GammaGlobulin Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 Unhappiness is a relative term. In most countries, the majority of people report that they are unhappy, and we know this from research. Therefore, if you are unhappy in Thailand, then you can be happy that you are among the majority. From research, we realize that inequality contributes to unhappiness. And so, those countries whose inhabitants are, more or less, on the same economic plane, report that they are less unhappy. There are many factors which lead to unhappiness, such as, for example overpopulation. when we live cheek by jowl with our neighbors, we are more likely to encounter our neighbors, and we will be more likely to compare our economic circumstances with those of our neighbors. This leads to inevitable discontent on one side or the other. I would never, normally, ask such a question about HAPPINESS, since the very term Happiness should be defined, even before one can begin to analyse who is unhappy, and who somewhat less unhappy. There are many quantifiers which impinge upon the measurement of perceived "unhappiness". Some say that Finland is the least unhappy country, followed by places such as Denmark and Norway. And you can see, from the social structure of these countries, that all three countries are less stratified according to wealth, and also are less hierarchical, not to mention the "distance to power" coefficient, which is important, too. And so, if you want to know things like how unhappy you are, living here, then this is not such a simple thing, as a yes or no answer, as come might guess. For example, maybe you are living in dream world, a fantasy world, and you, by now, have no idea if you might be unhappy or happy, or slaphappy. There are ways to quantify happiness in order to compare one country to another country. However, these quantifications are only mere approximations, since Social Science is just basically guesswork, like throwing darts at a target in a dark room. This is not to say that we cannot measure unhappiness, maybe just by counting tears. Personally, I am very happy in Thailand. On a scale of zero to one million, I would say that my happiness is about 850,745 out of 1,000,000. And, almost one million is not bad. Many academic articles have been written about perceived happiness, comparing one country to another country. However, these estimates are only useful at the macro level. For me, at the micro level, I am fully capable of happiness in a hardship port, maybe in China, or some other place. Happiness on the micro level is determined by whether or not one is doing what one wants to be doing, and whether or not one feels successful and rewarded by what one is doing The idea of happiness or unhappiness is also meaningless. Seeking happiness brings unhappiness. Why? Just because, no matter how much one seeks happiness, and no matter how much happiness one attains...STILL...any amount of happiness achieved is NOT ENOUGH, which inevitably leads to unhappiness. So, are you unhappy or happy, and how do you know? IF you are still alive, then, most likely, you should feel happy about being alive, and not dead. This is just one fairly sure measure of discriminating between being happy, and being dead and oblivious to everything. Never mistake hedonism for happiness. Never mistake a juicy piece of very expensive Kobe steak for happiness. Most people don't know what happiness is. Most people associate happiness with excitement, temporary love, and a massage with a happy ending. Happiness is something which is not a happy ending, but a beginning. I have read a lot of books. I have had a few girls. I have engaged in all sorts of sexual positions. Yet, not one of these positions ever brought me happiness. If you want to know what makes me less unhappy, it is reading books, and discussing books with guys who are FAR smarter than I. This is what makes me less unhappy. Otherwise, I am usually full of angst about the end of the world, and the knowledge of my own mortality. Somehow, in order to become less unhappy, then one must find a way to help remain in denial of what we know is sure to come, in a very few years. 6 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post fredscats Posted October 14, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted October 14, 2021 Not yet another thread on the same theme,there are three others running right now ,yours is number four on virtually the same theme 4 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sungod Posted October 14, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted October 14, 2021 Most posters on here are "unhappy about Thailand" but do nothing about it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BangkokReady Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 (edited) 8 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said: Unhappiness is a relative term. (Un)happiness is subjective, but it isn't relative. If it was a relative term, it would always need to be discussed in comparison to something else. You can, of course, discuss happiness relatively, as you can most things. Edited October 14, 2021 by BangkokReady 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivor bigun Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 I am very happy ,just like i was living with my Thai wife in the UK ,now we live in Thailand ,the only thing that makes me unhappy is that i am a lot older than her and she will be broken hearted when i die ,but i am happy that she will be well looked after by our son ,and her family. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GammaGlobulin Posted October 14, 2021 Author Share Posted October 14, 2021 7 minutes ago, fredscats said: Not yet another thread on the same theme,there are three others running right now ,yours is number four on virtually the same theme Pardon me, but I beg to differ. My topic is not about how to achieve happiness, or about happiness, per se. Instead, more importantly, my topic is about how to AVOID unhappiness, which is something that we all must struggle with. Can you appreciate the difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluespunk Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 “Are you unhappy in Thailand? But, you don't even know it?“ No. