False Cliches

[hateraid]

What are some cliches that look great on paper or in movies but don't really apply in real life?


Mine:
Family before work
Reality: If you don't work, you don't have a family. Work and careers are so demanding that your boss don't give a **** if you don't spend time with your family


Love is like a bird. Set it free, if it comes back, it was meant to be
Reality: Just a reason to cheat. When couples have problem, they figure it the **** out together, not apart

[~primetime~]

money can't buy happiness



get real, yes it can are you fcking kidding me?...If a million $ fell in my lap right now I would be happy as fck, and that is before I've even spent a penny.

[hateraid]

money can't buy happiness



get real, yes it can are you fcking kidding me?...If a million $ fell in my lap right now I would be happy as fck, and that is before I've even spent a penny.

A-faulkin-men :cheers:

It goes along with my family before work cliche.

[JohnFreeman]

"Time heals all wounds"

I have been shot but ill wait it out

[RidonKs]

money can't buy happiness



get real, yes it can are you fcking kidding me?...If a million $ fell in my lap right now I would be happy as fck, and that is before I've even spent a penny.
lol you must have made this argument in about a dozen different threads over the years and you're no more wrong now than you were then. and you captured the reason perfectly in your own post. before you spent a penny is exactly when you'd be running on adrenaline, feeling ecstatic, loving every second... but then you would begin to spend. and spend. and spend. until you have most everything you need and plenty of what you need. you would eventually, perhaps not even over too long of a period if you went on a real spree, lose your enthusiasm for buying things or even giving money away... sure the security would be nice to save for a rainy day or a crisis. but security is merely a prerequisite to happiness and not the same thing.

the idiom "money doesn't buy happiness" refers to lasting fulfillment. money does not offer lasting fulfillment. and the intense rush of acquiring a million dollars is as fleeting as the money itself.



good thread tho hateraid. i can't think of any offhand tbh

[Myth]

Nice guys finish last.

How many assholes spend their life in prison? Meanwhile, nice guys are likely to get respectable jobs and don't get fired for being douches.

[DwnShft2Xcelr8]

lol you must have made this argument in about a dozen different threads over the years and you're no more wrong now than you were then. and you captured the reason perfectly in your own post. before you spent a penny is exactly when you'd be running on adrenaline, feeling ecstatic, loving every second... but then you would begin to spend. and spend. and spend. until you have most everything you need and plenty of what you need. you would eventually, perhaps not even over too long of a period if you went on a real spree, lose your enthusiasm for buying things or even giving money away... sure the security would be nice to save for a rainy day or a crisis. but security is merely a prerequisite to happiness and not the same thing.

the idiom "money doesn't buy happiness" refers to lasting fulfillment. money does not offer lasting fulfillment. and the intense rush of acquiring a million dollars is as fleeting as the money itself.



good thread tho hateraid. i can't think of any offhand tbh

Just curious: have you ever had a lot of money?
I haven't, but I can assure you the people who say, "Money doesn't buy happiness" wouldn't want to live a day in a poor person's shoes.
Money doesn't buy happiness, sure, but it does lead to a much better life than anyone without money can even imagine.

[Knicks101]

Comparing Apples and Oranges

They're real easy to compare, let's be real.

[~primetime~]

Money can buy life long fulfillment too...wealthy people are free to do what they want till death. Also studies also show they are happier.

People DIE over money...slave for it every day...but some of us are set on pretending it doesn't give us the things we want...and not just material things, money also opens up the doors to having a healthy and happy family.

Rich people also live longer on average...Money has bought them actual life

[ROCSteady]

money can't buy happiness



get real, yes it can are you fcking kidding me?...If a million $ fell in my lap right now I would be happy as fck, and that is before I've even spent a penny.

pretty short sighted of you IMO

[DwnShft2Xcelr8]

pretty short sighted of you IMO

In what way?

I wish there were a way to take money away from the top 1%, have them live like poor people for a month and see how they react.
Other than what primetime already mentioned, here are other things money can get you:

Into a safe neighborhood
Friends with connections to increase income
Groceries every time u need them
U can go out drinking, attend an NBA game, visit another country.. .. all without worrying that u might not have $ the next day
A healthy family

If a rich person gets cancer, they can treat it as necessary. If a poor person gets cancer, they better have a reputable insurance company or they're fcked

Money gets u places the average person only dreams about.

Rich kids can buy the latest greatest games and toys, while poor kids are just barely getting their first PS3.

U have bad teeth? Rich folks can afford braces for their kids. Poor ppl have to get a loan that they may not be able to afford.

Rich folks can get into the top colleges, private schools, best education. Poor ppl need to rely on loans, financial aid and shit.

If u are rich and not stupid, you can surround yourself with positive ppl. If u are poor, good luck.

[~primetime~]

It isn't short sighted, it's reality...

You may not need money to be happy or fulfilled but it is certainly capable of bringing someone those things.

[ROCSteady]

Of course money makes things easier & more accessible but there are core parts of the human condition that, if absent, don't translate to bonafide happiness for the majority. Of course there are outliers.

Money solves a lot of problems that compound and cause people to be UNHAPPY but it's no subsitute for the foundation of someone's soul, for instance.

[~primetime~]

Of course money makes things easier & more accessible but there are core parts of the human condition that, if absent, don't translate to bonafide happiness for the majority. Of course there are outliers.

