The Secret of Happiness

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JackGreenEarth

That's why they say, would you rather be happy or right?

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If you aren't out there commenting on political issues someone else will be. You should give your 2cents so that discussions reflects accurately what the users think. If only 1 group of people comment then lurkers will think that group is the majority.

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While this post is talking about the internet, in general it is important to talk about "politics" with people (what is "political" ?).

If you don't talk to people about why racism, sexism, transphobia or something else is bad, they will bring that conversation to people who don't have the choice to ignore the conversation. They will harm and harass minorities.

I agree that the internet might not be the best place to change people's minds, but it is important to name and argue against bigotry when encountered.

You should of course still be mindful of your own mental health

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By relegating ourselves to unhappy lives, we are making the world a better place!

I think, in reality, those bad people are just dragging us down with them.

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It must be nice to be privileged enough to ignore politics and be happy. I could, but my employer doesn't. My landlord doesn't. CEO 's don't. They lobby to keep prices high, wages low, and workers powerless...

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Joking aside.....the wise man knows his shit.

HubertManne

I think the promise here is the idea it will bring happiness. As any good buddhist will tell you it will just avoid suffering.

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Agree. But if you're not going to argue in good faith, if you're not going to discuss with an open mind, if you're going to add toxicity.....then best to stay silent. Shouting your opinion at other people (no matter how ignorant their opinion is) is never going to change their mind.

Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod

Well they’ve got the time and money for hobbies like that.

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Not sure what you mean, Buddhists are some of the best activists out there. Buddhism believes in the Middle Way. By avoiding suffering, you are denying yourself enlightenment. However seeking/creating unnecessary suffering is also bad.

HubertManne

I mean it will not bring happiness but it will avoid suffering. I get that is not what is meant I was just being cute about the comic and the general interpretation of the four truths.

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Totally fair. I misinterpreted what you meant, my bad

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I can see where you come from, but as a gay man, I would go crazy if I had to enter every homophobic encounter with an open mind.

Also, entering an argument might not change the other persons mind, but it might change the mind of bystanders

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The aesthetic lifestyle is one of divorcing oneself from the world in order to achieve the nirvana of oblivion.

It is less the secret to happiness and more the secret to the absence of sadness.

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It must be nice to be privileged enough to ignore politics and be happy.

Is "privileged" what we're calling it when when you've resigned yourself to being powerless? That seems like like privilege and more like despair.

my employer doesn’t. My landlord doesn’t. CEO 's don’t. They lobby to keep prices high, wages low, and workers powerless…

If the privileged people are engaged with politics and the disenfranchised people are powerless, wouldn't this suggest that engaging with politics is the privilege and its being reserved for the exceptionally wealthy?

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If you aren’t out there commenting on political issues someone else will be.

If you're participating in a social media ecosystem full of artificial content and bot-engagement, you're not engaging in any kind of interpersonal debate. You're just arguing with robots.

If only 1 group of people comment then lurkers will think that group is the majority.

This is why the best use of your time is to go onto the 8chan boards and spend all your time posting.

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“I'd far rather be happy than right any day."

"And are you?"

"No. That's where it all falls down, of course."

― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Scrubbles

I think you're correlating people who have stopped engaging with people who don't care.

I have panic attacks when I think about the state of our world. I block out most posts that trigger me. If I didn't, I'd be a nervous wreck sitting in misery if I didn't. That doesn't mean I don't know what's happening, I'm very aware and I keep up, but I'm also not going to have a constant feed of anxiety forced in my face.

We used to be informed if we read a daily newspaper. Don't confuse "refusing to have constant anxiety" with privilege.

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Open mind to racists, homophobes, ....? Are you serious?