| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 10/21/2007 5:47:19 AM | | Being smart does not make you unhappy in the least bit. I myself am smart (IQ scores in the genius range), but the only time I was ever unhappy was when my father died. My room mates in college often commented about how I 'enjoy life for what it is', but really I enjoy watching the patterns of our world unfold. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 12/4/2008 7:02:18 PM | Well, according to the psychological tests here i am an entp type which is often given the moto "progress is the product".
For me this is amazingly astute. I'm not particularly bothered about peoples exact state of intelligence or its breadth or depth as long as they are willing to enter into discourse with me so that we may both venture forwards in progressing our knowledge of understanding the world, universe, self, other, outer, inner, singular, multi, zero, null and generally ALL things and Nothing.
My main drive for this is because the learning I have had has made me incredible at peace with myself and the universe in which I live.
It gives me compassion and strength and pure joy to learn and to be honest I think the joy of learning is in us all as a natural element of our existence.
Unfortunately, some have had bad mentors and bad experiences of a so called learning environment and have turned away from learning because either they feel bad about their lack of ability {which is not true at all, we are all capable of grand intelligence given the right guidance} or because something about their learning experiences caused pain and suffering. I do believe deep down, every single one of us loves to learn.
I love learning and engendering learning.
I'd rather be a little isolated from my peers than stumble around in a dark space unable to comprehend my inner motivation, my natural desires, the reason I hurt, how I hurt myself and hurt others and how best I can defeat thanatos and destructive angry urges.
I'd rather that than be completely lost in the miasm of this life.
Ashray is exactly right ... ignorance breeds fear, fear breads hate, ignorance breeds hate. Therefore ignorance is our destruction and the destruction of everything we have and care for. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 12/5/2008 5:09:55 PM | Excuse me?
Conceit?
I have nor display none oh stick muncher.
Go jack up in a corner with your muffins if drugs and ignorance are your choice... | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 12/5/2008 8:05:53 PM |
Ashray is exactly right ... ignorance breeds fear, fear breads hate, ignorance breeds hate. Therefore ignorance is our destruction and the destruction of everything we have and care for.
For every upside there is a downside. While I agree with this statement and have tried to learn instead of fear I don't find the majority of people are this way. That leaves you being very aware of a lot of bad things going on, most of which you can do nothing about. I don't know if "unhappy" is the right word for how it makes me feel more like it's all just so unnecessary I don't always know how I fit in this world. It can leave some with feelings of isolation. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 12/5/2008 9:05:23 PM | no ignorance isn't bliss....Ignorance is a cop out to ignore what is going on around us in our world...can intelligence really be rated on a scale..yes man made intelligence. What about all we don't even know, is ignorance. Our minds can't even imagine. An example: Intuition can't be measured...healing hands can't be measured.. mind over matter.... empathy ,So we stay ignorant to things that are uncomfortable for us... Can't be measured...Too far-fetched for our little minds, we choose to stay in our comfort zones. I would like to say ignorance is bliss but it isn't. No matter how intelligent one is he is ignorant in one form or another. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 12/6/2008 12:05:48 AM | Smart vs happy? how is this a question, I am a smart person and rarely ever get down about anything. I'm smart enough to known there is no reason not to be happy because of this saying: "Smile, tomorrow can only be worse"; may just seem like some cutesy saying but well there's a lot more truth in that one saying than most of what people babble about.
Let's weigh a couple of the pros and cons of being happy and sad:
Happy:
- You have a tendency to become short sighted but enjoy things non-the-less.
- Endorphins pump through your body allowing you to relax easier, in a relaxed state your brain is able to use more energy toward thought.
- People enjoy being around you because your not killing the atmosphere.
Sad:
- You focus on every last detail and find negatives that make you even more sad.
- Your important body functions slow way down or speed way up causing you to burn more energy or not be able to consume the energy it's producing.
- People don't much like to be around because you tend to kill off conversations on a bad note, unless they too are sad.
Pros and cons of being smart and stupid:
Smart:
- You don't often get confused because you can think your way through logically how something has happened.
- Your more likely to be open to new ideas allowing you to expand your knowledge and perception.
- You stand a better chance of making a contribution to the world even if it is in some small seemingly insignificant way.
Stupid:
- You wind up confused, sometimes even get mad because you just can't put the pieces together to solve the reason something is happening.
- You close your mind off to what a select few people say, and tend to take the most popular viewpoint on issues that demand a personal viewpoint.
