this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2024
432 points (97.4% liked)
Funny
6844 readers
203 users here now
General rules:
- Be kind.
- All posts must make an attempt to be funny.
- Obey the general sh.itjust.works instance rules.
- No politics or political figures. There are plenty of other politics communities to choose from.
- Don't post anything grotesque or potentially illegal. Examples include pornography, gore, animal cruelty, inappropriate jokes involving kids, etc.
Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the mods.
founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
It is possible to know one without the other, however the first experience becomes the baseline upon which other experiences are compared and measured against forming a spectrum.
Take a baby for instance, early in life they are exposed to milk, the feeling of being close to their parents during feeding and the feeling of a full stomach (happiness). However, this becomes the reference point to compare feelings of being alone and hungry (sadness).
If a child experiences nothing but absent parents and malnutrition, the child will not know it is sad because there is no comparative reference point. Its just normal.
Another example, a long time ago when life expectancy was much lower and daily life was very hard, the circumstances needed to feel happiness were much lower. A woman living a hard life in an isolated wilderness suddenly receives a fine dress from a distant city and, compared to her daily harsh reality, it brings her extreme happiness.
Compare that to modern times where daily life is much easier and we have access to almost anything we want. Not surprisingly, people find it harder to find happiness. Why? Because they don't have the comparative negative baseline.