Money solves a lot of problems that compound and cause people to be UNHAPPY but it's no subsitute for the foundation of someone's soul, for instance.
I agree with where you're going but happiness =/= foundation of soul

I do think that money can bring things into your life that feed the soul though... Including love

IMO evil people are easier to find in poor places

[jamal99]

Nice guys finish last.

How many assholes spend their life in prison? Meanwhile, nice guys are likely to get respectable jobs and don't get fired for being douches.
That's actually true for Serbia, because assholes won't spend much time in prison if at all...

[hateraid]

Of course money makes things easier & more accessible but there are core parts of the human condition that, if absent, don't translate to bonafide happiness for the majority. Of course there are outliers.

Money solves a lot of problems that compound and cause people to be UNHAPPY but it's no subsitute for the foundation of someone's soul, for instance.

Well I'll say this:

Some people can be happy with no money, a lot of people would be happy with a lot of momey

[Balla_Status]

lol you must have made this argument in about a dozen different threads over the years and you're no more wrong now than you were then. and you captured the reason perfectly in your own post. before you spent a penny is exactly when you'd be running on adrenaline, feeling ecstatic, loving every second... but then you would begin to spend. and spend. and spend. until you have most everything you need and plenty of what you need. you would eventually, perhaps not even over too long of a period if you went on a real spree, lose your enthusiasm for buying things or even giving money away... sure the security would be nice to save for a rainy day or a crisis. but security is merely a prerequisite to happiness and not the same thing.

the idiom "money doesn't buy happiness" refers to lasting fulfillment. money does not offer lasting fulfillment. and the intense rush of acquiring a million dollars is as fleeting as the money itself.



good thread tho hateraid. i can't think of any offhand tbh


Use the money to travel instead of buying bullshit things. That would make me happy.

[Akrazotile]

money can't buy happiness



get real, yes it can are you fcking kidding me?...If a million $ fell in my lap right now I would be happy as fck, and that is before I've even spent a penny.


From what I have observed, a more accurate amendment to this saying would be "money can't change happiness."

In my experience people tend to have their natural dispositions pretty well entrenched. Obviously if you're in a lot of debt money can help relieve your stress, but otherwise the people who whistle while they work tend to do so whether they're pushing a broom for $10/hr or typing on a computer from the 25th floor of a highrise, and people who naturally tend to gripe and complain will also do so in either circumstance. Most people fluctuate between the two, and again, do so regardless of their circumstance.

So in general, no, I don't think a buttload of money is going to instantly make someone "happier" for the long term. People tend to make themselves happy or not on their own, and the degree to which they do seems to be kind of an innate aspect of their nature.

[Dictator]

Money can definitely buy you happiness.

[RidonKs]

Use the money to travel instead of buying bullshit things. That would make me happy.
my point isn't to say money can't be used to make people happy. my point is that giving a bunch of money to an unhappy person will not make them happy... though it may offer a temporary relief/distraction.

ah.. akrazotile more or less said the same thing above. though i don't agree with "entrenched dispositions". people can be surprisingly malleable under the right circumstances, even in adulthood.

[~primetime~]

my point isn't to say money can't be used to make people happy. my point is that giving a bunch of money to an unhappy person will not make them happy... though it may offer a temporary relief/distraction.

ah.. akrazotile more or less said the same thing above. though i don't agree with "entrenched dispositions". people can be surprisingly malleable under the right circumstances, even in adulthood.
That's just not true, not always anyway

There are a lot of people in bad situations due to lack of money... Unhappy because they are in poverty. Giving them 'a bunch of money' would be absolutely life changing to them, it would mean everything.

Why do you think people are flooding in US at the border? Risking their lives, and their kids lives just for a LITTLE money.

Part of the reason youre under the illusion that money can't bring happiness is probably because you've never been truely without it.

[~primetime~]

A change from little money to a lot Wil make you happy. For a while


But just having a lot of money won't make you happy
People who are born loaded probably take it for granted, but the money is still giving them comfort and security that others don't have.

Kim Kardashian IS HAPPY, just look at her, always smiling, having the time of her life, doing whatever the fck she wants. She might be a moron but she is a happy moron. If she grew up in the ghetto she would likely be less happy, knocked up at age 15, no father in sight.

[~primetime~]

Right I'm not say money WILL buy happiness... I'm saying it CAN

Rich people can be depressed, poor people can be happy

Happiness increases on average with money though, this his been shown in several different studies. Not temporary happiness either, talking while life. Financial stress is very real.

[ace23]

Ok pt, we get it.

[~primetime~]

Ok pt, we get it.
Some clearly are not getting it ace lol

[IamRAMBO24]

From what I have observed, a more accurate amendment to this saying would be "money can't change happiness."

In my experience people tend to have their natural dispositions pretty well entrenched. Obviously if you're in a lot of debt money can help relieve your stress, but otherwise the people who whistle while they work tend to do so whether they're pushing a broom for $10/hr or typing on a computer from the 25th floor of a highrise, and people who naturally tend to gripe and complain will also do so in either circumstance. Most people fluctuate between the two, and again, do so regardless of their circumstance.

So in general, no, I don't think a buttload of money is going to instantly make someone "happier" for the long term. People tend to make themselves happy or not on their own, and the degree to which they do seems to be kind of an innate aspect of their nature.


