As a young boy, I was dragged to church by my mother to the regular Sunday Sessions at the Catholic Church. While living in a suburb of Cleveland, I regularly attended CCD, a religious education class. In 1976, I trasferred to a Catholic Grade School where I took religious classes. The transfer spurned in me an interest in Jesus and the teachings in the Bible. One day I broke out the Bible and read the entire New Testatment. After reading it, I was impressed with the wisdom of Jesus and Christ's defense of Mosaic Law. Jesus argued that all of the 10 Commandments could be summarized in the statement "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
At this point I began to wonder what's Jesus' conception of good and God was and how it applied to civilization and the world. Jesus had rejected Satan's offer of power and glory in the world. The answer seemed to lie in the statement that "God is Good." The question was, how did Jesus define it.
Since the time of Moses, the Jews of the ancient world followed the 10 Commandments given to Moses by God in the Sinai. They go like this: 1) I am the Lord your God, have no other gods before me, 2) You shall not make for yourself an idol, 3) You shall not make wrongful use of the name of God, 4) Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy, 5) Honor you father and mother, 6) You shall not murder, 7)You shall not committ adultery, 8) You shall not steal, 9)You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, 10) You shall not covet your neighbor's wife nor anything that your neighbor possesses. According to the New Testament, Jesus believed that these laws were fair and rational. His dispute was with the "teachers of the Law," Sadducces and Pharisees who he saw as hypocrites.
Now mind you, as I grew older these ideas stuck in my head, but at some point I realized that the world is very complex. I started to read other thinkers on the subject of law and civilization. Sigmund Freud, despite claiming to be agnostic, had many ideas that were similar to Jesus. Freud argued that freedom in a state of nature was greater than in civilization because people did want to covet, steal, and even kill. The advantage of nature was that you could do as you pleased, but then again another person could covet your mate, steal from you, or kill you. Thus nature was very free but very dangerous. In civilization there were prohibitions, if you stole, cheated, or killed you could get in trouble. But when the rules of civilization were working, people and their property were safer. Civilization was less free, but there were the advantages of legal protections.
The question for me, after reading Freud, was how did this relate to Christ and his conception of civilization and God. The answer was clear, Christ's God accepted both the advantages and disadvantages of civilization. There were restrictions placed on doing evil, or benefiting from evil acts. To Christ, God was good; he was an honest cop. When God punished people it was for disobeying fair laws--that was justice. The devil on the other hand wanted all the advantages of nature and the jungle--breaking all the rules--and all the advantages of civilization--protection of life and property, and the right to make unfair rules. Thus the devil to Jesus was a reflection of arbitrary power and arbitrary rule. It is for this reason that he rejected Satan's offer of power and glory because he felt that the Devil was dishonest tyrant.
In light of the evil times in which Jesus lived--Roman occupation of Judea--we can understand his feelings. He lived under Roman tyranny and occupation. Rome at the time was ruled by an dictorial Emperor who wanted to be worshipped as a god. Christ may have even regarded the Emperor as Satan himself, but most probably an agent of arbitrary power. Christ, however, knew the truth, that if people voluntarily followed such prohibitions as "though shall not murder" that it would bring an end to war. Thus he was known as the "Prince of Peace." Now Christ knew that most people were not as perfect as God when it came to obeying the rules and most were not as criminal as the devil, thus he also advocated for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus rejected Satan's offer of power and glory because he did not want to become an agent of arbitrary power and rule, and an employee of a dishonest tyrant.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Saturday, October 31, 2009
What I Really Stand For...
People are probably wondering by now what I really stand for. Its plain and simple, and despite some minor periods of "demonic possession" and childhood antics, here it is.
1) End to Racism
2) Civil Rights for All Americans
3) Life, Liberty, and Property
4) The Rights Contained in the US Constitution: Freedom of Speech, Press, Assembly, Religion with in limits
5) End to Slander and Libel
6) Equality of Opportunity
7) Right to Pursue Happiness
8) Love--the most important
9) Helping the elderly, poor, and sick
10) Defeating authoritarianism
11) End to Sexism
12) Human Rights in General
I do the best I can, take it or leave it.
