,How fortunate that that doesn’t happen to me (us),, an expression of relief and satisfaction with one’s own situation, which we are all familiar with. Without misery and misery elsewhere in the world, the phenomenon of contentment and happiness could not possibly exist. Paradise is only possible thanks to the simultaneous presence of hell. Without losers there are no winners, without sadness there is no joy. Even the phenomenon and therefore the word ,health, would not exist if there were no disease and death.
Paradise by definition impossible
Unfortunately, our sense of contentment and happiness only exists by the grace of death, destruction and illness. A statement that is difficult to digest and accept, perhaps, but sadly enough, it is the truth. Paradise actually exists because of the presence of hell. Compare it with the day, which could not exist and could not be conceived in our imagination if the night were not there. The realization that things can often be worse, for ourselves or for others, allows us to be satisfied with our current situation and our fate.
Health, vitality
Health is the greatest asset for almost everyone. It is better to be poor and healthy than rich and sick is the opinion of many. However, that realization is only possible if we have understood what illness means. Especially when we have personally experienced physical discomfort, but also when we see what sometimes happens to others. What we receive every day through the media is enough to be grateful for our own health. It gives a feeling of satisfaction if we are not hindered (too much) by physical or mental limitations at the moment, because we know so well that things are often dramatically different.
War and peace
A person’s greatest fear is that he/she is confronted with the misery of war or occupation. The death and destruction that war can cause is indescribable. Battlefield, deportation, rape, plunder, arson, widows and orphans are some of the keywords that illustrate the horror of war. How fortunate we are that we have been free from such traumatic experiences since 1945.
Material prosperity
A child who lacks nothing has no idea that things can be different, and can therefore act like the proverbial annoying spoiled child. Clear proof of the statement that you can only be satisfied when you realize that things can also be different. Only when you experience later in life that material prosperity is not at all self-evident will you appreciate that you can survive on your income by living frugally. The realization that things can be done differently makes you enjoy that cup of coffee that you can afford on the terrace twice as much. Actually, you need the poverty of others to be satisfied with your own income.
Life and death
If death did not exist we would absolutely not be able to appreciate our lives. We were no longer happy when we woke up in the morning, because it really isn’t fun to live forever. If the retirement age wasn’t even 67,000,000 years old, life would really be hell. Eternal life and Paradise are presented in the Bible as the highest good, but in reality they would be a horror. Because we realize that we must try to enjoy life, because it will soon be over. Psychologist René Diekstra also says: ,Life only has value because it is limited and short.,
Work and play
Resting and enjoying your free time is only possible if a considerable amount of effort has gone into it. That could be a weekend after a working week or a retirement after a lifetime of hard work. Regardless of whether it concerns a paid job, volunteer work or running a household with children. On the other hand, forever and ever vacation is the worst form of boredom a person can experience.
Sex
An exception in a certain sense, because it does not matter whether or not sex is practiced elsewhere in the world in order to enjoy it. We value health because we are aware of illness, but we do not value sex extra because we realize that others may not have it.
Happiness and unhappiness
We feel especially happy because we know that things are very different for many people who are worse off in the world. We live between hope and fear that we will one day end up in similar misery. As long as we and our family remain free from injustice, illness and misery, we are satisfied with a simple walk in nature, with an ordinary sandwich, with a simple home. We experience happiness mainly when we compare ourselves with the very many who are significantly less fortunate, or with our own worse situation from the past.
If, on the other hand, our own situation were not to change, but everyone else in the world were to be materially much better off tomorrow than we are, we would immediately feel unhappy. Just as people in the austere 1950s were happy with much less than they are today, because material well-being is also based on comparison with others. my view on