Happiness is innate and has nothing to do with money. If you think money is going to make you happier, then you are too shallow to control what is inside you.

To me, happiness is going from a sh*tty state to a better one. If I get kidnap and someone saves me, true happiness is when I get out of it alive. If I'm broke as hell and then I get a good job, that's happiness. If I win a million bucks, yes, that's happiness because I am richer, but the money itself and what I do with it isn't happiness. If I've been single for a long time and then I meet the girl of my dreams, attaining the girl puts me in a better state, but the girl in and of herself isn't the root of my happiness.

[ThePhantomCreep]

Money can definitely buy you happiness.
But many times it cannot (see: Williams, Robin).

[Batz]

Money can't buy them creativity to make them fun
Money can buy people to be creative for you.


Get with it Randy

[Batz]

Would they be creative enough to think to hire those people?
They got people for that too. I think.

[Batz]

Yeah sounds pretty bitchin'

[~primetime~]

But many times it cannot (see: Williams, Robin).
I bet money made him happier than he would have been without money.

His children are set for one, I'm sure knowing that have him a bit of comfort.

[GimmeThat]

"I've never had any regrets in my life"

[MP.Trey]

"I learned that money can't buy you happiness but I decided I'd rather do all my crying in a Corvette" - Royce da 5'9 :pimp:

[Tarik One]

Nice guys finish last.

How many assholes spend their life in prison? Meanwhile, nice guys are likely to get respectable jobs and don't get fired for being douches.

I understand your argument, but i think it pertains more to relationships. The idea that women (usually shallow) tend to choose the bad boy, rough-time over the nice guys.

"Nice guys" don't necessarily finish last in that case anyway. There are plenty of women of substance who appeciate nice guys

[Charlie Sheen]

I understand your argument, but i think it pertains more to relationships. The idea that women (usually shallow) tend to choose the bad boy, rough-time over the nice guys.

"Nice guys" don't necessarily finish last in that case anyway. There are plenty of women of substance who appeciate nice guys

Nice guys also finish last cuz they put all their eggs in one basket of love...wasting years and years waiting on the same girl.

[Tarik One]

Nice guys also finish last cuz they put all their eggs in one basket of love...wasting years and years waiting on the same girl.
That has more to do with esteem issues

"Experience is the best teacher." Nonsense. A good teacher is the best teacher.

[hateraid]

I bet money made him happier than he would have been without money.

His children are set for one, I'm sure knowing that have him a bit of comfort.

bingo

Money makes the depressed less depressed.

[hateraid]

good thread tho hateraid. i can't think of any offhand tbh

Thanks bro,
It actually came to me yesterday when I talked to the owner of my company and he freaked out about him talking to a small time customer and she never heard about one product. He shat all over me about it despite the fact I'm balancing some of the country's biggest accounts because he mismanaged them. Then proceeded to shyt on me for missing a conference call at 8:30 AM which i reported I can't make days in advance over missing an important meeting with my son's teacher about a possible case of ADD, which he didn't have, he's just overly enthusiastic.
I realized that family over work doesn't work in the grand scheme, because I'd like to tell my boss he's neurotic, but at the same time i'm being paid good for exactly what I strived my whole life to get. Fackin insane

[the mesiah]

"What goes around , comes around."
"You reap what you sow"

[hateraid]

No it doesn't doc

It's one less problem to think about
Not saying it cures depression, it's a good distraction

[KyrieTheFuture]

Money is no different from a drug, it causes immense happiness when it's there and crippling depression when it's gone. Money does not gain lasting happiness

[Jailblazers7]

money can't buy happiness



get real, yes it can are you fcking kidding me?...If a million $ fell in my lap right now I would be happy as fck, and that is before I've even spent a penny.

I always respond to that with "happiness can't buy money."

[Jailblazers7]

But seriously, I doesn't have a huge impact on your emotional state unless you are living paycheck to paycheck and have very little security imo.

[ROCSteady]

There Will Be Blood

Citizen Kane

The Game

[ThePhantomCreep]

"They don't make em like they used to"

BS in many cases. Take off the nostalgia goggles.

[~primetime~]

But seriously, I doesn't have a huge impact on your emotional state unless you are living paycheck to paycheck and have very little security imo.
It did for me.

My first big royalty check was $126k. It was one of the greatest days of my life. It changed my life. I'd still rank it under the birth of my son, and my wedding day (which cost $15k) but it is still probably a top-5 day in my life.

I'm in NYC with my wife right now on vacation, about 6 months ago we were in Paris...both trips I will never forget and both things that I bought with money.

Aside from vacations, having some money in the bank makes me happy, it does. Call me shallow if you want but it feels good.

I'm also not scared to admit that I like material things. What's wrong with that? There isn't much here in NYC that isn't man made. Just because there are more important things in life than material objects doesn't mean that material objects cant be enjoyed or bring happiness.

[Budadiiii]

It did for me.

My first big royalty check was $126k. It was one of the greatest days of my life. It changed my life. I'd still rank it under the birth of my son, and my wedding day (which cost $15k) but it is still probably a top-5 day in my life.

I'm in NYC with my wife right now on vacation, about 6 months ago we were in Paris...both trips I will never forget and both things that I bought with money.

Aside from vacations, having some money in the bank makes me happy, it does. Call me shallow if you want but it feels good.