Bye All
1) End to Racism
2) Civil Rights for All Americans
3) Life, Liberty, and Property
4) The Rights Contained in the US Constitution: Freedom of Speech, Press, Assembly, Religion with in limits
5) End to Slander and Libel
6) Equality of Opportunity
7) Right to Pursue Happiness
8) Love--the most important
9) Helping the elderly, poor, and sick
10) Defeating authoritarianism
11) End to Sexism
12) Human Rights in General
I do the best I can, take it or leave it.
Bye All
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Y R People Messing with the Natural Order?
It's a question us regular people have been asking ourselves since the dawn of the the 21st Century....Y R People Messing with the Natural Order? Biologists who study society and culture know what I am talking about. Most people in America are heterosexual. They mate just like other mammals and procreate. It's true people in America have sex for fun to, but the main purpose as Freud put it, is to make babies. In civilization, most people with children are married or were married, though many children are also born out of wedlock. Since the dawn of the late 20th Century, organizations like Planned Parenthood have been trying to get people to plan the parenting process. But there are those in society who are opposed to this principle and like to mock people who seek to be responsible in their sexual habits (sometimes calling them "gay"). Many cling to ideas such as people should not have sex out of wedlock, an idea that is so out of sinqe with the times that is positively retrograde. Rather than promote responsible sexual conduct (such as the use of condoms and the like) they want to return to an earlier Victorian period where sex out of wedlock was banned. Well, call me crazy but I think chastity belts are a thing of the past. Plus there are those who also want to turn the clock back to a period of gay bashing. Now mind you, most people in America are straight, and might even find gay sex a little weird, but that doesn't make them bigots who approve of gay bashing. Biologists know that there always seems to be a small percentage of the population that is either sterile or gay. But let's face the facts, most males and females mate with members of the opposite sex. I did, most everybody I know did. And the main reason, you ask, because we ultimately wanted to have a family like ones we were leaving at 18. Now some of my friends are again single or divorced, but that didn't mean that we didn't want to stay with our mates---we did. Being a mainly one woman man, I found being single at 42 somewhat ackward and difficult. I don't have any kids because I exercised birth control, a decision I might ultimately regret, but I am happy that I was responsible in my sexual habits and didn't go around dropping babies all over God's creation. Still lately there seems to be an attack on the responsible sexual habits of myself and other Generation X-ers. It seems that today there are an awful lot of attacks on those of us who are again single in our forties. Now biologists know that any male the age of 42 is not only old enough to be a father but a grandfather. Oh I know Steve Colbert and Jon Stewart look like father's with their dyed hair and school-boy antics, but they too are Gen X-ers and old enough to be grampa too....and so is the president. You see kiddies biologists and psychoanalysts know that most people can make a baby at 14 years old, no matter what the US government says. Just cause Uncle Sam says 18 is the legal age of adulthood, doesn't mean that you can't make a baby before that. And in the natural God-given order that means that you are also old enough to take care of them....Hey if the squirrels in the yard can do it, so can people. Now legal ages for adulthood alter this a bit and complicate things, and largely because they mess with the natural order of things. Now I personally like the fact that the legal age for adulthood is 18, but that is only because I am civilized; if I had lived in the jungles of the Amazon, I would have probably been a father at 15, in which I would be bordering on great grampa by now. Just because we live in a geriatric society doesn't mean that 70 year olds are gramma, they aren't, they are great, great, great gramma. And you know old people, they live in the past. Now me personally, I was with a woman for 14 years, and haven't been on the dating scene since the late 1980s, so I am a little rusty on how to meet women, and I don't trust Internet dating either. (Just a little note kiddies, that doesn't make me "gay," just a single "grampa.") And there are a lot of us out there. So for all you dumbasses out there who think single people in their 40s are gay...GROW UP! Quit attacking people who believe in true love and exercise responsible sexuality like civilized people. We were once like you , you know, looking for love and trying to found our families too. Quit attacking responsible people (democrats or republicans) who believe in the concept of family. AND QUIT DYING YOUR HAIR STEVEN COLBERT, WE KNOW YOU ARE IN YOUR FORTIES LIKE US GRAMPA!
