Posted by Estella on August 8, 2006, at 23:56:31
In reply to Re: people in Rowanda... Dinah, Gabbi-G, Phillipa, posted by Jost on August 8, 2006, at 22:21:04
okay. but there are of course many many many many many other cultures in the world.
i'm just saying that there are good and bad in every society.
and that the western notion of happiness is indeed a western notion and so cross cultural studies on who is 'happier' are verrrrrry hard to interpret.
and that to say that people in one country are happier than people in another country...
well sure i understand that it is hard to be happy (in any of the multiplicity of meanings of the term) when one isn't getting basic needs met.
but aside from that...
i think it is rather culturally insensitive to consider people to be happier in the 'only sense that matters' in developed western nations.culturally insensitive to other notions of happiness.
culturally insensitive to what one needs to experience happiness (in the western sense) at any rate.a western study showed that most people are less happy for more choices for the reasons i said above (the study reported in scientific american).
the pursuit of happiness...
makes it sound like happiness is something that one has to pursue... that one has to earn.i'm not so familiar with that notion (in my personal life) so much as i'm familiar with a different notion where happiness is something along the lines of homeostasis or contentment. it is something you *realise* you have and something that it is good to remember to take the time to appreciate that *you have already*. very different conception...
poster:Estella
thread:674015
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20060806/msgs/675093.html