I'm also not scared to admit that I like material things. What's wrong with that? There isn't a single thing here in NYC that isn't man made. Just because there are more important things in life than material objects doesn't mean that material objects came be enjoyed our being happiness.
Nothing remotely wrong or bad about anything you said. Why would anyone be scared to admit they like material things? Thats ridiculous.

126k royalty check for what? :biggums:

[KingBeasley08]

"They don't make em like they used to"

BS in many cases. Take off the nostalgia goggles.
Word. It's even funnier when the older generation complains about the world going to shit when that's they're the reason :roll:

Modern technology also >>>>>>>>

[~primetime~]

Nothing remotely wrong or bad about anything you said. Why would anyone be scared to admit they like material things? Thats ridiculous.

126k royalty check for what? :biggums:
I make video games for a living.

Before I did that? I was working at a beer store for 3 years making slightly more than min wage.

I KNOW what being poor feels like...It sucks. Sure you can have happy moments without money, but being poor still sucks.

[Nanners]

happiness from money has diminishing returns

if you are poor and suddenly go from $30k/yr to $150k/yr, it makes a huge difference in your quality of life. if you are already wealthy and go from $400k/yr to $700k/yr, your life is probably not going to change all that much.

[BrooklynZoo]

"What goes around , comes around."
"You reap what you sow"


i agree with what goes around comes around, but how is you reap what you sow a false cliche? it means you get what you put in... you work hard, you get rewarded, etc

[BrooklynZoo]

"blood is thicker than water"

what does water have to do with anything?

[Tarik One]

"A man who beats women is too much of a punk to fight another man"

[GimmeThat]

"blood is thicker than water"

what does water have to do with anything?

one certainly have the potential to carry more diseases/viruses than the other

[GimmeThat]

"They don't make em like they used to"

BS in many cases. Take off the nostalgia goggles.


changing up who the "they" is being referred to in the sentence

[JEFFERSON MONEY]

"blood is thicker than water"

what does water have to do with anything?

:oldlol: My exact sentiments. Look at the Cracked Explanation. It will have you in stitches.

"Don't talk to strangers."
Fuuuk outta here. Being social and friendly towards people you don't know is the STAPLE of networking and making weak ties which will eventually lead to bigger and better things.

"Great minds think alike."
Bollocks.
Da Vinci was all about paradoxes, ambiguity, dimonstrazione
Feynman united the right and left brain and had a very informal laid back of teaching things.. his way of thinking was of its own.
Marilyn Von Savant has her own style.
Those music prodigies had a completely different syntax.

"I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints/Jesus Wept"
WTF? Since when do saints weep all day? Most of them are joyous. And sinners constitute just about everybody cept for like .05% and I'm sure a good portion of them are mopey lol.
Jesus ONLY cried after his dear friend died. For the most part he was a gritty manly guy. He wasn't exactly peaceful either.. see the time he talks about separating familise and making whips of cords and driving people uut.

"Takes one to know one/JUdge ye not be judged"
No, dumbass, a person can simply identify a trait they don't personally have in others quite fine thank you very much. Yes, there is a bit of the idea that "What you see in others you see in yourself" but any person with an externally oriented view can clearly see something undesirable. Oh, and everyone feel free to pass judgment on everyone as well, it's actually good as man sharpens man.


"Look before you leap."
BUllsh!t.
Rash bold stupidity and then adjustment often garners more success than its carefully plotted and premeditated counterpart.


"Treat others like you want to be treated."
Lol. Some people get off being abused and some people want to be treated way above what they're worth. Let's not let the world all of a sudden cater to tyrants or spit on slaves mmkay.

"The measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort but in terms of conflict and controversy."
WTF? As if there's some major difference. How about gauging consistent behavior throughout both periods .

"Men are like dogs, women are like cats"
HELL NO.
Cats = Groups of 3 (Men = Groups of 3 BFFS) Bursts of energy (Men = Powerlifters/Sprinters) Pure Carnivores (Men compose most of the meat eaters) ALoof/emotionally unavailable (Men don't give a fuukk about feelings) Hate baths (boys like to get dirty) Stoic. Meow = Call for a cat's mom... boys have a stronger connection with mom than daughters. Cats = Zero Paternal Parental Investment... more of a male phenomenom. Cats respect/trust humans who blink and cowtow them (do this to a man and they'll lower their guard.. do this to a woman and she'll think you're a wimp)
Dogs = Groups of >3.. more like 5 - 10 (Women travel in packs for safety) Dogs love treadmill style workouts (Women are notorious cardio bunnies) Dogs can include grass and some veggies in their meal (Women were forager-y and have more varied diets) Dogs are EXTREMELY sensitive to emotional external stimuli (women are able to read emotions better) Dogs have keener smell than cats (Women better at that) Dogs are better behaved the more u abuse them etc. Dogs need attention attention attention and a master/leader for maximal happinses (men are more self-governers and private creatures)

Work smarter, not harder.

NOOO NO NO NO. Work STRATEGIALLY AND WITH MORE FREQUENCY. Don't fukking think you'll win cutting corners.


Follow your passion.

According to Cal Newport.. No, and he has a great reason why.


You shouldn't paly to win, you should play to have fun.

LOL. no comment. but this was a resounding theme way back

[KyleKong]

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Bitch, I've been eating apples all my life and I've had 4 surgeries and appendicitis.

