It is easy to see why. The 1% is far more exciting than the 99%. That 1% of life is what we crave. Why? those moments of life are an escape. They let us escape from normal life. It actually does not matter what the moment is that leads to our escape. Yes, we do not want it to contain any threat to our existence, but besides that, as long as it differs from our norm, we will be happy. Its quite strange, for I guarantee that if what we did became flipped, then we would crave what used to be the 99%. In the HBO series Band of Brothers, in one scene Lieutenant Dick Winters is looking on into all the destruction and death that had just been inflicted on France. He concludes that after all that, all he wanted was to settle down on a farm and live in peace. When America had entered WW2, everyone craved escape from their normal lives, and many joined the military as a result. However, once they joined the military, and that life became normal, they soon desired what they had left behind. It truly is a ruthless cycle, for we will always desire what we do the least.
Think about it, do we like diamonds because they are shiny? Or because they are rare? |
Our most joyous events are the rarest events, and we hold onto them fleetingly because they are rare. If whatever it was became routinized, the happiness we receive from the activity would soon drift away over time. Thus the paradox of happiness. We gain happiness from doing things we rarely do, yet if that activity ever becomes normal, we would not care for it much anymore. Therefore, joyous events are fleeting because only fleeting rare events bring joy. It cannot be any other way.
Oh yeah that's me, no big deal. |
Yet what if I always dropped time? Then it would not have been such a big deal. If I dropped time every time I swam a race, it would not be as big of a deal. Indeed, when I was younger, I took time drops for granted. I just assumed it was normal to drop time every time you swam. However, as I got older, dropping time became more difficult, and the longer it took to drop time, the more ecstatic I was when I finally did. The happiness associated with an event is directly associated, in my view to its rarity (though of course, a bad event would not make us happy).
This is not a bad or good thing, its just the way things are. There is nothing wrong that we humans crave the rare things in life, but I believe it we recognized this it would make us realize why we actually crave what we crave. Perhaps then it would help us to appreciate everything more. Think about it, some day the things you take for granted, like hanging out with your kids or parents, could be a rare thing. Some day, some things you take for granted that you do not appreciate may go away forever. Its okay to desire the rare things in life, but do not neglect what you have right in front of you as a result, for it may be rare some day as well.
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