- You stand a better chance at finding a gas station that needs a new slurpee machine manager.
I could go on and one but I really thing being a stupid person leads to more sadness than being a smart person, it also has the unfortunately side effect of spreading sadness because being stupid you don't much comprehend the full consequence of your actions. Sure sometimes being smart and finding you don't have the resources to fix something that ticking you off can breed sadness but well it's not permanent since your more prone to distracting yourself with figuring out how things work and why they happen. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/15/2009 8:51:44 PM | I believe there's a correlation between above average intelligence and lack of self-delusion - seeing the ugly truths and such. Of course it's only a trend and not a guarantee, plenty of intelligent people still delude themselves.
I've also noticed that the more intelligent you are (further along the bell curve) the fewer people there will be who you can really connect with, this can lead to intelligent people feeling isolated, as someone already mentioned (You don't even have to be a genius, just above average).
Some days I do think I would if I could, trade in intelligence for the ability to believe in god and live in blissful ignorance. I disagree with who said stupidity = ignorance = unhappiness, there are plenty of happy stupid people. I think happiness has more to do with Health, Wealth, and Social success. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/16/2009 4:33:00 AM | Ignorance does not mean below average intelligence. Ignorance is simply not being informed of or familiar with a certain subject. For example: a neurosurgeon might know absolutely nothing about digging ditches.
You ask "what if we knew the day of our death or what the stock market is going to do ?". That has nothing to do with being smart. It is fortune telling, being clairvoyant or omnipotent..... whatever you want to call it.
Ignorance = unaware. If you are unaware of something that is frightening to you, then I think, if it's not dangerous or harmful to you, being unaware of that subject or environment would not cause stress and that can leave you happy.
I do not think ignorance is blissful. The two are possibly remote factors that would cause us to be happy. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/16/2009 8:09:42 AM | ^^^
Although not the same thing, stupidity and ignorance often go hand in hand. What does the average person with 70-90 IQ know about the world? | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/23/2009 9:17:04 AM | Hmmmm.. I have often thought about this.. I am intelligent, IQ in the 150+ range, and I overanalyze everything. However, for me there is satisfaction at coming to answers that make sense to me. That satisfaction is happiness in it's own right.
If you are not intelligent ( i won't say ignorant because they are two different things) then happiness would mean something vastly different. What makes me happy is not going to make someone else happy. It's all relative. I am blissfully happy when I tuck my kids in and give them a good night kiss. I am blissfully happy when I wake up and stretch and enjoy that moment of your toes stretching out as far as they can and your arms up way over your head, the feel of the warm sheets on your skin and the cool air on your face. I am also blissfully happy with a cup of hot coffee. Who are we to say that Stephen Hawking (in response to some posters) is not happy in his own right with those things that he can do?
I once spent a couple weeks walking with and spending time with people that society would deem 'unworthy'.. homeless men that lived in a shelter, prostitutes, etc.. and each of them felt true happiness every day even amidst their situation and level of intelligence or lack of. To really discuss this we would need to have a definition of happiness, and the fact that for every human being there is a different definition makes it incredibly difficult. Those of us that are parents find happiness with our children, those that don't want children find happiness in other fulfilling aspects of their life. Those that are 'simple' find happiness in little things, that those of us with higher intelligence would find mundane. I met a young man when I was just in my teens, he was what one would call a simpleton. He was made fun of a lot. He was an orphan, abandoned at birth by his mother, but he was so full of joy. He did not see other peoples criticism or pity or jokes. I spent many a night sitting with him at Denny's, you could say I felt very protective and to do that made me happy. He would have been happy regardless, he found joy in having enough change to buy a new pair of pants at Goodwill, his 'bliss' if you will, was found in having new batteries for his walkman. Music made his soul sing. I have often tried to emulate that throughout my life, when to many thoughts are crashing through my head at a time, I remember Vinnie and I smile and that makes me happy. Simple ones don't necessarily wish for what us intelligent ones have because they don't know the difference but for us intelligent ones to every now and again dip into the examples the simple ones show us, it is awesome. I find the hardest part of being highly intelligent is finding like minded people and feeling as if you have to 'dummy down' at times. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/23/2009 5:34:00 PM | | There are many 'smart' people who are happy - many 'dumb' people who are not... I don't personally think that intelligence correlates whatsoever with happiness. Nor does ignorance bring bliss in my opinion. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/23/2009 6:23:38 PM | What's missing here is perspective and point of view. We give meaning to the people events and circumstances in our lives.