That is why we keep asking ourselves, Y R People Messing with the Natural Order?
That is why we keep asking ourselves, Y R People Messing with the Natural Order?
Monday, May 18, 2009
Eric Forman: Today's Tom Sawyer
Back in the day when we were in English class we used to read these things called books. I know that sounds strange to kids of today, but it was required by law that we go to school, and that included English class. Back then we read authors like Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens really) and books about protypical American boys like Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. At the time , we thought it was just a story like the one's we told our friends and didn't really think about it in terms of reputation and money. At the same time we watched other All -American guys on TV, like little Opie from the Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham from Happy Days. We figured that was TV's version of the 50's and 60's Tom Sawyer. Back then we didn't realize it but, as it turned out, we were the Eric Forman's of the late 70's and early 80's. Mind you we watched TV every Tuesday wondering what Richie and Fonzie would be up to this week (provided it wasn't a re-run), just like kids today watch Everybody Hates Chris or re-runs of "That 70's Show." It is true, that we knew that we were kinda the Richie Cunningham's of the 70's and 80's but we figured that was as American as Apple Pie. Little did we know what challenges would face "Apple Pie" in the future. Now remember kids, Hollywood is a money-making industry focused on profit, if it sells they keep it on and they make money. The same was true for Mark Twain, who profited more from the stories about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn than the real Tow Sawyer's probably ever did. Heck, they even gave Twain an honorary doctorate. It seems that in America if you write about the Tom Sawyer's, Richie Cunnignham's, and Eric Forman's of America, then you get all the honors, and usually, all the dough. Same goes for the actor's that play them. Now us real Tom Sawyer's , Richie Cunningham's, and Eric Forman's are still out there, but now we are all grown up, but, with an economy in shambles,we are struggling and are left wondering, does America still like us? And if so why not? All of those shows were hits and made dough for Hollywood, but a broken economy and lingering world conflicts, have left the real Tom's and Richie's and Eric's out in the cold. This is despite all our education and achievements (I personally have a Ph.D.). So the next time, you find yourself worshipping Mark Twain, Topher Grace, Ron Howard, or some other rich guy for playing a or writing about a character in Hollywood, remember that they wouldn't be able to make all that money if we weren't out there living our lives every single day of the week. Maybe instead of worshipping the Hollywood millionaires, you should show a little respect to the real Richie's, Tom's, Huck's, and Eric's of the world...You never know, they might just live next door and be in their 40's by now.
And that is why we keep asking, Y R People Messing with All Americans?
And that is why we keep asking, Y R People Messing with All Americans?
