Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Happiness

Apparently conservatives (in the American sense of the term) are happier than Leftist because they have a more factually accurate view of human nature. That's not quite how it was reported, of course, but that's what it boils down to. The Left does not understand that people are literally not equal -- some really are smarter than others, some really are more physically able than other, some really are harder workers than others, etc. People like me understand that people are not literally equal, but should get equal treatment under the law -- meaning all laws should apply to people equally. If it turns out that that is impossible, then the law likely should not exist. Everyone should receive equal benefit of the law. How many laws fit that criteria?

But to get back on topic, the Left are unhappy because the world does not and never will live up to their unrealistic expectations. As they learn that, they turn bitter and nihilistic and begin to attack all the best, most meaningful, more valuable things in the world. Let me let you in one something: that certainly won't make you happy. Time to grow up and learn how the real world actually works. Then you might actually find ways of making it better -- and be happy doing it.

2 comments:

Winton Bates said...

You might be interested in the series of articles that Arthur Brooks is writing on this topic at Freakonomics.
I am looking forward to reading his recently published book "Gross National Happiness".

Troy Camplin said...

I've read a few of those articles, but not all of them. I'm convinced that people are happiest when their expectations most accurately map onto reality.