Post by Teddy Bear on May 4, 2007 21:02:30 GMT
Happiness that ‘is only in the mind’ – and not in substance, is unsubstantial
A Unicef study involving 21 developed countries showed that British children were the least satisfied with their lives, while the World Health Organisation predicts that childhood psychiatric disorders will rise by 50 per cent by 2020.
That’s a fairly damning indictment of our society, despite the government telling us that we’ve never had it so good. So how can they account for this anomaly? Wouldn’t the natural thing to do, if they were sincere about solving it, to be at least circumspect and examine the reasons for children here to be so low on the ‘happiness index, and address those issues?
Marriage and relationship values are increasingly breaking down, not least due to confusion of roles and aims. Studies showed that even the time spent commuting, often doubled due to both parents needing to drive to work on already overcrowded roads, means less quality time at home, further fracturing the family unit. Less time at home, more fast food options instead of wholesome cooked meals, thus increasing obesity. Less time spent communicating, relating, and interacting.
Is it surprising, even solely for the above factors, that depression increases? How could it be otherwise?
More money has not translated to ‘better quality of life’, just better quality of cars, furniture and TV’s that fill our lives. The cement of our society, that which gave us pride and hope for the future has steadily eroded into an ever growing PC nanny state, where the ‘nannies’ either don’t have a clue, or cut too many corners of what is truly needed for a positive environment. Patriotism and excellence have ceased to be in our vocabulary, because what in the present do we have to engender these feelings?
But for the government to admit the above, not to mention the hundreds of other contributing factors, would be to say that they got it wrong. But we’ve long since stopped expecting any kind of integrity or honesty from any government, further increasing the ‘knock-on’ effect in our society, and subsequent depression. So instead, they’re plan is to teach happiness in schools.
All schoolchildren should have "happiness" lessons up to the age of 18 to combat growing levels of depression, according to a senior Government adviser.
Pupils should study subjects such as how to manage feelings, attitudes to work and money, channelling negative emotions and even how to take a critical view of the media, said Lord Richard Layard, a Labour peer and professor of economics at the London School of Economics.
Now I don’t think there’s anything wrong with teaching the above elements of life, and they may well enhance the future of our children and generations to come. But it’s the ‘cart before horse’ reasons for doing it that will merely compound the confusion of kids.
The very elements of life that create happiness naturally have been eroded. Instead of putting them back the government is going to try and reprogram kids on how to get by without them, and later wonder why failure of future generations will increase.
Corrupt beings never really understand their stupidity, and how they eventually get hoisted with their own petard.
A Unicef study involving 21 developed countries showed that British children were the least satisfied with their lives, while the World Health Organisation predicts that childhood psychiatric disorders will rise by 50 per cent by 2020.
That’s a fairly damning indictment of our society, despite the government telling us that we’ve never had it so good. So how can they account for this anomaly? Wouldn’t the natural thing to do, if they were sincere about solving it, to be at least circumspect and examine the reasons for children here to be so low on the ‘happiness index, and address those issues?
Marriage and relationship values are increasingly breaking down, not least due to confusion of roles and aims. Studies showed that even the time spent commuting, often doubled due to both parents needing to drive to work on already overcrowded roads, means less quality time at home, further fracturing the family unit. Less time at home, more fast food options instead of wholesome cooked meals, thus increasing obesity. Less time spent communicating, relating, and interacting.
Is it surprising, even solely for the above factors, that depression increases? How could it be otherwise?
More money has not translated to ‘better quality of life’, just better quality of cars, furniture and TV’s that fill our lives. The cement of our society, that which gave us pride and hope for the future has steadily eroded into an ever growing PC nanny state, where the ‘nannies’ either don’t have a clue, or cut too many corners of what is truly needed for a positive environment. Patriotism and excellence have ceased to be in our vocabulary, because what in the present do we have to engender these feelings?
But for the government to admit the above, not to mention the hundreds of other contributing factors, would be to say that they got it wrong. But we’ve long since stopped expecting any kind of integrity or honesty from any government, further increasing the ‘knock-on’ effect in our society, and subsequent depression. So instead, they’re plan is to teach happiness in schools.
All schoolchildren should have "happiness" lessons up to the age of 18 to combat growing levels of depression, according to a senior Government adviser.
Pupils should study subjects such as how to manage feelings, attitudes to work and money, channelling negative emotions and even how to take a critical view of the media, said Lord Richard Layard, a Labour peer and professor of economics at the London School of Economics.
Now I don’t think there’s anything wrong with teaching the above elements of life, and they may well enhance the future of our children and generations to come. But it’s the ‘cart before horse’ reasons for doing it that will merely compound the confusion of kids.
The very elements of life that create happiness naturally have been eroded. Instead of putting them back the government is going to try and reprogram kids on how to get by without them, and later wonder why failure of future generations will increase.
Corrupt beings never really understand their stupidity, and how they eventually get hoisted with their own petard.