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Spirituality to All Americans
I know what you are thinking, what does this site have to do with spirituality? Isn't it a satirical rant against all that is absurd? Yes, sometimes it is, but us All Americans know when to be serious too. Speaking as a person who has had a number of close scrapes with death, back in 1999, and again in 2001, I know the meaning of spirituality. I know people scoff at "near death" experiences, and frankly so did I, until it happened to me. I know what you are thinking, I saw "Ghost" with Whoopi Goldberg, I thought it was all fiction, and at the time I thought the same thing....though I did like the movie (well at least at the time). But it seems that near death experiences might actually be real. I had one...now mind you I don't know if it was real or I was just outta it like Abbott and Costello when they were in the desert, but it did change my perspective on God and Jesus a bit. Now I'm a Christian and you know what they say, when you are about to go to Heaven you see Jesus. Of course people like Freud, say that is all bunk and being a Freudian in my youth, I believed him, but then again, Freud was never on the operating table at a hospital like I was. Without bullsh*ting you I will say that being near death does change your perspective. After my near death experience I decided to try to, as Spike Lee says it, "Do the Right Thing." I fought for civil rights, contributed money to charities, published books, and produced albums at my own personal expense. I shared my creations with the world, and they are substantial (25 albums--more than Elvis, 3 books, 4 chapter length articles, and 3 portfolios of original artwork). Now mind you this is more than I ever thought I would be able to do when I was a kid of 14, so naturally I am very proud. Likewise, I gave up the greedy pursuit of monetary wealth. Now mind you I know All Americans are hard working people and deserve to get paid, but if my near death experience taught me anything it is that a person's value can not be measured in monetary wealth alone. I mean really, when I was growing up we reveled in the fact that Bruce Jenner won the decathalon and the US Hockey team beat the Russians, and none of them got paid for it. So when you think that wealth means everything, remember me....I have a PH.D., 3 books, four chapter articles, 25 albums, and some of the best friends this world has ever seen.
That is why we keep asking the question: Y R People Messing with All Americans
That is why we keep asking the question: Y R People Messing with All Americans
Homophobia: The Curse of the New Age
It seems that since the dawn of the 21st Century, homophobia and homophobic comedians have become the order of the day. In my humble opinion, there hasn't been this much gay-bashing in the media since the 1980's. If I hear one more joke about San Francisco I think I will puke. First it was Adam Sandler with his gay-bashing homophobe movie and then Jon Stewart and his masterbation humor. It is interesting how dear old Jon has changed his tune. Back in the the liberal Clintonian 90's he was talking about his masterbatory tendencies on his Comedy Central specials, only to turn around in the 21st Century and start a whole new gay bashing revolution. Jon, you make me sick. For those of us who have had Gay friends, we are grossly offended by your bigotry. Don't you remember Jon, and Ellen for that matter, that the Nazis put so called "f*gs" in the ovens with the Jews! Oh, I know Jon that you have Anglicized your real name from Liebowitz to Stewart so that people wouldn't know that you were Jewish, but lets face it Jon, if you lived in Nazi Germany they would have fried you like a fried green potato, despite your fake name. So get with the program comedians, it is the 21st Century not the 1800s and your f*g jokes are rapidly going out of style. Same goes for you, politicians who all seem to think that you are living in England 200 years ago, and can use your freedom of speech to slander people.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Formerly Happy Americans Speak Out!
Back in 2007 I tried to start a blog on the issue of happiness since I had experienced great happiness in my youth, but it didn't go anywhere so I have added it to my new blog. The following is the text from my former site:
This site deals with the issue of happiness, how to get it and hope to keep it.
Entry for December 1, 2007 The 29 Axioms
After uncovering the 5 Core Needs, and the 9 Primary Needs for happiness, I did a personal inventory of things I had or had done in order to be happy in civilization. After much contemplation, I came up with 29 things which had affected my personal happiness. I turned these things into a list of sayings or axioms which I then labeled the Wellsian Philosophy. The truth was that when all of these things applied to me, I was happy. Interestingly, most of them applied to my closest allies and friends as well, all of whom at the time seemed relatively content.