[ILLsmak]

Money can buy life long fulfillment too...wealthy people are free to do what they want till death. Also studies also show they are happier.

People DIE over money...slave for it every day...but some of us are set on pretending it doesn't give us the things we want...and not just material things, money also opens up the doors to having a healthy and happy family.

Rich people also live longer on average...Money has bought them actual life

u rich?

I think the idea that money can is a society myth. I think they want people to believe that. That's why people die over money and slave for it, because they believe it'll help them. And then I think that when they get it, initially, they are happy.

People who have money, though, know it can't. Money is just another thing. Some people who don't have money... like myself... know it's not worth dying or slaving over... in order to get more. I think you are thinking you'd be happy to get hundreds of millions of dollars.

The cliche, I think, is more for the working man who says... my salary is 50k... but if I had 200k, I'd be happy. Not really. Then it'd be more and more and more, etc.

Plus you can go further and say what is happiness.

I think the idea of money is more appealing than it really is. Just like your dream girl is appealing, in theory, but if you had her she'd not be as great as you thought. Trust.

Also: (edit) Vos Savant is a hoax, look it up. Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mjIO5YVaxo

-Smak

[Knicks101]

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Bitch, I've been eating apples all my life and I've had 4 surgeries and appendicitis.

Propaganda created by the apple industry.

[JohnnySic]

'Bros before hoes"

Riiiiiiggghhhhht. Someone's gonna blow off a hot chick to go play video games with the guys. :rolleyes:

[knickballer]

"Everything happens for a reason"

I think that cliche is way too vague. No shit everything happens for a reason. If you get kicked out of school it may be because you didn't put the time in studying or if you get fired it was because you were lazy. Not some mythical power making you flunk out on purpose so you'll see the light.


"Better Safe than Sorry" and "You miss all the shots you don't take"

Don't these cliches contradict eachother? That being said I think the second one about taking chances is a better cliche.


"If you can't handle me at my worst you sure can't have me at my best"

Actually I never hear anyone say this but I still find it funny :D

[Dresta]

What are some cliches that look great on paper or in movies but don't really apply in real life?


Mine:
Family before work
Reality: If you don't work, you don't have a family. Work and careers are so demanding that your boss don't give a **** if you don't spend time with your family


Love is like a bird. Set it free, if it comes back, it was meant to be
Reality: Just a reason to cheat. When couples have problem, they figure it the **** out together, not apart
That's not really a cliche, rather, you've just misinterpreted its meaning. Family before work doesn't mean no work, it means you work for your family, to provide for them and look after them etc. Working 40-50 hours a week to provide the best life for your family is putting your family first. Working 70+ hours a week to achieve some kind of personal greatness in a field that is perpetually at the front of your mind is not.

Basically, there is a big difference between people who for them their job is their life and all other things in life are subordinated to these goals, and someone who works 40 hours a week at something he doesn't give a shit about simply to provide for his family. Someone like Balzac's Gambara(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambara_(short_story)), for example, has clearly chosen work over family, as many do (though most choose family).

It's basically just taking a side on Yeats' dictum: 'Perfection of the life or of the work.' It is why people who are so dedicated to their careers tend to be poor husband's and parents, and though this was often blamed on a lack of empathy, it is more that their minds were simply focused on something else


money can't buy happiness



get real, yes it can are you fcking kidding me?...If a million $ fell in my lap right now I would be happy as fck, and that is before I've even spent a penny.
You're always peddling this nonsense, and it really has never been true. Wealth is one of the criteria of happiness, it certainly doesn't 'buy' it and it never has - in fact, happiness itself is a false ideal that is never realised (except perhaps by Buddhists, though that is more equanimity and then the absence of the self). We can experience moments of joy but the idea of an extended and uninterrupted happiness is a complete mirage. Not to mention that our moments of suffering and misery and pain and failure are what give the moments of joy, love, prosperity and happiness their poignancy. There is little doubt that if you hadn't been an alcoholic bum for a number of years you wouldn't appreciate the prosperity you currently enjoy anything like as much as you do right now. This is why Utilitarianism and its obsession with the eradication of pain has never made sense to me: our greatest joys grow out of and are attenuated by the most painful experiences of our lives. People who have never experienced pain and suffering can never properly appreciate what they have. The two are so intertwined that to remove one would also irrevocably ruin the other, as in Brave New World, for example (where 'a gram is better than a damn'). Life will always be painful if it is to be at all meaningful, and this can't be changed, all we can do is learn to appreciate the good and the bad for the fact that they both essential components of life that actually complement rather than take away from one another.

It is human nature to be discontented with what one has, and this is why once longed for goals have a tendency to turn to ash once they are realised. Once you've got what you wanted you only start to want something else - money does not solve this problem, and it does not give life meaning. Remember, American society is one of the most developed and prosperous in the world, but it is also one of the most depressed, and that's because the mere acquisition of money is a soulless pursuit that does not result in happiness or peace-of-mind. Tocqueville noted this tendency in Americans a long time ago with his chapter 'Why the Americans are so restless in the midst of their prosperity':


'In certain remote corners of the Old World you may still sometimes stumble upon a small district that seems to have been forgotten amid the general tumult, and to have remained stationary while everything around it was in motion. The inhabitants, for the most part, are extremely ignorant and poor; they take no part in the business of the country and are frequently oppressed by the government, yet their countenances are generally placid and their spirits light.