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GammaGlobulin Posted October 14, 2021 Author Share Posted October 14, 2021 (edited) 37 minutes ago, ivor bigun said: I am very happy ,just like i was living with my Thai wife in the UK ,now we live in Thailand ,the only thing that makes me unhappy is that i am a lot older than her and she will be broken hearted when i die ,but i am happy that she will be well looked after by our son ,and her family. Your comment is one which makes no one feel happy to read.. However, in order to further put your mind at ease, have you ever thought of finding a reliable bank which might be able to help you with Estate Planning? This might help you become less worried if you could feel more confident that your wishes will be abided by, and that your wife will be sure to be taken care of. Estate Planning, if done well, can help to put one's mind more at ease. If done well, then you will feel less worried that your wishes will not be carried out, as you wish. Edited October 14, 2021 by GammaGlobulin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post zzaa09 Posted October 14, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted October 14, 2021 8 hours ago, sungod said: Most posters on here are "unhappy about Thailand" but do nothing about it. Most would be unhappy anywhere. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GammaGlobulin Posted October 14, 2021 Author Share Posted October 14, 2021 1 hour ago, zzaa09 said: Most would be unhappy anywhere. This is the basic Human predicament. Buy a Maserati, and you will be unhappy within weeks. Drive safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivor bigun Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 19 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said: Your comment is one which makes no one feel happy to read.. However, in order to further put your mind at ease, have you ever thought of finding a reliable bank which might be able to help you with Estate Planning? This might help you become less worried if you could feel more confident that your wishes will be abided by, and that your wife will be sure to be taken care of. Estate Planning, if done well, can help to put one's mind more at ease. If done well, then you will feel less worried that your wishes will not be carried out, as you wish. Actually i have no problems at all regarding her welfare after i pass ,our house is owned by my wife and our son ,we have joint bank accounts in our UK bank ,here in Thailand my will leaves everything to her,she also owns building land up north and many rai of rice fields which she just lets a relative add to their rice fields , my wifes family are in business in BKK ,she has no monetery problems when i go . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swissie Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 No wonder that nordic countries have a relative high level of happyness. Good health and social security net. "If one falls, he falls softy". No need to worry too much about random negative live-events that may (or may not) occur. This opposed to other countries where "dog eat dog" is the only way of life. But maybe we should take our clues from some US "rednecks": "Happyness is a cold beer in your left hand and a warm gun in your right hand". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzaa09 Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 4 minutes ago, swissie said: No wonder that nordic countries have a relative high level of happyness. Good health and social security net. "If one falls, he falls softy". No need to worry too much about random negative live-events that may (or may not) occur. This opposed to other countries where "dog eat dog" is the only way of life. But maybe we should take our clues from some US "rednecks": "Happyness is a cold beer in your left hand and a warm gun in your right hand". Yet, perhaps these aspects of happiness and security are false ones. Especially were govt and corporations are your mother manipulating every frame of your existence. Developed, indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swissie Posted October 15, 2021 Share Posted October 15, 2021 12 minutes ago, zzaa09 said: Yet, perhaps these aspects of happiness and security are false ones. Especially were govt and corporations are your mother manipulating every frame of your existence. Developed, indeed. Yes, but this happens in nordic countries as well as in "dog eat dog" countries. What's preferrable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocky Posted October 16, 2021 Share Posted October 16, 2021 A lot of forum posters are only happy when they're miserable. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a3tsw Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 I'm happy and I know it...???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianthainess Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 I was happy then i read this depressing post. But now i've posted this I feel much happier. Just wait a bit longer and Prayuth will return your happiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
worgeordie Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 On 10/14/2021 at 8:48 PM, fredscats said: Not yet another thread on the same theme,there are three others running right now ,yours is number four on virtually the same theme Yes , I am unhappy at all these posts about ,people been unhappy in Thailand, if anyone is unhappy here ,just b*gger off to somewhere where you can find happiness ,you are bringing others down. regards Worgeordie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1FinickyOne Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 if your happy and you know it clap your hands 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GammaGlobulin Posted October 18, 2021 Author Share Posted October 18, 2021 Actually, it is not difficult to find happiness. Just buy one of these, and you will be happy for life. Personally, I LOVE dogs. We evolved with dogs. And, without dogs in our lives, we are bound to be less happy. In other words, a man without a good woman is like a man without a good dog. Unless a man has both a dog and a woman, then there is always something missing, and a man will never attain any semblance of happiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinBoy2 Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 (edited) Unhappiness can be like