The 29 Axioms of Happiness in Civilization
1. May you have good physical health
2. May you have good mental health
3. May your basic needs be met
4. May you have good food and drink
5. May you have strong shelter from the elements
6. May your home be warm in the winter and cool in the summer
7. May you have a place to clean yourself and be sanitary
8. May you get good sleep and rest
9. May you have a family that loves you
10. May you have good friends and strong allies
11. Take up a hobby, it can be a lot of fun
12. Enjoy entertainment like plays, films, music, sporting events, games, etc.
13. Participate in sports if you are able, and if not try to get some exercise
14. Don't be afraid of study and learning, learn as much as you can and enjoy it for its own sake
15. Make Love/Find a Good Lover
16. If you have to work, try and find a good job that you enjoy doing
17. If you have to work, try and find at least a decent paying job so your basic needs are met, and there is at least a little money left over for pleasurable activities
18. Engage in some pleasurable activities, it will keep you motivated
19. Try to have a little disposable income utilized solely for pleasurable activities
20. Try not to make enemies
21. May any enemies you do have not be major ones
22. May no one in your family or any of your friends die
23. May no major illnesses affect your family or your friends
24. If you get the chance, travel or go on vacation while you are healthy
25. Try to have a good sense of humor, and try not to take everything personally
26. Defend yourself if attacked wantonly
27. Don't be afraid to turn the other cheek occasionally
28. Try to forgive people (especially family and friends) for their trespasses
29. Don't break the big ones.
When all of these applied to me, I was happy, of that I was sure. True some of them were luxuries, but the reality was all of these things were possible for me so I took advantage of the opportunities for happiness as they came. While it might seem that I have done a lot of pleasurable things in my 41 years of life, the truth is that I didn't let these things detract me from my goals of getting a Ph.D., being a universtiy lecturer, and published author. Rewards are a great motivator, a much better motivator than sticks.
I hope this blog has been of use to those in the pursuit of happiness. The Bill of Rights says we have a right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It is because of things like the Bill of Rights that I was able to actively pursue happiness in American civilization.
Good Luck to All,
Dr. Matthew C. Wells
2007-12-01 18:59:27
Entry for December 1, 2007 The Nine Primary Needs
When I left off, I was talking about the 5 Core Needs for happiness. Now I know people don't like to admit it, but we are basically animals with desires, needs and drives. So, it appears, were my pets. Animals have a lot in common with people but let's admit it, people are a more complex robot. It was true that when my 5 core needs were met I was happy, but let's face it, life in civilization is much more complicated. We live in a money economy and we have to pay cold hard cash for most of the things we need and desire. What I realized was that the 5 core needs were just the tip of the iceberg. It was then that I came up with "The Nine Primary Needs for the Creation of Happiness in Civilization." They go like this:
1. Good Physical Health
2. Good Mental Health
3. A Good Family Life/Caregivers Growing Up
4. Basic Needs Met (Food, Drink, Clothing, Shelter, Bathroom)
5. Good Friends
6. Some Disposable Income (For Pleasurable Activities)
7. When an Adult Having a Good Lover/Mate
8. Some Amount of Education (Reading, Writiing, Arithmatic, etc.)
9. No Major Enemies
In a state of nature, it seems possible that the 5 Core Needs can be met, but with the creation of civilization, things get a little more complicated. Hopefully, for most people it is complicated in a good way. It is civiliation that provides people with a variety of pleasures not readily available in a state of nature (such as Music, Plays, Films, Sports, Alcohol, Academics, Varieties of Food and Drinks, Marriage, Homes, Driving, Shopping, etc.).
I noticed that when the 9 Primary Needs applied to me I was very happy. While I was not independently wealthy or anything, and had been going to school or working jobs since the age of 9, as long as my efforts resulted in the realization of the 9 Primary Needs I was relatively content. I wasn't a millionaire or anything but I was satisfied, even light-hearted and fun. Let's face it life wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darn good.
I knew now that the loss of some of these things was making me unhappy and that I needed to try to get back what I had lost.
To be continued....
2007-12-01 18:24:35 GMT
Entry for December 1, 2007
Hello everyone out there, my name is Dr. Matthew Wells. I have a Ph.D. and have taught at two major US universities, and am a published author. I decided to start this blog because I had entered a period of illness in my life which led to a period of unhappiness. This prolonged period was unusual for me because most of my life had been relatively happy and content. In an attempt to get back to being happy I decided to examine the first 33 years of my life to determine why I had been so happy and to, if possible, find a way to restore that happiness.
