Science, Religion, Politics and in the pursuit of truth – HappyPsychotic

A New Philosophy of Life

// January 20th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // BarrycloseAuthor: Barry Name: Barry Nobody
Email: happy99999@hotdogs.com
Site: http://www.happypsychotic.com
About: I'm happy to be the first bonus blogger on happypsychotic. I know Chris and Glenn pretty well and they trust me enough to let me blog on their site, which I think is pretty cool. I am also in my 30's, have a couple kids and have been doing internet applications for what seems like forever. The big difference between me and the boys is that I am not a Christian. In this way, I will have some very different viewpoints on most things than Chris and Glenn. Hopefully you'll find it interesting and I won't get kicked out. Hey, I'm smart too! I just don't know what my I.Q. is.See Authors Posts (8)

I think that most children have a simple instinct to find immediate pleasure for themselves whenever possible.  They are unable to make many predictions about the future so they just do what looks good in front of them and that’s it.  As adults, we’re able to make better predictions of the future so we do stuff like go to school to get qualified to get a high paying job or whatever.

I’ve realized now that there is no purpose to life – there is nothing that can make me truly and completely happy.  I think that there are many people in the world that feel completely happy but I think they’re living a delusion.  For instance, many people believe that Jesus is watching them and guiding them daily so they feel completely happy having this ultimately important being concerned about them – but it is a delusion.  Many others keep themselves so busy with “stuff” that they don’t think about the meaning of life or anything else so when you ask them if they are happy they might say “yes”, but they’re not really thinking about it completely.

So if there is no true happiness to be found in life, what do we do?  We can give up and commit suicide and enter nothingness as we cease to exist consciously (the thought of this would have horrified me before, but I can’t get worked up about it anymore).  Or we can do what I think is the only solution now – act like a child and hope for simple and immediate pleasures.  If I can go to a party and laugh for an hour and feel good – then that is as much as I can hope for in life.

I’m not sure how to fit in my loving feelings for my family into this philosophy.  I love them and would do nothing to hurt them but I don’t see the immediate pleasure there…maybe it’s just the fact that I don’t have to be alone all the time?  I hope it’s more than that.

Dieing to Live

// January 3rd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // BarrycloseAuthor: Barry Name: Barry Nobody
Email: happy99999@hotdogs.com
Site: http://www.happypsychotic.com
About: I'm happy to be the first bonus blogger on happypsychotic. I know Chris and Glenn pretty well and they trust me enough to let me blog on their site, which I think is pretty cool. I am also in my 30's, have a couple kids and have been doing internet applications for what seems like forever. The big difference between me and the boys is that I am not a Christian. In this way, I will have some very different viewpoints on most things than Chris and Glenn. Hopefully you'll find it interesting and I won't get kicked out. Hey, I'm smart too! I just don't know what my I.Q. is.See Authors Posts (8)

Way back when I was in high school, I remember my world religions teacher teaching us (the class) about Zen Buddhism and actually, he told us that was his “religion” (if it can be called that).  The only point that stuck with me was that he told how ideally, a Zen Buddhist person would never hold on to any grudge or anything.  Someone in the class even asked what he would do if somebody murdered his son and he said that he would be angry, but that he would try to accept it and move on with life.  I laughed to myself when I heard that and though he was stupid.  I don’t think he’s stupid anymore.

I watched a movie the other day about a mother who couldn’t deal with living after her young child died.  I can understand this to a certain extent (I realize that nobody can really understand unless it’s happened to them personally), allowing the guilt and the second-guessing of yourself to allow such a tragedy.  I’m sure that anyone reading this blog has known the pain of having a friend die and how it affects so much of your life.  But lately I’ve been looking at this problem from a different angle.

Here’s the thing – life is short.  That’s it.  Think of it, whatever age you are now, you will never get that back again.  The year 2009 is gone and never to return, so if you are just coasting through your life, putting in your time doing the same old things every day, me thinks you will regret it.  So what does this have to do with losing a friend?  Simple, let it go, let them go, move on.  I know it sounds harsh but really, if they’re dead, they’re dead and they don’t care if you are remembering them, or mourning them or anything ’cause they’re dead.  I think it’s great to remember the good things about lost friends and take the good parts of their lives and learn from them but just move on and let it go, because Life Is Short.

Really, you should think about death often.  You should think about your own death often and how near it is.  Even if you’re not even 20 years old yet, do you think death is far away?  I remember turning 20 and now I’m closing in on 40 and I don’t know where the years went sometimes.  Think about how short the rest of your days are and LIVE!  Do what you want to do today.  I even think that if you do something stupid and lose all your money and end up destitute it doesn’t really matter does it?  ‘Cause life is short and you gave it your best shot.  Do you really want to be sitting around in your old age home thinking about all the missed opportunities you had in your life?  And they are missed opportunities for no reason except you were lazy or scared to try.

