Do you think the majority of human lives have been happy ones?

Personally, I like being happy, but I know it won't last, but also think it'll come again. So, I guess I believe more in hope than happiness.

I do hate it when people say stuff like 'life's what you make it' and 'you can do anything you want,' though. Ultimate mother's milk for control freaks, no doubt, but a lot of bull in reality. What I can't do, obviously, is make anyone like me or make someone give me the job I'd like to do... I can try to influence those things, but it's always going to be at least partly out of my hands.

Any attempt to answer this question earnestly is going to make me feel like I'm speaking on behalf of all humanity, and that's a big weight, Mr. Ewing.

That said, I think most of humanity (and dare I say most mammals) has some sort of way to convert what is immediately around them -- their beliefs, their environment, their family, their life experiences -- into some form of hope and happiness. What form that takes on -- whether it's religion, physical activity, having cool stuff, solitude -- differs greatly from group to group.

That said, I think one's idea of happiness in their world is going to translate negatively to another, or seem like another person's hell. And vice versa.

I feel I'm extremely lucky compared to most of the rest of the human race, and I do treat others assuming they know that and therefore as kindly and humbly as possible.

just the idea that in human history people have been 'unhappy' is horrible. likewise 'happiness' makes little sense in this context. joy and pain are like two sides to the coin that is your life after all, yeh yeh karma bollocks i know. so basically while i guess you can look at someone's life and say they were mostly happy or unhappy its all relative, even down to their cultural disposition (is 'happiness' considered the target in ALL cultures and ideologies?)

Cheerful people sometimes get written off as Pollyannas, and the implication is that they aren't "honestly" looking at the world around them.

Still, I'm not sure. I've read philosophical claims that to some degree how one perceives one's situation -- good or bad -- is the key to happiness or unhappiness. However, if someone tried to say that to me, I would be breaking the nearest chair over his head. But then I'm in a rotten mood, and spoiling for a fight.

I think the default condition for humanity is a deep seated sense of loneliness rather than unhappiness, and an extremely difficult feeling to evade. A friend of mine, a former psychiatric nurse, recently described loneliness as the engine that drives all behaviours, which reminded me of an old David Toop article in whch he called it the thing that makes us buy too many CDs, drink too much and screw the wrong people.

i don't buy the 'driven by loneliness' thing completely because thats the ultimate definition of the word i.e. we are all alone together in the universe or whatever, regardless of whether you have loads of friends and someone who loves you...are there more people in the world who DON'T have that than do?

people are always getting depressed because of all the shit going on in the world, forgetting all the great stuff that happens every day on the very same planet. why does unhappiness seem to take precedence over happiness? perhaps its because unhappiness actually offers the hope of resolving the situation whereas happiness 'merely' offers something of a cul-de-sac i.e. once you're happy you're reluctant to do anything else for fear of losing that happiness...but you can look at that another way of course because happiness and contentment neednt be chained to each other so.

1) Nasty
2) Brutish
3) Short

That is all.

I have a feeling people may generally be more pessimstic/negative, but that may be due to the people I've been friends with over the years or people that I've met (I've run across many a social outcast). Its kind of like saying, "do you feel people are generally for or against war in the US?" and answering "no", but only having discussed the possible conflict with a few fellow college friends of yours, your philosophy professor, and viewing a couple episodes of The Daily Show. Not to knock the Daily Show (which is probably the finest source of news in the US today, sadly), but generally your friends and family share your interests and feelings about events, and therefore may blind you to what other believe or feel.

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Alan

i think that the majority of dog lives have been happy ones.

I deliberately surround myself with miserable people.

I thought this was why most of us post here...