CoyoteNature wrote:Profitable for the Car industry, profitable for the pharmaceutical industry, drug companies, pretty much nearly any product that involves some cure for that ego problem that a lot of people have.
Ah, sorry I should clarify myself.
I totally agree that peoples ego creates a profitable system.
What I disagree with is that a "happy" society isn't profitable. I consider myself mostly 'happy' but I still produce and consume. Just because you havn't bought into the unreachable ideal mindbug doesn't mean that you haven't bought into the narcissistic consumption mindbug. Same thing with a society, I don't think that peoples futile persuit of the unattainable gives higher profit than our old friend greed. And happy people are just as greedy as unhappy people...
Again I use myself subjectively as an example: instead of spending a lot of money on label clothes etc on myself to boost my own ego I spend it on lavish gifts/dinners/etc for my partner. The attention that I give and receive from my partner for me by far outways the effect any ego boosting stuff I could buy for the same amount of effort/money. (Now the only problem here is that of course my partner has totally bought into the unreachable ideal mindbug...)
Darth Wong wrote:You're missing the point; you will produce and consume more if you are insecure and afraid.
No I'm not missing the point. I just don't agree with it.
I might agree that some people consume more because of their insecurity but I think it has a opposite effect on productivity, since they spend their effort/time/money elsewhere. Whereas a common greedy bastard will use the insecurity and fear of people to get a market for their products.
But the greedy doesn't care what trait the public has as long as they can exploit it.
In my book a happy greedy person is much more effective producer and consumer than an unhappy insecure egosearching one.
Respectfully I would have to disagree with it, I have not seen happy people in our society, the best that might come into it is a content person, which is entirely different from happy.
People might because of insecurity buy products, and as you say possibly spend their time elsewhere, i.e. being whatever ego stabile people do (I'm honest enough to say I'm not one of them).
But said insecurity keeps them needing those products, which means they have to come up with money to pay for those products, which means they get jobs.
With those jobs they have enough money to pay for those products, but in terms of happiness and ideals they would not find it there, so they would then buy more products again as a way of finding this happiness thing or even reinforcing the ego.
So they would produce more, and consume more, and thus be more profitable for various industries.
A happy person on the other hand might consume those products, as in your example for a loved one; but would feel less of a need for those products and as a consequence spend less; and having less of a need for a large job to pay for those products.
A common greedy bastard, i.e. those who are at the head of such industries, would be the end result of such ego searching, large quantities of money sustain their ego, mainly because they were taught that such a thing brings happiness, is the ideal in other words.
They would continue to perpetuate ego exploitation as a way of making more money, to sustain their own ego (maybe some are happy, maybe others aren't who knows each person's need is different)
This ideal searching could also be tied into intellectual advancement, say if you have a ego problem, you might research a specific problem, find the solution, maybe it makes you happy, maybe it doesn't; go onto the next to find that ideal thing for your ego.
Consider that some of happiest of society's in history have not necessarily been the most advanced or the most richest.
Happiness and that ideal searching that goes with it in some other societies has nothing to do with products or how high up you are, or how smart you are, nor how powerful you are.
There are a few tribes in the Amazon rain forest who would be considered happier then the average American. They might not be as productive, or advanced; but if they are happy then yes.
Don't know enought about you to make a diagnosis, perhaps you are the exception, but the general rule is the whole ideal seaching thing to find happiness, consider Americans are very productive, but ask are we happy or merely content?
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity and I'm sure about the latter.
Same thing with a society, I don't think that peoples futile persuit of the unattainable gives higher profit than our old friend greed. And happy people are just as greedy as unhappy people...
