Right or happy?

[Lousku]

Would you rather be right or happy? Being right would mean that you're never wrong about anything and being happy would obviously mean that you're never sad. Being right can result in happiness (and vice-versa, I guess), but that's not guaranteed. Let's apply this to something. Religion is an easy example. You can have an invisible friend that gives strength, happiness and meaning to life, but obviously if you look into it even a little bit, that friend is simply imaginary. To oversimplify this, you're happy with the religion and right with the reason. So which?

My pick: happy.

[NoZKeY]

My life is wrong and unhappy and i dont want any of these attributes.
But if the question is reason or religion, my answer is obvious: reason.

Plus, i can't be happy with religion.

[Bismuth]

happy of course, being genuinely happy is the best choice, though it's harder to imagine when you're closer to being right.

[A.K.B.]

Happy, and the beginning statement is completely opinionative.

[gimp]

I would rather be right. People generally have reason and are in their right mind six days of the week, except where i come from on Sundays they meet in a building and in that time they put belief in a thought that guarantees a happy ending to this world. I think that is an example of people choosing to be happy rather than right. Of course im always told that im arrogant in talks about religion, but to me everybody else is.

Good question by the way, i know it doesn't ask anything about religion but most philosophical questions get to religion one way or another eventually anyway.

[Kopaka]

If you were happy all the time and never sad, there would be no contrast, so it wouldn't feel good being happy, so I wouldn't want that, being sad sometimes makes the happy times better.

But I do believe in believing something sometimes that maybe isn't totally right, but it makes you happy. But I'm not saying I'm religious, atleast not in any traditional way

If being right means never believing in something supernatural, say in stories or movies, I wouldn't want that either.

[Lousku]

But if the question is reason or religion, my answer is obvious: reason.

Yes, mine too. That was just something to apply this question to.

i know it doesn't ask anything about religion but most philosophical questions get to religion one way or another eventually anyway.

That.

If you were happy all the time and never sad, there would be no contrast, so it wouldn't feel good being happy

Hm, true. Given that, I don't know which I would pick anymore.

[ribot]

I don't see much value in being right. If you would be right all the time, does it mean you would know everything? It's quite a big question. If you'd know everything than you wouldn't have many people agreeing with you, or understanding you... and you'd always know when somebody is lying, and what everybody is thinking...

but if there is really no happiness coming with that, it just seems like a burden. It seems like many people try to be right a lot more than be happy though, so it's not strange why some people would prefer it.

I don't agree with Kopaka that I want to be sad for feeling happier. I wonder what happy is really, and when I feel it. I can tell at least that I have learnt to have more and stronger good feelings over the years. The feeling of not missing anything, the feeling that what I'm doing is exactly what I should be doing, the feeling that I just love somebody, or love the aspect of a culture, or love the thoughts that come to my mind... there is no doubt that I would like to be as happy as I possibly can, in every situation in life. That's what I was thinking today, before even seeing this topic =)

Nice one anyway. *hugs*

[masterBurn]

I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves. (Wittgenstein)

[gimp]

An easy example is this: "Tim was adopted, but his parents never told him because they knew he'd be happier if he didn't know the truth about his real parents."
Morality Check: Is this the right thing to do?
I would have to say no.

You can be happy and ignorant, or you can know the truth, if always being right means i get the truth, then screw happiness. Truth is more fulfilling than blind ignorant happiness, truth can hurt, sure, but people have the right to know the truth. I WANT THE TRUTH.

Besides that, if you chose to always be right, you'd at least know whether you made the right decision after wards

"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes. All I'm offering is the truth."

[A.K.B.]

If there wasn't so much text in first post, one word answers would've sufficed.

[Grace]

They still do.

Happy.

[A.K.B.]

They still do.

Happy.

FORE WARDS SMEXA

[Grace]

HAPPY?

[A.K.B.]

POONJABI!

[pawq]

if i was supposed to never know the truth - definitely happy ffs! happiness ftw! D

[chux]

The obvious answer is to choose happiness...but then if you've ever met someone who is constantly smiling and telling you how great life is, you'll know how irritating it can be. I'd kinda hate to be one of those people. I'd choose to always be right, because it can bring great wealth and fame (if wanted) and it doesn't unnaturally alter your mental state...

[ribot]

I dunno anyone who is happy who is in self denial... many intellectuals think they are more truthful only because that's the way they have learnt to think.. and it's quite the FAIL

[Lousku]

I dunno anyone who is happy who is in self denial...

What does self-denial have to do with this? Of course you wouldn't know that you're wrong.

[ribot]

I dunno anyone who is happy who is in self denial...

What does self-denial have to do with this? Of course you wouldn't know that you're wrong.

Some people talk as if they are happy or try to be happy when they really aren't? maybe?

What I meant with my comment is that you don't have to be any less truthful to be happy. It's more like you have to be more honest with yourself, and also realize how you actually aren't right all the time because it isn't possible... and then you can become happy by realization, and not intelligence.

[gimp]

if i were ribot, this is what i would say to ribot.

ribot i think you try to hard to come off as wise or something, i think your not being true to yourself. i think you are faking your happiness and maybe covering it up with telling everybody else to be more like you cause you think you're happy. its self denial really. with all the topics that you make that nobody ever responds to and the attempt to make them clever. you're actually more of a pessimist like me, be true to yourself and be angry all the time and never happy, that is the only way youll ever be happy ribot.

[ribot]

if i were ribot, this is what i would say to ribot.

ribot i think you try to hard to come off as wise or something, i think your not being true to yourself. i think you are faking your happiness and maybe covering it up with telling everybody else to be more like you cause you think you're happy. its self denial really. with all the topics that you make that nobody ever responds to and the attempt to make them clever. you're actually more of a pessimist like me, be true to yourself and be angry all the time and never happy, that is the only way youll ever be happy ribot.

ye i guess you are right :S...
i don't allow myself to feel bad, and i have not been true to myself. i have been faking it.
i try to be wise too, even in moments when i just feel i should do this sometimes i write here.

i dont really know what yo mean about the topics, which one is clever? usually i try to create something that can be fun...

i am a pessimist you are right about that, but it never made me happy to be angry or annoyed. i have tried to change myself and it got a bit messed up

thanks for the hard words

[teajay]

I'm inclined to go for happy. But from my standpoint I would choose none. Being right all the time means getting sad over all the mistakes other people make, and being happy means not getting anywhere in life, to me. I instead focus on getting motivated and self-assured all the time, while acknowledging my shortcomings. This is a nice polarity between wanting to be right, happy, and winning, without losing objectivity.

With fewer words. Right is wrong, and being always happy means standing still while my life is about moving forward.