VictoriaF wrote:
Hi protagonist,
Hi, Victoria.
VictoriaF wrote:Hedonic treadmill is not limited to acquisition of things. It's about people becoming happier from various improvements in their lives, then their happiness returning to the base level, and people seeking further improvements to recreate the feeling.
Oh, I think I see. So, for example, you mean that can become an "experience junkie", because your first trip to Europe (or whatever) was such a thrill, you could never duplicate it, you've done everything, nothing seems to excite you anymore like when you were young, so you need more and more and more to be satisfied? (recalling a Tom Lehrer song...) Is that what you mean?
Of course, the other possible result is that you become content with the knowledge that you HAVE had a full and enriched life, you've done most of what you have wanted to do, and your need for more becomes less because you settle into it all.
IMHO, I just think you worry too much about stuff, which may come from reading too much. In the past you have referred to "the tyranny of choice". If the hypotheticals stress you out, reality certainly will.
VictoriaF wrote:Know yourself is easy to say but hard to do. And asking others is not as pointless as you imply. (See Cinghiale's comments above.)
I didn't mean to imply that it is pointless, though I can see how my words could be interpreted that way. If I thought it was pointless I wouldn't be responding. It may be a tool to getting to know yourself. But I think there are limits, and at some point you just have to jump and learn from experience.
VictoriaF wrote:I might be surprised by spending less than I think I would. But right now I am trying to anticipate the opposite surprise and prepare for dealing with it.
If it's a serious concern you could, to an extent, plan for it. It is something you have a degree of control over. Worrying about hedonic treadmill is a bit abstract at this point. You will soon see how well you are doing and if necessary, make adjustments.
VictoriaF wrote:Did you have any specific goals for retirement upon accomplishing which you felt disappointed?
Please clarify. Do you mean did I feel disappointed in myself for not achieving my goals? Or do you mean did I feel a sense of let-down once my goals were achieved?
VictoriaF wrote:Where do you derive the meaning of your life?
Wow, that's a hell of a question to ask somebody in an online forum!!! (laughing) Mostly I derive meaning from a sense of connection and belonging. On a local level that means connection to my friends, my daughter, my home, and the things that bring me pleasure, and on a greater level to life in general and to a sense of "oneness" with the entire vast, incomprehensible universe. On another deeper level, I don't think life HAS meaning, or at least any that I could possibly understand , and paradoxically that knowledge itself imbues life with meaning. Because, if nothing else, it allows one to be all one can be, roll with the punches, and still laugh about it. All the world is but a stage, be thou the joyful player. (poorly paraphrasing Shakespeare).
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