TED Community » Alexander Koch

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Anthropology, Religion, The Human Condition, Culture, Language, Storytelling, Myth

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  A comment on Conversation: Wouldn't happiness bring about professional and personal stagnation?

  Aug 5 2012: For some reason, I can't figure out how to respond directly to James Zhang's comment concerning time efficiency. So here it is as a general post: The notion of this 100% versus the 93% was a poor analogy on my part, because many of the pursuits through which we discover happiness, and in which that happiness in turn drives us to succeed, are not measured numerically and thus have no level of "perfection" (i.e. 100/100). In this sense, we ourselves define what we see to be as the ultimate goal, meaning that whether it is an active decision or not, we have some measure of control over our happiness. If nothing else, this tells us that happiness and satisfaction are completely relative. While I'm not saying that environmental pressures such as societal expectations and cultural values don't play a significant role in determining personal choice, I feel that at least some small degree of self-determination is exercised in the pursuit of happiness (it's also a good movie). Once personal happiness can be put into this context of relativity, I feel that we will truly be able to tap the full benefits of balancing ambition and progress with a deep, personal contentment.
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  A reply on Conversation: Wouldn't happiness bring about professional and personal stagnation?

  Aug 5 2012: The thought that "dissatisfaction is not equal to unhappiness" is exactly what I was trying to express (in so many words), but I feel that one cannot truly be driven by dissatisfaction until that person has, at least, tasted what they feel to be a degree of satisfaction and, in turn, found happiness in that. To bring it full circle and address the final sentence of the original post, I think that it is the varying degrees and different experiences of happiness, and not necessarily only the lack there of, that drives personal and professional progress/change and not "stagnation".
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  A comment on Conversation: Wouldn't happiness bring about professional and personal stagnation?

  Aug 5 2012: I think that the most important distinction to make concerning this topic is between "happiness" and "satisfaction". One can, in my opinion (and I hope I'm not alone), be pleased with themselves and derive happiness and positive feelings from something that, simply because it was not the pinnacle of their self-perceived ability, they feel can be improved upon. An example that comes to mind is testing in schools. If I receive a 93% on a test, I am almost always happy with the score itself; however, I may not be content because I feel I could have scored higher. In this sense, I am happy with what I have achieved yet not completely satisfied, and thus look for future improvement. In other words, happiness can be found in something that is not total perfection. In many cases (at least with myself), I think that it is this feeling of joy at having succeeded mixed with knowing that I can do better that really drives me to keep improving at what I do.
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  A comment on Conversation: Should basic economics now be a required subject in high school and/or college?

  Aug 5 2012: I feel that implementing some sort of general education requirement for understanding the basics of economics/human exchange would be especially wise considering the prevalence of economic discussion within American 21st century politics. Economic education is now, more than ever, a requisite for an informed electorate if for no reason other than many contemporary politicians focus on fiscal matters more than any other. With two years of high school government and civics classes as my only evidence, I feel like government and the economy are inexorably intertwined. A perfect example being politicians like senator Ron Johnson and governor Scott Walker (I'm from Wisconsin), each selling their positions to the Wisconsin electorate as relatively inexperienced politicians seeking to run government like a business, with profit being a primary concern.