One of the first things I did was to think of my old pets. Animals sometimes have an unrecognized wisdom. I had dogs and cats and they seemed pretty content with their lives. Why? It was at this point that I came up with the concept of the "Five Core Needs of Happiness." They go like this:
1. They all had good physical health
2. They all had good mental health
3. Their basic needs were met (eg., food, drink, shelter, place to go to the bathroom)
4. They engaged in some pleasurable activities (eg., going outside, walks, playing, hunting, etc., mating, petting and love from their owner)
5. They had no major enemies
It was then that I realized what it meant to be "King of the Jungle." A contented lion living in a state of nature has all these things, with the possible exception of having an owner. Interestingly enough, I noted that when I had these things as well, I was relatively happy and content. I also noted that when some of these things were taken away from me, my level of contentment fell.
But in examining this issue, I realized that there were a number of basic realities that I was failing to take into account. For one, I didn't live in the jungle. In the jungle, nearly every predator is an enemy, so it seemed to me to be happy in the jungle with major enemies lurking everywhere was at least difficult. And then I realized, that this was why civilization was created, that is, to ensure the continued existence of the five core needs of happiness. While it is true that good physical and mental health are a gift of nature, civilization often provides greater opportunities for the fulfillment of basic needs, pleasurable activities, and the minimization of enemies/rivals.
To be continued....
That is Y we keep asking ourselves: Y R People Messing with happy Americans?
This site deals with the issue of happiness, how to get it and hope to keep it.
Entry for December 1, 2007 The 29 Axioms
After uncovering the 5 Core Needs, and the 9 Primary Needs for happiness, I did a personal inventory of things I had or had done in order to be happy in civilization. After much contemplation, I came up with 29 things which had affected my personal happiness. I turned these things into a list of sayings or axioms which I then labeled the Wellsian Philosophy. The truth was that when all of these things applied to me, I was happy. Interestingly, most of them applied to my closest allies and friends as well, all of whom at the time seemed relatively content.
The 29 Axioms of Happiness in Civilization
1. May you have good physical health
2. May you have good mental health
3. May your basic needs be met
4. May you have good food and drink
5. May you have strong shelter from the elements
6. May your home be warm in the winter and cool in the summer
7. May you have a place to clean yourself and be sanitary
8. May you get good sleep and rest
9. May you have a family that loves you
10. May you have good friends and strong allies
11. Take up a hobby, it can be a lot of fun
12. Enjoy entertainment like plays, films, music, sporting events, games, etc.
13. Participate in sports if you are able, and if not try to get some exercise
14. Don't be afraid of study and learning, learn as much as you can and enjoy it for its own sake
15. Make Love/Find a Good Lover
16. If you have to work, try and find a good job that you enjoy doing
17. If you have to work, try and find at least a decent paying job so your basic needs are met, and there is at least a little money left over for pleasurable activities
18. Engage in some pleasurable activities, it will keep you motivated
19. Try to have a little disposable income utilized solely for pleasurable activities
20. Try not to make enemies
21. May any enemies you do have not be major ones
22. May no one in your family or any of your friends die
23. May no major illnesses affect your family or your friends
24. If you get the chance, travel or go on vacation while you are healthy
25. Try to have a good sense of humor, and try not to take everything personally
26. Defend yourself if attacked wantonly
27. Don't be afraid to turn the other cheek occasionally
28. Try to forgive people (especially family and friends) for their trespasses
29. Don't break the big ones.
When all of these applied to me, I was happy, of that I was sure. True some of them were luxuries, but the reality was all of these things were possible for me so I took advantage of the opportunities for happiness as they came. While it might seem that I have done a lot of pleasurable things in my 41 years of life, the truth is that I didn't let these things detract me from my goals of getting a Ph.D., being a universtiy lecturer, and published author. Rewards are a great motivator, a much better motivator than sticks.
I hope this blog has been of use to those in the pursuit of happiness. The Bill of Rights says we have a right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It is because of things like the Bill of Rights that I was able to actively pursue happiness in American civilization.
