenging and resourceful. In the process, day by day our life is getting more and more distressed, restless and devoid of pleasure, peace and happiness.
The greed for more and more has made us selfish, hardened our hearts, and corrupted our morality. We need pills to go to sleep, laxatives to move our bowels, and tranquillizers to make life bearable. But we are living.
Friends, life is not just living, but living in joy, living happily.
Are you happy, satisfied in all aspects? For me I am happy, but not in all aspects of life.Please comment and share your views.
Professor
We have every gadget in the home to make our life comfortable. We live in luxury, air-conditioned skyscrapers from where a car on the ground looks like a tiny toy. Our sleek, luxury cars run at more than 100 kilometers an hour, and supersonic jets take us nonstop from one corner of the world to the other, in less than 15 hours. Cell phones have changed the way we communicate. We do business, and chat with friends on Internet at the other corner of the world. Man has conquered space, landed on the moon, and the day is not far off when he will set his feet on other planets. Everyday new discoveries in medical sciences take place, and numerous wonder drugs are advertised that promise to prolong life, and make it more comfortable. All this and much more that we have today is wonderful indeed. But are we happy?
Certainly ‘NOT’, on the contrary, we are the unhappiest lot, in spite of having everything at our disposal. Obsessed with a culture based on consumerism, comfort and convenience, we are running a rat race to acquire ever more things, forgetting the basic purpose of life, which is to seek everlasting happiness. To cope up with modern living, we have to be more informed, knowledgeable, fast, competitive, aggressive, challenging and resourceful. In the process, day by day our life is getting more and more distressed, restless and devoid of pleasure, peace and happiness.
The greed for more and more has made us selfish, hardened our hearts, and corrupted our morality. We need pills to go to sleep, laxatives to move our bowels, and tranquillizers to make life bearable. But we are living.
Friends, life is not just living, but living in joy, living happily.
Are you happy, satisfied in all aspects? For me I am happy, but not in all aspects of life.Please comment and share your views.
Professor4 people like this
9 responses
@Competentjuliet (2)
• Italy
7 Oct 10
I certainly believe that both of you have very valid points. On the one hand we have all the technology we could wish for, and we are always striving to obtain higher incomes, better cars, more luxuries.
On a personal level, this life that we have is too convenient and it allows us all too easily to 'bury our heads in the sand' so to speak, when it comes to making ourselves stop and think about what we are doing and where we are going. For example I am a private English teacher and at the moment things are going rather slowly and people cannot afford to pay for lessons due to the economic crisis. However the spare time I have had available has encouraged me to reflect on my life, and the ways I could improve it i.e. the possibility of a voluntary job helping the elderly, who are lonely, putting more creativity into my lessons, rather than using books all the time, and starting a translation course.
On a more external political level, This life also makes it too convenient for us to ignore the more urgent crises happening around the globe. It is too easy for us ( and most of us, including me, are guilty of this) to make the excuse of not being able to do anything for other countries around the world. However we could set up protest groups, or raise money for the people devastated by war, natural distasters etc. if we really wanted and if we were really committed. We are not happy because too often we think of ourselves rather than others. Maybe if we thought of others more and tried to do something for our friends, our community or similar we would be happier! Any thoughts?
2 people like this
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
10 Oct 10
Hi kunizz
No body is happy with the present world friend..
Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
Professor. .
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
10 Oct 10
Hello juliet
Thanks for sharing in great details.Welcome to mylot. Cheers.
Professor. .
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
7 Oct 10
Hi Professor, I like your discussion very much and I agree with you, life isn't just about living, it's about living in joy. Most people just don't know how to be happy. We have been and still are, developing very fast in technology but spiritually, we are far behind. We have not learned that we are all one, that harming another is also harming ourselves. We have not learned how to live together in peace. We need to understand that we reap what we sew. Happiness comes from giving happiness to others, yet our attitude is just the opposite, it's me- me - me. We have not learned compassion. I still have hope for humanity however, we will survive. We will not always experience what we see around us today and the best is yet to come. Blessings.
2 people like this
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
10 Oct 10
Hello dude
Glad to know you like my discussions, i can't make cheap discussions at this age, i agree , what we sew , we will reap, that is law of nature lol..
Thanks for sharing your view. Regards. Cheers.
Professor. .
@tigeraunt (6326)
• Philippines
7 Oct 10
dear professor,
the simplest way of living makes a man happy and more content. you believe that dont you?
craving for luxury, obsession about things in life, greed in everyway would probably put us in a high pedestal.. but we will not be happy there.
have a nice day.
ann
craving for luxury, obsession about things in life, greed in everyway would probably put us in a high pedestal.. but we will not be happy there.
have a nice day.
ann2 people like this
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
10 Oct 10
Yes Anny dear
I am happy, and i am sure you too are, this is life honey..
Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
Professor. .
1 person likes this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
10 Oct 10
In general I would say that I am happy with the life that I've got. That said, I do think that there are a lot of things about my life that I am not happy with. There are some relatives that I don't particularly care for, and in addition to that, we don't have the kind of income that I would like to have so that our lives were very comfortable. One day there will come the time that we won't have to struggle with our weekly paycheck, but right now isn't that time and it causes me a lot of stress.