In America I saw the freest and most enlightened men placed in the happiest circumstances that the world affords, it seemed to me as if a cloud habitually hung upon their brow, and I thought them serious and almost sad, even in their pleasures.

The chief reason for this contrast is that the former do not think of the ills they endure, while the latter are forever brooding over advantages they do not possess. It is strange to see with what feverish ardor the Americans pursue their own welfare, and to watch the vague dread that constantly torments them lest they should not have chosen the shortest path which may lead to it.

A native of the United States clings to this world's goods as if he were certain never to die; and he is so hasty in grasping at all within his reach that one would suppose he was constantly afraid of not living long enough to enjoy them. He clutches everything, he holds nothing fast, but soon loosens his grasp to pursue fresh gratifications.'

And so on: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~Hyper/detoc/ch2_13.htm

[JohnnySic]

"What you dont know wont hurt you"

Abraham Lincoln would beg to differ.

[Bandito]

"Everything happens for a reason"

I think that cliche is way too vague. No shit everything happens for a reason. If you get kicked out of school it may be because you didn't put the time in studying or if you get fired it was because you were lazy. Not some mythical power making you flunk out on purpose so you'll see the light.


"Better Safe than Sorry" and "You miss all the shots you don't take"

Don't these cliches contradict eachother? That being said I think the second one about taking chances is a better cliche.


"If you can't handle me at my worst you sure can't have me at my best"

Actually I never hear anyone say this but I still find it funny :D
You already gave the reason:biggums:

[JEFFERSON MONEY]

"Everything happens for a reason"

I think that cliche is way too vague. No shit everything happens for a reason. If you get kicked out of school it may be because you didn't put the time in studying or if you get fired it was because you were lazy. Not some mythical power making you flunk out on purpose so you'll see the light.


"Better Safe than Sorry" and "You miss all the shots you don't take"

Don't these cliches contradict eachother? That being said I think the second one about taking chances is a better cliche.


"If you can't handle me at my worst you sure can't have me at my best"

Actually I never hear anyone say this but I still find it funny :D

Gotta disagree with you on this one my dear Albanian brother from another mother.

1 is one of the delusional lies I feel, personally, is very very effective in inspiring growth in someone's narrative. It's an age old theme of fate, destiny that help people organize their lives and offer both meaning and symbolism. Plus it bolsters the ol' one door closes, another opens mentality that gets people climbing the mountain right after dropping ninto the valley.


2, better safe than sorry is more about like checking/proofreading/being prepared/doing double takes contextually. So it's not directly connetd with shots.

3 is absolutely right. If one can't handle a chick when she's throwing a temper tantrum like a toddler one sure as hell don't deserve her best because her best ain't good enough. They deserve better.


Some more.


"street smart not book smarts."
WTF does this even mean? Who said someone can't socialize and learn humans and be well-read at the same tiem. They sure as fukk ain't mutually exclusive.


"behind every great man is a great woman."
:oldlol: Yeah. I'm sure Tesla and Newton had great wives that took the time to teach them all their physics material and egged them forward with carefully constructed Pavlovian conditioning compelling them to creative heights.

[Tarik One]

"street smart not book smarts."
WTF does this even mean? Who said someone can't socialize and learn humans and be well-read at the same tiem. They sure as fukk ain't mutually exclusive.


This was made up by dropouts, thugs, and people who couldn't cut it in the classroom, just to feel better about themselves.

What's so smart about getting nabbed by the cops every other month?

[Charlie Sheen]

This was made up by dropouts, thugs, and people who couldn't cut it in the classroom, just to feel better about themselves.

What's so smart about getting nabbed by the cops every other month?



always thought that one is more about nickel and diming people through whatever hustle they got going. like the one guy greeting all the new tenants of an apartment building with an enticing offer for free cable and internet that barely works for one day after you pay him :lol :(

[ace23]

"street smart not book smarts."
WTF does this even mean? Who said someone can't socialize and learn humans and be well-read at the same tiem. They sure as fukk ain't mutually exclusive.
Uh who said they are?

[DwnShft2Xcelr8]

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Bitch, I've been eating apples all my life and I've had 4 surgeries and appendicitis.

They meant buying things from Apple. You know, iPods, iPhones, songs off of iTunes, etc.

[chips93]

Uh who said they are?

people who claim to have street smarts

[nightprowler10]

"Experience is the best teacher." Nonsense. A good teacher is the best teacher.
I think somewhat agree with that one actually. It's meant to say that you can learn about something as much as you want, by experiencing it you learn infinitely more about it. That's why every employer with a brain looks for experience over multitude of degrees.

[Myth]

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. I teach old dogs tricks all the time.

[riseagainst]

happiness is not feeling left out of a group of friends. Happiness is feeling wanted and appreciated by other people. Happiness is having a huge c0ck and stretching dat pvssy to its limits and enjoying the groan and the expression on her face when you go deep.










































Too bad I don't have any of these...
:(

[Dresta]

Most people are far from rich so they would absolutely be happy with a five or tenfold increase in salary.

Money has absolute influence in the world, to not be happy while having an abundance of it seems asinine to me. My happiest moments were when I was able to afforf everything I wanted and needed? If money doesn't mean that much, why strive to have a surplus if you are already meeting ends?