a slow developing cancer, it creeps up on you. I'll use my own case as an example. I was very happy in Thailand for years, but as boredom set in, I began to find mundane things irritating me. At the end of my full time life in Thailand I was just sorta angry about stuff. It was a few months after we moved back to the US my wife said aut of the blue, "you just seem more content now" And the truth was that I was. I hadn't realized when I was in Thailand how wound up I had become by the end, which I guess translates into unhappiness. We go back to Thailand now to our house on vacation (upended by covid right now) and feel the calmness I felt at the start of my Thai adventure Edited October 18, 2021 by GinBoy2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeijoshinCool Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 14 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said: Unless a man has both a dog and a woman, then there is always something missing . Or one could save money on food and just get a woman who is a dog.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GammaGlobulin Posted October 18, 2021 Author Share Posted October 18, 2021 8 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said: Unhappiness can be like a slow developing cancer, it creeps up on you. I'll use my own case as an example. I was very happy in Thailand for years, but as boredom set in, I began to find mundane things irritating me. At the end of my full time life in Thailand I was just sorta angry about stuff. It was a few months after we moved back to the US my wife said aut of the blue, "you just seem more content now" And the truth was that I was. I hadn't realized when I was in Thailand how wound up I had become by the end, which I guess translates into unhappiness. We go back to Thailand now to our house on vacation (upended by covid right now) and feel the calmness I felt at the start of my Thai adventure Yours is a very thoughtful post, which can be appreciated by many. However, for many others, coming to Thailand, or living in Thailand is not an "adventure", but our home. If I were to return to the USA, the last thing I might expect to find is calmness. For me, Thailand presents more of a sense of calm than any other place I have ever visited. Still, if I were to return to the USA, then I might think about buying this house in Arizona, putting in a few windows, and an AC. There is no place like home. There is no place like Thailand. Ergo: Home is Thailand. Thailand is Home. I will never leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GinBoy2 Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 43 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said: Yours is a very thoughtful post, which can be appreciated by many. However, for many others, coming to Thailand, or living in Thailand is not an "adventure", but our home. If I were to return to the USA, the last thing I might expect to find is calmness. For me, Thailand presents more of a sense of calm than any other place I have ever visited. Still, if I were to return to the USA, then I might think about buying this house in Arizona, putting in a few windows, and an AC. There is no place like home. There is no place like Thailand. Ergo: Home is Thailand. Thailand is Home. I will never leave. The weird part of my 'adventure' was that my wife never wanted us to move to Thailand. We met when we were working at the same company in Singapore and I thought, against my wifes better judgement retirement in Thailand would be a good thing. I remember a few months before we moved from Singapore she said "you'll be bored of this within 10 years". She got it wrong by 11 months The kicker for us was when our son, who was born in Singapore, moved with us to Thailand and then went to college in the US told us he was never going back to Thailand. That was the final nail in the coffin. Momma Bear was gonna follow whatever and I at that point was all in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Tom Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 Very comfortable and satisfied to live here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredscats Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 (edited) On 10/15/2021 at 6:00 PM, swissie said: "No wonder that nordic countries have a relative high level of happyness. Good health and social security net. "If one falls, he falls softy". No need to worry too much about random negative live-events that may (or may not) occur. This opposed to other countries where "dog eat dog" is the only way of life. But maybe we should take our clues from some US "rednecks": "Happyness is a cold beer in your left hand and a warm gun in your right hand"." But maybe we should take our clues from some US "rednecks": "Happyness is a cold beer in your left hand and a warm "cock" in your right hand". Edited October 18, 2021 by fredscats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harveyboy Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 On 10/15/2021 at 6:41 AM, GammaGlobulin said: This is the basic Human predicament. Buy a Maserati, and you will be unhappy within weeks. Drive safely. any particular colour... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caldera Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 (edited) I'm happy here in Thailand, and I know it. No need to write a novel about it. ???? Edited October 18, 2021 by Caldera 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketDog Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 OP, you tink too mut and clearly have too much time on your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbabythai Posted October 18, 2021 Share Posted October 18, 2021 11 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said: Actually, it is not difficult to find happiness. Just buy one of these, and you will be happy for life. Personally, I LOVE dogs. We evolved with dogs. And, without dogs in our lives, we are bound to be less happy. In other words, a man without a good woman is like a man without a good dog. Unless a man has both a dog and a woman, then there is always something missing, and a man will never attain any semblance of happiness. Bloody hell. That beast of a dog must do some really big turds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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