Yourself?

Humanity and Reality

Today I did a good deed. I bought tissues from this old lady selling them.
Today someone did a good deed for me. I was sneezing pretty badly, and this old lady came up to me to sell me tissues.

Somehow, one is conditioned by parents, by society to not want to buy things from people who really need your money. Today I was just contemplating the purchase of a $850 dollar guitar. But when I really needed tissue for my runny nose, and when someone really needed my money (to lead her life), i needed to think pretty hard about a dollar before saying yes. And before that, by reflex, i said no.

My post below is a little haughty. I tend to see things from my vantage point, where people have a decent place to stay, decent meals, earn a decent living, and have the freedom to pursue their interests, freed from responsibilities.

When a person has responsibilities, to keep his family fed, clothed and taken care of materially, does he have a purpose in life? And does that necessarily translate into happiness if he accomplishes all that?

I find it very... disturbing that here I am discussing the problem of happiness and satisfaction in life with a tool that probably costs more than what some people earn in a year. And to these people, having the tool, or the money to buy this tool, is probably a much much greater happiness than I could ever experience.

I'm talking about things absolutely, but actually, humans are relative. Happiness is related proportionally to desire and effort. The more effort you put into something and the more you want it, the happier you should be. But the happiness of two different people cannot be directly compared. Because it is a relative.

But money is absolute.

So maybe we should exchange the absolutes for the relatives. Exchange money for happiness, exchange time for friendships. Seek a balance.

Anyway weiqi today was horrible. I couldn't play the teacher at all! He was all over the board and I was just trying my best to hold my seeds together. but one too many cutting points later, and too little space claimed by me, and it was all over. Balance!

posted by Downhere. @ 11:43 pm