I know some very smart people who are not happy and I also know some not so smart people who are happy despite the circumstances in their lives.
Evolution is learning how to see the world from an increasing number of perspectives. Egocentric, ethnocentric, world centric and cosmo centric. By looking at a situation in your life from a different perspective you can easily add compassion and appreciation and thankfulness. All of this makes you happier or at least creates the opportunity to be happy.
Resiliency is one of the most powerful character traits a person can have. By learning how to be resilient we can add the appropriate meaning to every life experience including dying.
Intelligence has little to do with it. And there are many different types of intelligience - cognitive is only one. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/23/2009 7:10:18 PM | | All the saying means is that you cannot be unhappy about something that you aren't aware of. Extrapolating that universal truth to assume that ignorance implies a lack of intelligence is using the wrong definition of the word ignorance. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/24/2009 2:22:03 AM | | I think personally there is no defined truth, its merely a concept just as our virtues and other such things, But what does plague the mind is the quest for 'truth' and the sense of some power resulting when gained or what we think have gained, i belive if we are those who are inclined to look at ourselves to find our 'truths' the trouble or rather self realization is sometimes too overbearing, As an example i will put my self and my sibling forward, Im no innante genius but i believe i am deeper then the majority that cloy my surroundings and social circles and therefore constantly battle with myself and the struggle i feel makes me somewhat of an enigma among my friends and family, My sister on the other hand a carefree person, a shallow person none the less, not concerned with the world around, not bothered with any type of questions resulting in some question of her own morality, yet as much as i feel this makes for a somewhat pointless life i sometimes envy such a person, for there happiness in there ignorance and shallowness is so pure that that becomes there 'truth'. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/24/2009 8:41:30 PM | ???
The thread is titled smart vs happy... there is no misinterpretation there unless you are somehow magically inferring what the OP meant when he posted it.
Perhaps there is some truth that ignorance of a certain issue or issues will bring some contentment to you, however, I would say that that is a far stretch from making you happy(blissful). I can tell you that the majority of hate crimes in this country happen out of ignorance, do those people display blisslike qualities to you?? Now, if you are referring to something like your lack of knowledge about a mediorite that is about to strike the earth tomorrow - then perhaps you may be more blissful than if you knew. Though, I would still argue that there have been many people in history and modern day who were, or are, far from ignorant and still displayed blisslike qualities. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/25/2009 2:15:33 AM |
What does intelligence have to do with having a clear view of reality? There are plenty of intelligent people who are quite capable of deluding themselves.
Quite a lot actually. It's a lot easier to see connections between things. Sure, intelligent people can delude themselves, but intelligent people are more likely to be introspective. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/25/2009 5:46:48 PM | | hi.. I do not think that ignorance is bliss, less complicated at times and perhaps more complicated other times.. intelligence does not stop pain or jealousy, thirst or hunger but neither would ignorance ... I like knowing the Truth, I do not fear it yet I know many people who prefer less info...ignorance and intelligence are subjective terms .. blessings, warmly Mona | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/25/2009 11:04:24 PM | | versen, ok but if you ask me, research means nothing to a child who didnt eat today or have clean water to drink... intelligence sends rockets to the moon but it doesnt build enough shelters for our homeless... intelligence or ignorance, depends on who you ask.. these terms are subjective, imho.... warmly Mona | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/25/2009 11:17:29 PM | | If intelligence didn't exist then children would have nothing to eat since meat wouldn't be obtainable. Neither would vegetables since farm's would not exist. To further what I am saying, the ability to clean water and make it drinkable also takes a level of intelligence and knowledge on the subject. Please don't just say these terms are subjective. Without intelligence, our race would have died off long ago. | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/26/2009 4:25:19 AM | Verzen
Most of the animals and species on this planet have very little intelligence and they survive just fine. The more likely scenario is that we would have evolved differently - e.g. stronger, faster, furry little creatures just like the others. So, don't act like intelligence is some saving grace to the planet, or to us. There is a very strong possibilty that we could be better off as primates, the planet might as well.
Also, if intelligence is not subjective in the least, why don't you enlighten us with a definition that covers all of its aspects? | |
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| Ignorance as bliss? Smart vs happy?
Posted: 3/26/2009 7:04:11 AM | @ Verzen
We could have survived, but only a relatively small number of us, as food would be a much more limited resource. The advent of agriculture set us up for an explosion in population. | |
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