Posted 1:17 PM by Gobbler
Blight(y) Blog

The lack of blog testifies to the fact that I'm now back in the UK where blogging always takes a turn for the worse. All good here, however, I'm finishing off the first draft to my memoirs, bits of which have been posted on here in the last ocuple of months.

It's what every sensible 23 year old should do: write his/her/its memoirs.

Tomorrow, for the first time this year, it is my birthday. Blimey.

Todays main offering is something I came across a couple of days ago and I thought I'd put it here. It's a bit different from the average blog and you'll be excited to hear that its less than 38000 words...

The Beating Stick

or

On the Meaning of Life




i) The answer to the question of the meaning of life is unlikely to be a simple one or it would have been answered.

ii) There may not be one single meaning of life, or one purpose.

iii) People possess different personalities, different intelligences, tastes, opinions, etc. Different things may give these different people’s lives meaning.

iv) Following on from ii), an individual may find the meaning of his life specific to himself.

v) If an individual believes he has discovered the meaning of his life and is content with his discovery then he has found the meaning of life specific to him.

vi) Every individual seeks happiness.

vii) Knowledge of the meaning of life is purely academic if it is not accompanied by happiness, the knowledge will not create happiness in and of itself.

viii) No matter whether or not an individual discovers the meaning of life, every individual seeks happiness.

ix) An individual who has led a happy life will be content whether or not he has discovered the meaning of life.

x) To be happy is a desirable aim whether or not the meaning of life presents itself.

xi) It is an achievable aim.

xii) From Aristotle onwards, there have been numerous theories on how an individual can achieve happiness.

xiii) “It is not our level of prosperity that makes for happiness but the kinship of heart to heart and the way we look at the world. Both attitudes lie within our power, so that a man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy and no-one can stop him.” (Solzhenitsyn, Cancer Ward, p290)

xiv) It can be said that happiness begets happiness and unhappiness begets unhappiness, so that, for example, happy children are the product of a happy upbringing and vice versa.

xv) An individual’s environment thus plays a key role in his ability to be happy.

xvi) xiii) may be true but given xiv) and xv) we see that an individuals unique circumstances determine how easy this is to achieve.

xvii) Let us use a metaphor to illustrate the point. An individual is beaten with a stick every day for several hours for no apparent reason. This regular beating causes pain and misery to the individual.

xviii) Neither pain nor misery is typically conducive to happiness.

xix) An individual so beaten will typically be unhappy.

xx) Following on from xiv), just as to witness others happy can make an individual happy, so to witness others unhappy can make an individual unhappy.

xxi) When an individual is the source or cause of that happiness or unhappiness, the reciprocal feeling in the individual is intensified.

xxii) In lieu of the knowledge of the meaning of life, the attainment of happiness is a commendable aim (vi)-x)).

xxiii) When an individual inflicts pain and misery on others, creating unhappiness, he himself becomes less happy (xvii)-xxi)).

xxiv) The creation of unhappiness is universally destructive to the pursuit of happiness.

xxv) It is not inconceivable that the meaning of life is to be happy.

Talkbacks:Rach, Evil Uncle, Cheesm: Indeed.

Laura: Sorry you never made it up, hope you got the douai e, speak to you soon.