Again, people are far richer today than they were 200-300 years ago. The term 'rich' is completely relative, and compared with the world as it was, yes, the vast majority are rich and privileged. The matter of even making it into adulthood (as nearly everyone does these days) is a remarkable new privilege, and nothing close to a 'right' and yet people are not happier: they seem more despairing and obsessed with bellowing 'i want i want i want..' than ever.

They have already had a tenfold increase in what they can buy with their salary (at least, when it comes to luxuries) and for all this improvement people don't seem that happy, in fact, they seem permanently dissatisfied, permanently complaining about what they don't have and what others do to the point where they are incapable of enjoying their lives at all and instead become bitter, envious old saps who think socialism is a workable idea, unable to admit that their unhappiness is internal, rather blaming it on nebulous forces of oppressors conspiring to steal from and exploit him. This is why the American is so prone to the conspiracy theory.

Most Americans can take holidays without expending a fortune and most can afford it - they simply don't need to leave the country as America itself is so huge and diverse a geographical terrain. Most will have flown by plane. All will have enjoyed luxuries not dreamt of a couple of centuries ago, and yet their lives are still unfair, and some mysterious force still owes them more stuff! Their lives should be longer, richer, freer and more fulfilling, and they are owed all this by - who?

The American democratic populace has got the corruption and political bribery it asked for as it gradually erased the Constitution from the time of that demagogic asshole Jackson, and now it blames others for its own mistakes! We who gave the government monopoly power now complain or act surprised when this power is aligned on the side of the wealthy and powerful! We think the problem of corrupted governmental power can be solved with more governmental power. We who don't know anything about politics or economics think we can tell a charlatan from truth-teller!

[~primetime~]

Dresta, there are numerous studies that show correlation in happiness with salary increase. Most studies have it leveling out at some number, like once people reach $80k a year the happiness is maxed out.

In general, those who are poor are less happy than those who are rich.


You are saying that everyon is rich compared to 300 years ago? I imagine that people are much happier today than they were back then. Honestly life doesn't seem like it was that great back then. There are countries in the world today that are still stuck 300 years in the past and they look miserable to me. People are flooding in from Mexico because they aren't happy there.

[Dresta]

Dresta, there are numerous studies that show correlation in happiness with salary increase. Most studies have it leveling out at some number, like once people reach $80k a year the happiness is maxed out.

In general, those who are poor are less happy than those who are rich.


You are saying that everyon is rich compared to 300 years ago? I imagine that people are much happier today than they were back then. Honestly life doesn't seem like it was that great back then. There are countries in the world today that are still stuck 300 years in the past and they look miserable to me. People are flooding in from Mexico because they aren't happy there.
:roll:

People are flooding in from Mexico because the US exported its neuroses (the drug war) to turn their country into a borderline war zone. Lots of people from far poorer countries live far happier and more contented lives than their richer American cousins, and this is again an observable reality (and i even quoted you a first-hand example). You really need to get out in the world more - how many 'poor' countries have you actually been to?

The way you talk about happiness is so ****ing stupid man: happiness 'maxed out' at $80,000 (meaningless number without historical context) a year :hammerhead: . Of course loss of earnings is associated with unhappiness and gain in earnings associated with happiness - that is an obvious platitude, but it doesn't in anyway invalidate the truism that money doesn't 'buy' happiness. All your correlations show is that individuals are more likely to prefer having lots of stuff to none, but again, that is so obvious that it's not even worth mentioning.

You said money buys happiness - that is patently false, and mere correlative studies don't do anything to negate that this is a fact.

[GimmeThat]

everyone is willing to make every single generalization they can think of in order to execute that one sale.

afterwards, no one really cares about whether or not its true or false.




cliches

[~primetime~]

Dresta, Im saying money CAN buy happiness...which is obviously true

This isn't difficult, stop being Dresta for a second.



I live in Texas, know plenty of illegals...they come here for a better standard of living, it has EVERYTHING to do with money.

Furthermore anything could bring someone happiness. If I pissed in your mouth it would bring me joy. Different people get joy from different things, weren't all the same. The notion that money CAN'T buy happiness is ridiculous. But continue to be in denial, idc.

[rufuspaul]

"Everything happens for a reason" has a corollary used a lot here in the South: "God doesn't give you anything you can't handle."

Really? How about a child dying of cancer? What was the reason for that? There's no way to "handle" life being randomly taken away.

To Primetime: What gives you more happiness, driving your Mercedes or seeing your son laugh?

[Dresta]

Dresta, Im saying money CAN buy happiness...which is obviously true

This isn't difficult, stop being Dresta for a second.



I live in Texas, know plenty of illegals...they come here for a better standard of living, it has EVERYTHING to do with money.

Furthermore anything could bring someone happiness. If I pissed in your mouth it would bring me joy. Different people get joy from different things, weren't all the same. The notion that money CAN'T buy happiness is ridiculous. But continue to be in denial, idc.
:facepalm

All you have said is that all else being equal having money is better than not having money, which is obvious, and is a point no one was disagreeing with you on. It also in no way contradicts the phrase 'money can't buy happiness' - something that is a truism, because the value of money itself to the individual is entirely determined by other circumstances. You agree that money alone can't buy happiness and that man needs more than material goods to be happy and yet you're calling that a false cliche? How bad is your comprehension, seriously?

