Emotions are assumed to be beyond our control, ebbing and flowing in anarchic independence from the rational mind. But if we question the judgments that lie behind our emotions, we will often find that those feelings do, indeed, change. We can help the way we feel, if the way we feel flows from a mistaken judgment that we can correct.
ReadMost people think you need a special reason to feel sorry for yourself, such as a bereavement or a terrible medical diagnosis. But, according to the philosopher David Benatar, there is a sense in which each and every one of us would be fully justified in feeling aggrieved, because life is a lottery in which everyone with a ticket loses. Put bluntly, it would have been better not to have been born…
ReadIt requires less effort to put aside all doubts than to keep them alive. That is why the easiest way to live with our mistakes is to keep them out of mind until we die with them.
ReadI was intrigued by our reader’s choice of the word “fulfilling”. The childless might enjoy their lives, even find them meaningful, but can they be truly fulfilled? The more I thought about this, the more convinced I became that the whole idea of fulfilment is misguided…
ReadSome have concluded that governments should focus less on raising GDP and more on increasing general happiness. But not so fast. Happiness promotion is not the only alternative to wealth creation. Human wellbeing is surely greater than being in a good mood more of the time.
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