1 person likes this
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
10 Oct 10
Dear doran
May i request you to stop worrying much, it causes stress and high BP, indigestion etc, i pray the almighty for your health and better income, about the relatives, just forget, one day they will realize their fault..I am sure, God bless..
Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
Professor. .
@free_man (7330)
• United States
10 Oct 10
Hi Proffessor. This is a deep subject. With all these new gadgets that we all have we should be happy. A lot of people have forgotten the most important thing to be happy we all need God in our lives but with all the things we keep our lives busy with some have forgotten to let God be their guide in life. I don't think the new gadgets can make any of us happy without all of us finding God and letting God be our guide in this life. And for some people the net is a bad thing. My husband and I are happy in every aspect in life and the reason for that is God is our guide and we stay busy doing something positive daily. Thank God!
1 person likes this
@free_man (7330)
• United States
10 Oct 10
Hi Professor. It is important to stay happy especially in those hard times. Stay positive daily God knows what HIS plan is for us daily and HE will never put more on any of us then we can bare. So in the hard times we get real busy and thank God for what ever we deserve. We take everyday as if it is our last day and respect others in our daily walk with God. Got to be positive in this life. We are all assured two things in this life we all have to do pay taxes and one day die. So why not enjoy this life that God gave us to live. Don't worry be happy!
We all have one life to live why not make the best of it?
We all have one life to live why not make the best of it?@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
10 Oct 10
Glad to know you are a happy couple, God bless you , be happy even in the worst situations..
Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
Professor. .
1 person likes this
@chayapathys (2111)
• India
9 Oct 10
Scientific developments are Ok.They have made our lives more comfortable.I agree.Can you say that all scientific advancements are towards good only? What about nuclear weapons,chemical war etc.Are they for our good only.With this lethal advancements do you feel safe.Is complete annihilation not hanging on us every minute.Are you happy.Somehow I feel that without scientific advancements we could live better and happier life as our ancestor did....
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
10 Oct 10
Hello chaya welcome again..
It is we who are misusing the scientific inventions and discoverries..
Thanks for sharing your opinion. Cheers.
Professor. .
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
8 Oct 10
"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it, which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called. ~ A.A. Milne ~
Pooh was always happy, but of course at his happiest when his stomach was filled with Honey. There was something about Honey that made everything more civilized. Bears especially, although there was some doubt about the honey Bee! The Hum around the Hive was loud and scary, and it was best to eat quickly and then run as fast as you could with a stomach full of Honey before the bees caught on.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Oct 10
hi professor you are one of the most astute, more intelligent people
I have met on mylot. Yes we have all the best most modern of things
but we have forgot the very most important things of all, love for
our best friends a d our families. All the things in the world cannot
make us laugh and cry and smile and feel content if we do not have family to share and best friends to compare notes with .greed for more and more makes us less and less happy and content with what we already have.I grew up during the first recession on my parent's farm in South Dakota, US and we did not have all that we now feel we must have. but I was happy as a child as I was c ontent with what I did have. I was living in joy 
and now I am happy most of the time here in Gold crest but would be happier back in our own apartment, my son has finally got a job and it may be possible a few months up the line to be able to move back into a two bedroom apartment, my son and I. but I do keep happy here with what I have and I am content to wait. I only wish that greed had not made it almost impossible for people here in Garden 'grove to afford a two bedroom aparment as the rents are just out of this world. 1300 dollars a month and thats not even a fancy apt old apts. that need work still going at 1200 dollars a month, once they were 600 a month.
and now I am happy most of the time here in Gold crest but would be happier back in our own apartment, my son has finally got a job and it may be possible a few months up the line to be able to move back into a two bedroom apartment, my son and I. but I do keep happy here with what I have and I am content to wait. I only wish that greed had not made it almost impossible for people here in Garden 'grove to afford a two bedroom aparment as the rents are just out of this world. 1300 dollars a month and thats not even a fancy apt old apts. that need work still going at 1200 dollars a month, once they were 600 a month.1 person likes this
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
10 Oct 10
Sister Hatley
You are seniormost here, yopu know all members, i am happy you like me, my discussions. Most civilized people have a different inner personality. You are always free, frank, honest in your discussions, i have great regard and respect for you.
I am happy to learn , you will be shifting to your new home, 'Home is sweet home' always, Shelter is shelter, God bless you.
I have big buildings, several rooms vacant, if you ever come india, stay with my family lol..
Thanks for sharing. Cheers.
Professor. .
@onlywan (182)
• Philippines
8 Oct 10
I am happy that I am given the opportunity to experience life but at the same time sad about my life right now. Its just that I'm not contented with how I am living my life. I think I'm the most boring person ever. I don't have a lot of close friends even though I know a lot of people, all the girls that I like is in a relationship, I don't have the guts to talk to a girl whom I don't know but I'm attracted to, i don't enjoy my job even though it offers major benefits (salary is low so I guess they offset it on benefits), I'm not tall and most girls I like is taller than me but I don't care, the question is how bout them, Its just people are not contented even though they are more blessed than others. I think it is because of comparison.
@Professor2010 (20162)
• India
10 Oct 10
Hi onlywan welcome to mylot
Thanks for sharing your feelings.Yes they give benefit indirectly in lower paying jobs. Cheers.
Professor. .
