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Lost_Sheep
Guest
Robert, do you ever do anything just to have fun?
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Robert_Sock
Guest
Joy from the Holy Spirit is bliss that material things just cannot offer.
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Lost_Sheep
Guest
So you don’t socialize with coworkers after work on Friday? You never go on a vacation? You never go sightseeing, or visit museums? You don’t play golf, or watch football? You don’t have any hobbies?
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Robert_Sock
Guest
“Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me.”
― Ignatius of Loyolahttp://www.goodreads.com/author/show/336357.Ignatius_of_Loyola
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Lost_Sheep
Guest
I’ll take that as a “No.”
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Robert_Sock
Guest
I’ll take that as a “No.”
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CHRISTINE77
Guest
Even if Robert does go out and socialize and have a “good time” he obviously has his priorities in order. God first.I’ll take that as a “No.”
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Lost_Sheep
Guest
Hey, if that’s what he likes and it makes him happy then that is great.
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Robert_Sock
Guest
Happy? Who can be happy living in a world filled with pain and suffering? 9,500 innocent child die an agonizing death due to starvation every day. I do not seek happiness one bit, but apply much time and energy working toward salvation.Hey, if that’s what he likes and it makes him happy then that is great.
meltzerboy
New member
One hobby Robert and all of us seem to have is reading and posting on threads from CAF.
meltzerboy
New member
You have a good point. And not only starvation plagues much of the world, but physical diseases, natural disasters, tragic accidents, suicides, murders, wars, mental disorders, poverty, chronic pain, and so on. The fact that so many people attempt to be happy and even joyful despite these horrors attests to the human spirit of perseverance and the spirit of G-d, Who does not allow the light of faith, hope, and love to be totally extinguished within us.
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ThinkingSapien
Guest
It’s not hard.
I think the relative happiness of many people are not impacted by these things. There is some reduction in emotional impact of an event when it is presented in terms of something that happened to a massive number of people. People tend to process such things as an abstraction. The emotional impact is higher when the concentration is on only a few. If you are old enough to have seen the evolution of advertisements for entities that fed starving children you might have noticed a shift towards the ads talking about the lives of a few specific children.
People also may become desensitized to hearing of pain and suffering frequently. The first time someone discovers the existence of some type of suffering there may be a high emotional impact. By the 2,048th time the person hears of that type of suffering the emotional impact may be lower.
People don’t focus on many things at once very well. If I am driving my mind might be thinking about what I will do at work while my mental “auto-pilot” handles this routine task of controlling the automobile on my daily task. With those two things going on I have reached my mental capacity. While there is knowledge that others have suffered, are suffering, and will suffer my mind isn’t on it at that time so that’s not what is the strongest influence on my emotional state.
Suffering occurs in the world, but that suffering isn’t constantly a part of the experience of others because of distance and walls. When one is having a good laugh communing with friends and loved ones the abstraction of “there exists a suffering person somewhere” just isn’t enough to always have impact on one’s emotional state. It could even be the topic of discussion without having an impact. And those speaking about it can be happy.
Somewhere in the world someone is suffering
. And two doors down on the same street someone is enjoying ice cream and having a good time with loved ones:blush:
.meltzerboy
New member
In addition to this explanation, which is primarily based on the limitations of our cognitive resources, there is probably also an emotional defense against focusing our thoughts for too long and too intensely on the suffering of others. If we did, we would have great difficulty recovering from this experience and doing what is necessary to move forward with our own lives, which, hopefully, might include alleviating and reducing the suffering of others.It’s not hard.
I think the relative happiness of many people are not impacted by these things. There is some reduction in emotional impact of an event when it is presented in terms of something that happened to a massive number of people. People tend to process such things as an abstraction. The emotional impact is higher when the concentration is on only a few. If you are old enough to have seen the evolution of advertisements for entities that fed starving children you might have noticed a shift towards the ads talking about the lives of a few specific children.
People also may become desensitized to hearing of pain and suffering frequently. The first time someone discovers the existence of some type of suffering there may be a high emotional impact. By the 2,048th time the person hears of that type of suffering the emotional impact may be lower.
People don’t focus on many things at once very well. If I am driving my mind might be thinking about what I will do at work while my mental “auto-pilot” handles this routine task of controlling the automobile on my daily task. With those two things going on I have reached my mental capacity. While there is knowledge that others have suffered, are suffering, and will suffer my mind isn’t on it at that time so that’s not what is the strongest influence on my emotional state.
Suffering occurs in the world, but that suffering isn’t constantly a part of the experience of others because of distance and walls. When one is having a good laugh communing with friends and loved ones the abstraction of “there exists a suffering person somewhere” just isn’t enough to always have impact on one’s emotional state. It could even be the topic of discussion without having an impact. And those speaking about it can be happy.
Somewhere in the world someone is suffering
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CHRISTINE77
Guest
Yes you are so right. When we are in the throes of emotion it is very hard to do anything productive. But emotions are a good starting place for making changes in our lives and others. In order to have compassion we need to identify with the suffering of others and even suffer ourselves.
Happiness isn’t just the giggling gaiety we feel when we are carefree and having fun with friends. I think it is a sense of peace and trust in God when we are alone or in new situations or in nature, etc.
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ThinkingSapien
Guest
Quite. I had a friend that worked for a hospice. There was a delicate balance between showing empathy while keeping emotionally separated as client after client passes away.
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