Good Luck to All,
Dr. Matthew C. Wells
2007-12-01 18:59:27
Entry for December 1, 2007 The Nine Primary Needs
When I left off, I was talking about the 5 Core Needs for happiness. Now I know people don't like to admit it, but we are basically animals with desires, needs and drives. So, it appears, were my pets. Animals have a lot in common with people but let's admit it, people are a more complex robot. It was true that when my 5 core needs were met I was happy, but let's face it, life in civilization is much more complicated. We live in a money economy and we have to pay cold hard cash for most of the things we need and desire. What I realized was that the 5 core needs were just the tip of the iceberg. It was then that I came up with "The Nine Primary Needs for the Creation of Happiness in Civilization." They go like this:
1. Good Physical Health
2. Good Mental Health
3. A Good Family Life/Caregivers Growing Up
4. Basic Needs Met (Food, Drink, Clothing, Shelter, Bathroom)
5. Good Friends
6. Some Disposable Income (For Pleasurable Activities)
7. When an Adult Having a Good Lover/Mate
8. Some Amount of Education (Reading, Writiing, Arithmatic, etc.)
9. No Major Enemies
In a state of nature, it seems possible that the 5 Core Needs can be met, but with the creation of civilization, things get a little more complicated. Hopefully, for most people it is complicated in a good way. It is civiliation that provides people with a variety of pleasures not readily available in a state of nature (such as Music, Plays, Films, Sports, Alcohol, Academics, Varieties of Food and Drinks, Marriage, Homes, Driving, Shopping, etc.).
I noticed that when the 9 Primary Needs applied to me I was very happy. While I was not independently wealthy or anything, and had been going to school or working jobs since the age of 9, as long as my efforts resulted in the realization of the 9 Primary Needs I was relatively content. I wasn't a millionaire or anything but I was satisfied, even light-hearted and fun. Let's face it life wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darn good.
I knew now that the loss of some of these things was making me unhappy and that I needed to try to get back what I had lost.
To be continued....
2007-12-01 18:24:35 GMT
Entry for December 1, 2007
Hello everyone out there, my name is Dr. Matthew Wells. I have a Ph.D. and have taught at two major US universities, and am a published author. I decided to start this blog because I had entered a period of illness in my life which led to a period of unhappiness. This prolonged period was unusual for me because most of my life had been relatively happy and content. In an attempt to get back to being happy I decided to examine the first 33 years of my life to determine why I had been so happy and to, if possible, find a way to restore that happiness.
One of the first things I did was to think of my old pets. Animals sometimes have an unrecognized wisdom. I had dogs and cats and they seemed pretty content with their lives. Why? It was at this point that I came up with the concept of the "Five Core Needs of Happiness." They go like this:
1. They all had good physical health
2. They all had good mental health
3. Their basic needs were met (eg., food, drink, shelter, place to go to the bathroom)
4. They engaged in some pleasurable activities (eg., going outside, walks, playing, hunting, etc., mating, petting and love from their owner)
5. They had no major enemies
It was then that I realized what it meant to be "King of the Jungle." A contented lion living in a state of nature has all these things, with the possible exception of having an owner. Interestingly enough, I noted that when I had these things as well, I was relatively happy and content. I also noted that when some of these things were taken away from me, my level of contentment fell.
But in examining this issue, I realized that there were a number of basic realities that I was failing to take into account. For one, I didn't live in the jungle. In the jungle, nearly every predator is an enemy, so it seemed to me to be happy in the jungle with major enemies lurking everywhere was at least difficult. And then I realized, that this was why civilization was created, that is, to ensure the continued existence of the five core needs of happiness. While it is true that good physical and mental health are a gift of nature, civilization often provides greater opportunities for the fulfillment of basic needs, pleasurable activities, and the minimization of enemies/rivals.
To be continued....
That is Y we keep asking ourselves: Y R People Messing with happy Americans?
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