Anyway, i disagree with the phrase on a different level in that the notion of 'happiness' is an unrealisable ideal and a rather human simplification of a complex array of human pleasures and their satisfactions (where pleasure and pain are very closely interrelated, and cannot be separated so easily). To be continuously 'happy' is not possible for anyone capable of self-reflection.

[~primetime~]

"Everything happens for a reason" has a corollary used a lot here in the South: "God doesn't give you anything you can't handle."

Really? How about a child dying of cancer? What was the reason for that? There's no way to "handle" life being randomly taken away.

To Primetime: What gives you more happiness, driving your Mercedes or seeing your son laugh?
Like I said earlier, just because there are more important things in life than material objects, doesn't mean that material objects, vacations, etc can't bring you happiness.

My son, family are everything to me...and having money can STILL make me happy.

[~primetime~]

And tiddy still giving no fvks about what the saying actually means
I know what the saying means, I disagree with it. I think in general wealthy people live out happier and more fulfilling lives than those in poverty. Not ALWAYS, just in general.

If I lived in a ghetto my life would not be as happy. Imo


Why do we have to pretend that wealth had no effect on quality of life? It's just a defense mechanism, we are trying to convince ourselves that money has no effect on us, but it does almost every single day.

[Dresta]

Like I said earlier, just because there are more important things in life than material objects, doesn't mean that material objects, vacations, etc can't bring you happiness.

My son, family are everything to me...and having money can STILL make me happy.

I know what the saying means, I disagree with it. I think in general wealthy people live out happier and more fulfilling lives than those in poverty. Not ALWAYS, just in general.

If I lived in a ghetto my life would not be as happy. Imo


Why do we have to pretend that wealth had no effect on quality of life? It's just a defense mechanism, we are trying to convince ourselves that money has no effect on us, but it does almost every single day.

:facepalm

I give up...

[GimmeThat]

the pyramid


since they built the Rome in one day

[~primetime~]

:lol:

But you don't

This whole post shows that you dont
Yes I do.

Listen, I believe money can share and dictate just about everything in life, including love. It can dictate who your wife is, or be the cause of a divorce. It can determine your environment, shape your personality and who you are as a person. EVERYTHING.

[ballup]

"Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger"

I'm pretty sure becoming crippled makes you physically weaker.

[Dresta]

Yes I do.

Listen, I believe money can share and dictate just about everything in life, including love. It can dictate who your wife is, or be the cause of a divorce. It can determine your environment, shape your personality and who you are as a person. EVERYTHING.
Look guiz it's a crude rehash of Marxian class consciousness. This idiotic belief also requires belief in the patently untrue, viz. that people of the same wage bracket have homogenous brains.

[AlphaWolf24]

"Size doesn't matter"


pffft......what evs

[KyrieTheFuture]

"blood is thicker than water"

what does water have to do with anything?
Actually I can explain this.

Originally the quote was "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the the water of the womb" it actually means the exact opposite of how people use it. It was supposed to signify that great bonds (blood oaths) were more binding and important than simply being family.

Now people use it as if it means family > everything. Hilarious.

[KyrieTheFuture]

My two cents on money:

It allows for happiness but does not cause it. Take things in a vacuum. If all you had in life was family, that's all, you'd be happy. If all you had was money, no friends, no family, you wouldn't be happy.

[KingBeasley08]

I'm in the middle on this money thing. On one hand, having money is a hell lot better than not having money. But there are places like the Philippines, where I've honestly never met a happier group of people. Most "rich" Americans are miserable compared to them

[RidonKs]

Actually I can explain this.

Originally the quote was "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the the water of the womb" it actually means the exact opposite of how people use it. It was supposed to signify that great bonds (blood oaths) were more binding and important than simply being family.

Now people use it as if it means family > everything. Hilarious.
interesting


i just found this one while looking up the one above.... funny in a similar way

"A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss"


In fact, Quintilian helpfully avoided the confusing "stones and moss" metaphor and used the much clearer "A plant often removed cannot thrive." Well, that makes more sense: If you keep ripping up a flower and replanting it every week, it's never going to grow. In fact, there were other versions over the centuries, which included "A tree often transplanted is never loaded with fruit" and "... as the rolling stone gathers no moss, so the roving heart gathers no affections," both of which have the advantage of not assuming that the listener likes mossy rocks in their yard.

But the moss-and-stone metaphor is the one that survived, and that's why the hippies could think that a proverb intended to encourage settling down not only supports bouncing around from place to place, but actually warns against settling down, as if a long-term career and family is somehow harmful to the human soul. All because a generation of people read this metaphor and thought, "Eew, moss."

[ALBballer]

Money makes life easier IMO and I guess all things being equal more money will probably make an individual happier

For example, I do a decent job managing my finances but if I had say 10 million in the bank, I could quit my job and pursue something I genuinely enjoy doing. I wouldn't have to settle for things like where I work, where I live, what I buy, where I eat, where I should go to school etc because finances wouldn't be a constraint.

There is a certain point of diminishing returns and I do not think a millionaire is much more happier then a multi-millionaire.. general speaking. But I would think a millionaire is generally happier then a poor person because finances is a general issue in life for most people and once that issue is marginalized then that is one less issue to worry about.