Glenn is thinking about making an early retirement in Costa Rica.  Maybe it won’t work out and he’ll have to come crawling back home after a few years but so what?  He went for it and he tried and he won’t be wondering “what if?”.  If you’ve read my old blogs, you know some of the stuff that I do that is wild and exciting and I want more.  I’m Dieing to Live.

What Are You Selling?

// October 28th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // GlenncloseAuthor: Glenn Name: Glenn C
Email: happypsychotic@gmail.com
Site: http://www.happypsychotic.com
About: Glenn is 36 years old and now lives in a small town in Northern Ontario with his wife of 13 years and 2 kids. He has been a foster parent for 10 years in 3 different cities. He graduated from Radio College of Canada (Toronto) in 1993 as an Electronic Engineering Technologist and has been working in the electronics industry ever since with companies like Nortel. Glenn does a good amount of reading, studying and thinking about such topics as philosophy, psychology, physics (Quantum Mechanics), religion and science. Glenn does have an I.Q. of > 140 (as does Chris) which is categorized as genius but hasn't bothered joining any I.Q. type clubs. He is very logical and analytical and always looking for a way to make a better world - primarily through self-improvement and in helping others to improve themselves. Most importantly, he constantly re-evaluates his priorities and ensures his time is spent wisely - like working on this site.See Authors Posts (92)

A recent ad on the radio tells of a “Canadian Cancer Society Lottery” where funds go to cancer research.  There are millions of dollars in prizes and a “1 in 5″ chance of winning.  Sounds like I would be stupid NOT to enter.  But then I wonder how much funds could possibly be available for cancer research after they give out so many prizes?  (their website offers no details)  And although “1 in 5″ odds sounds very good, lotteries don’t lose money, so nobody should ever confuse a lottery with an investment.  Needless to say, I find this ad to be very annoying due to its misleading nature.  But of course, it is not alone in the world of advertisement.

I’ve created 3 categories to differentiate the ways I see people try to sell things 1) Obvious 2) Diversionary and 3) Secretive/Accidental.  I’ll list a few examples of each and we’ll decide what we like best.

1.  Obvious

• When you see or hear a car commercial, you know somebody wants you to buy their car.  Depending on the vehicle, its strengths are stressed loudest hoping to say what you want to hear like this is the safest car, the best price, has won the most awards, has the most power, is the biggest, is the most fuel efficient, is the most fun, the most beautiful, most noticeable, most practical etc.

• Restaurants also declare what makes them better than the rest, whether it be that they have the tastiest food, the best prices, the best atmosphere, the healthiest, the fastest or whatever but there is no question what is being sold here.

• Electronics sales are also very straightforward.  The ads simply try to differentiate by convincing you they have the best quality, best price, most prestigious, most useful or some other defining factor.

2.  Diversionary

• Health Clubs and diet plans only ever say how they want to help you be healthier and happier.  They say they are working for YOUR benefit only, they only want to help you, they often offer no-obligation free trials, tell you that you will be beautiful, you’ll live longer, be healthier and have more energy.  But we do know that they are making money from our eventual membership fees and we would be rude to ask how many members at their club are paying but not using.

• Banks say they want to help YOU save YOUR money, help you retire early and help you buy whatever your heart desires.  Just don’t ask about their billions of dollars of annual profits.

• How about supporting your local sports team?  Show your city spirit, support “your” team.  They often make it seem as though their only motivation is for your enjoyment.  But think about how many salaries and other income is being made.

3.  Secretive/Accidental

• Charities, foreign aid and churches almost never start out as a way for somebody to get rich.  They are usually started by some great people that see a need and want to help.  But over time, those that are successful invariably end up spending more and more of their funds on infrastructure and administration until it gets to the point that obscene amounts of money never get to the “the cause”.  Remember that a “non-profit” organization can simply raise salaries to deal with the “problem” of having too much money and remain “non-profit”.  The most recent and troubling headline in this category is the former president of the SickKids Foundation who received a $2.7 million payout after quitting his job before his contract was due.  Feel free to browse the financial reports of Canadian charities at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/charities/ and you can see where the money that you donate to your favourite charity is really going.

• Political campaigns always appear completely selfless also.  These people running for office say they just want to help and improve your situation.  How many would still be so giving if the salaries, pensions, business expenses and other perks weren’t quite so generous?

• Consider the commercials which advertise the news.  They say that they are “committed” to getting you the accurate news quickly and how you can depend on them and trust them.  You’re not supposed to think about the fact that the person saying these things is just reading a script and they aren’t even their own ideas, or think about the fact that it’s simply a business trying to make money like everything else.

So what do we like best?  I’m not sure that I like any, but I realize advertisements are necessary for the economy, but I suppose I would choose the straightforward obvious ads as my favourite.  I don’t appreciate being tricked or “guilted” into spending money.  It seems to me that every good product should be able to survive without hiding facts.

