Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by badclient 5330 days ago
I totally get that people are into that, but I really don't see them very happy

Look, I know a lot of people who are not into that and have super caring relationships and as a result are unhappy. Happiness is such a tricky thing: if you really care about someone and yet a specific part of them displeases you, well, you're unhappy. This doesn't mean you shouldn't care about someone; it does mean that your arguing that caring equals happiness is still gross oversimplification.

But to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure why they bother.

You're just looking at the empty half of the glass. If I were to do the same, I would look at the constant bickering of my neighbors in their 70s and the seeming unhappiness and wonder why anyone ever bothers getting married and remaining married.

1 comments

I would have to correct you in that I think the glass that I'm looking at is really quite full. ;)

Sure, long-term relationships can be a terrible experience. But I have my doubts whether your neighbors really still care about each other. (I know, no true Scotsman, but there really is "caring" and "staying together for the kids".) It's very easy to become unhappy in whatever way, but I think it's easier to become unhappy on your own, independent and unaffected by the concern of and for other people, than it is in a caring relationship.

And you are of course right - you can find unhappiness even when caring deeply about people. I just think that it's fair of me to say that if chances really are so equal, I'd rather live in the world where people try to care.

It's simply easier to turn a net quality of life increase for society from people who are into caring about each other than from people who don't. In fact, I think the second model, while popular for a while, has quite thoroughly collapsed in the recent years.

I think the glass that I'm looking at is really quite full. ;)

Not if you feel every relationship that doesn't contain your atypical definition of "care" is not worth having. Sounds narrow-minded to me.

I could write about how providing someone pleasure can be a form of care. But we'll leave it here and agree to disagree =)

Hi Skore!

I just wanted to say it's been fantastic to read what you've written. Thank you.

Emil