tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post7289257014064407680..comments2024-03-29T04:06:37.402-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: The Meaning of LifeStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-23851757913169521132011-03-17T10:16:57.307-07:002011-03-17T10:16:57.307-07:00As far as jobs giving "meaning" why are ...As far as jobs giving "meaning" why are so many men and women dissatisfied with their jobs and their lives? Why is "Fight Club" such a hit amongst young American men?<br /><br />Regarding the "self" being the sole arbiter, I cannot recommend enough the documentary I linked to, The Century of the Self. It covers a lot of ground, one of them being the concept of the "self" in the United States and how "self as sole arbiter" fuels consumerism.<br /><br />It might work for Big Business to convince people that being a cog in their whieel is somehow "meaningful" and makes them "special snowflakes" but it is just propaganda and by all the pharmaceutical sales of "mood drugs" we see that it is NOT working.<br /><br />I would really like to hear your take on the documentary. It covers polictics, culture and business since WWI and is one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, and quite surprisingly so because it is mainstream rather than independent.Therapy Culturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-16960203801564141642011-03-17T05:33:42.074-07:002011-03-17T05:33:42.074-07:00Thanks, TC.
Some people withdraw to find themselv...Thanks, TC.<br /><br />Some people withdraw to find themselves or to liberate themselves. Most often they do so under the auspices of a religion... thus, their experience has meaning within the context of that religious institution.<br /><br />Otherwise, their lives may be meaningful to them, but I am not sure that you want to make the Self the ultimate arbiter of meaning... do you?<br /><br />As for the everyday people who do their jobs and who thereby contribute to society, I do indeed think that their lives are meaningful.... I understand that intellectuals often denigrate the efforts of people who are not intellectuals, but I really think that we would do better to understand that a market economy requires many participants... and that we prefer a market economy with many participants to a world where a select group of intellectuals makes the decisions.Stuart Schneidermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-59807610876014588662011-03-16T18:56:20.796-07:002011-03-16T18:56:20.796-07:00You say, "A soldier who loses his life in bat...You say, "A soldier who loses his life in battle has lived a meaningful, albeit far too short, life. So does the individual who contributes to the public good by doing a good job as an auto salesman, a chiropractor, or a manufacturer.<br /><br />Human life becomes meaningful when people contribute to society, by their work and their effort."<br /><br />I have to disagree on 2 accounts;<br /><br />1. There are people who withdraw from society to go completely within to discover the "self" or to attain "liberation". Externally they appear not to be "contributing to society" but who are you to judge that their lives are "meaningless".<br /><br />2. Selling cars and being a cog in the wheel for a manufacturing corporation is "meaningful" ... how exactly? <br /><br />Again, it is not up to you to decide whether or not an individual's life is "meaningful", rather it is up to that specific individual to decide.<br /><br />I know plenty of people who are downright miserable manufacturing and selling stuff. <br /><br />(One might also question whether the manufacturing and selling of stuff is really "contributing" to society - how much stuff do we really "need"?)<br /><br />3. As far as the research on very high IQ people, check out <br /><br />http://www.prometheussociety.org/articles/Outsiders.html<br /><br />It seems there are high IQ folks out there who see their lives meaningless enough to end them.Therapy Culturenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-56809315844265524162011-03-14T15:21:26.621-07:002011-03-14T15:21:26.621-07:00TO: All
RE: Heh....
....In Addition
If the key t...TO: All<br />RE: Heh....<br /><br />....In Addition<br /><br /><i>If the key to longevity does not lie in blueberries and walnuts and medical procedures, where does it lie? According to Friedman, it lies in having good character.</i> -- Stuart Schneiderman<br /><br />I know military officers who died six months after their official retirement.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Chuck(le)<br />P.S. Sounds like a good example of why someone should 'diversify their [Life] portfolio'.]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-52273309703972614462011-03-14T15:02:28.362-07:002011-03-14T15:02:28.362-07:00TO: Dr. Schneiderman
RE: Heh
The answer is 's...TO: Dr. Schneiderman<br />RE: Heh<br /><br />The answer is 'simple'....<br /><br /><b>42</b><br /><br />The interpetation is another matter.<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br />Chuck(le)<br />[The Devil is always in the details.]Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com