The Naricissitic Vanity of Our Time

Video Show the Terrifying Drive to Escape Massive Fire in Paradise, California

Geese Honey! Let's film our family's death defying escape from this inferno and post it to fb! That'll be sure to get us some "likes"!

Damned fools. Idiots.   

Happiness is Overrated

I'm sure you've heard the old nauseating cliche, life is too short so be happy, along with other variations on this theme. Unfortunately, the thoughtless people quoting this most likely can not explain what happiness is or even how to achieve it. 

Philosophers from the ancient Greeks to the moderns have all chimed in on what constitutes the happy life. It's the age old question. 

Aristotle believed you must have a plan in place, along with living a life of virtue and moderation in all things. Plato emphasized not only virtue but the acquisition of knowledge as the highest good. And the Declaration of Independence says, 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

So when I read the headline, "Why the Finns Don't Want To Be Happy", it caught my attention. It would appear they don't put much stock in the idea of happiness. Rather, they see contentment as something far better. With them it is not "are you happy", but how's your quality of life?

I'm not sure if they have quite figured it out. I know they like their alcohol and maybe this has something to do with it. Here's the link if you want to see what the Finns have to say about happiness: Why the Finns don't want to be happy

"America, the radicalized" -- by Jim Vandehei

I'm so glad I deactivated my fb account. It's been maybe 6 months since I last logged on, possibly longer. I can only imagine the arguments going on between some of  people I had listed as friends, especially since the latest spectacle with Brett Kavanaugh hearing. I don't miss it -- at all!

The political wrangling is the worst. It is mentally and physically draining. If there is one thing I learned, it is that most people are not interested in honest and reasonable debate. In his brief article, Jim Vandehei lists some of the reasons why Americans are radicalized.

As always, I blame social media without apology. It is truly the "cancer of our time". Click on the link to read "America, the radicalized". America, the radicalized 

Social Media -- The Cancer of our Time

I suppose a former doctor would know better than most how to identify symptoms of a disease.  Billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, sees social media as "the cancer of our time."

Social Media -- Cancer of our Time

Boccherini - Cello concert Bb-dur, Xavier Phillips

Social Outcasts: Teens Logging Off

Most news is bad news, but today I found something encouraging. At least some young men and women are seeing social media for what it is. Logged off: meet the teens who refuse to use social media

Here's some quotes from the article:

It is widely believed that young people are hopelessly devoted to social media. Teenagers, according to this stereotype, tweet, gram, Snap and scroll. But for every young person hunched over a screen, there are others for whom social media no longer holds such an allure. These teens are turning their backs on the technology – and there are more of them than you might think.

“You start doing things that are dishonest,” says Amanuel, who quit social media aged 16. “Like Instagram: I was presenting this dishonest version of myself, on a platform where most people were presenting dishonest versions of themselves.”

Like Amanuel, Jeremiah Johnson, 18, from Luton, grew weary of the pressures of sustaining an online persona. “It’s a competition for who can appear the happiest,” he says. “And if you’re not happy and want to vent about it on social media, you’re attention-seeking.”

Great Road Trip Song