Is it the human condition to not be content?

// October 14th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // GlenncloseAuthor: Glenn Name: Glenn C
Email: happypsychotic@gmail.com
Site: http://www.happypsychotic.com
About: Glenn is 36 years old and now lives in a small town in Northern Ontario with his wife of 13 years and 2 kids. He has been a foster parent for 10 years in 3 different cities. He graduated from Radio College of Canada (Toronto) in 1993 as an Electronic Engineering Technologist and has been working in the electronics industry ever since with companies like Nortel. Glenn does a good amount of reading, studying and thinking about such topics as philosophy, psychology, physics (Quantum Mechanics), religion and science. Glenn does have an I.Q. of > 140 (as does Chris) which is categorized as genius but hasn't bothered joining any I.Q. type clubs. He is very logical and analytical and always looking for a way to make a better world - primarily through self-improvement and in helping others to improve themselves. Most importantly, he constantly re-evaluates his priorities and ensures his time is spent wisely - like working on this site.See Authors Posts (92)

Is it the human condition to not be content?

If you are born rich, you aren’t content because you want to get out to “the real world” and be a regular person.  If you are born poor, you constantly strive to be rich thinking that will bring contentment.  If you are a genius you think that you over-analyze everything and are unable to simply be content like people with average intelligence.  If you aren’t very bright, you believe that the cause of your discontent is because you just aren’t smart enough to do the right things.  If you are destined to inherit your parents’ business (whatever it is), you don’t want it because it’s too boring (and probably too easy), while if your parents have nothing for you to inherit, that is also bothersome.

Of course there are many exceptions to these statements, but I’m certain they are more true than not.

But why is it we can’t be content with what we have?  It could be argued that this is an evolutionary trait – thinking that those creatures (humans) that are discontent, continually strive for something better in life, which causes improvements and inventions that continue to advance their environment and cause them to become more “powerful”, which ensures their survival.

Most religions address this discontentment as well.  Christians say that this life is only a small part of “eternal life” in which you will be fully content in heaven.  Buddhists say that you should give up the whole idea of being content and just accept the reality that “life is suffering”.  And many other smaller religions and cults get their followers to focus on a single cause or event as being vastly important and they alone have the answer which gives them a certain level of pride and contentment.

So, if this really is an accurate portrayal of the choices in dealing with discontentment, then which is right or best?  They all seem weak (unless one of the religious answers is actually true!)

I’m sorry to say that I don’t have an answer.  Feel free to tell me the answer if you know it.

Suffering and Its Meaning

// August 30th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // GlenncloseAuthor: Glenn Name: Glenn C
Email: happypsychotic@gmail.com
Site: http://www.happypsychotic.com
About: Glenn is 36 years old and now lives in a small town in Northern Ontario with his wife of 13 years and 2 kids. He has been a foster parent for 10 years in 3 different cities. He graduated from Radio College of Canada (Toronto) in 1993 as an Electronic Engineering Technologist and has been working in the electronics industry ever since with companies like Nortel. Glenn does a good amount of reading, studying and thinking about such topics as philosophy, psychology, physics (Quantum Mechanics), religion and science. Glenn does have an I.Q. of > 140 (as does Chris) which is categorized as genius but hasn't bothered joining any I.Q. type clubs. He is very logical and analytical and always looking for a way to make a better world - primarily through self-improvement and in helping others to improve themselves. Most importantly, he constantly re-evaluates his priorities and ensures his time is spent wisely - like working on this site.See Authors Posts (92)

I just finished reading the book “The Book of Calamities: Five Questions About Suffering and Its Meaning” by Peter Trachtenberg and I have come up with 3 main categories to describe suffering.

1. The Christian Viewpoint – Most Christians view suffering as part of God’s plan.  Sometimes we suffer because God is trying to teach us something (like patience), or God is correcting us for some sin in our lives, or sometimes God has a wonderful plan that is just beyond our understanding so we need to just trust that He knows what’s best for the world.  All in all, there is a purpose for everything that happens at all times including suffering.
2. The Buddhist Viewpoint – One of the main precepts of Buddhism is that “life is suffering” and we need to accept that truth before we can really grow as people.  The belief of karma (which is similar in Hinduism) says that if we do good things with our lives, we will receive good in return, and if we do evil with our lives, we will receive evil in return (sometimes in our reincarnated past and future lives also).  So suffering can be considered part of the universe’s way of evening everything out.
3. The Atheistic Viewpoint – There is no purpose or meaning to suffering.  Some people suffer, some people don’t and in most cases it’s just dumb luck and chance.  In some ways this is a depressing viewpoint, but in other ways it is freeing because you don’t have to live your life constantly searching for reasons and worrying about doing the wrong thing.

Am I missing any other major views?  Let me know.  Thanks.