This is a great dialogue from one of the recent episodes of the hit series "Heroes". There's a lot of wisdom in it:
(Don't worry. I'm not spoiling anything if you haven't yet watched it.)
A: "I think there comes a time when every man must ask himself whether he wants a life of happiness or a life of meaning."
B: "I would like to have both."
A: "Sorry, my friend. It simply can not be done. Those are two completely different paths. If you choose a life of meaning, you're required to wallow in the past and obsess about the future, but if you choose a life of happiness, you must live completely in the present moment: with no thoughts of what has gone by or what lies ahead."
These are the kind of thoughts that Spencer Johnson's "The Present" is made up of.
This particular dialogue makes me think really hard: Is it really impossible to have both happiness and meaning in one's life?
In any case, if those are the only two choices I would readily choose a Life of Happiness. Which path would you choose?
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18 comments:
Q. Who said to whom?
A. Dr. Suresh said to Sylar
NONO!! Linderman said to Petrelli
Nandu ade same paathu.
Yardu? Petrelli da?
Alvo... Ade happiness paathu. Meaning path alla. Nirvana paathu.
Who is Linderman?
that old guy da
my strategy is working!!
now people who have not watched the show know that Linderman is some old guy #:-)
..but the funny thing is no one realised that this was happening to them :-}
notification: I have changed everyone's membership to "Admin" status. learnt how to do it today.
@Pavan: See if you can edit the Sudhi story.
Hey iam not able to post a blog....
I am "planning" to write CAT this year.Any suggestions??
my suggestion is WRITE IT
Suggestion 2: Hang around with Ketan on weekends to study for CAT
serious suggestion: start with solving papers
If you dint know, there is no such thing as free will. This very reliable source has proven it over and again. So, I don't get to choose the path. Its already chosen. I am just walking it. Why did Petrelli choose what he chose? I mean, Linderman knew he would choose just that and nothing else. Otherwise it would have been a very huge gamble, right?
@Pavan: i read dilbert blog too, and most ideas are acceptable. didn't really think abt them, i just enjoy reading.
even without free will, the "intelligence" of the universe might want you to suddenly change your path. the path that was planned for you might involve sudden change at the point of being asked this question. What do you say?
[ i like these intellectual arguments/puerile conflicts ]
Well, its not that the intelligence of the Universe suddenly decides something. Even the Universe doesn't have free will. Its all decided and if the change of path happens, its because it was bound to happen.
Having said that, I am seriously not a believer of non-existance of free will. Until they come up with a better theory, I will continue to trust Heisenberg and hence know that beyond the constraint of Planck Constant, nothing can be certainly measured. So, nothing is completely fixed. Things are still constrained by the Uncertainity Laws.
Heisenberg came up with the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle in 1927; the year 1927 fell in the period between the 2 wars =>
World War 1(1914-1918) and
World War 2(1939-1945)
there was lot of uncertainty then, now(2007) the principle is obsolete and not applicable.
He had a disclaimer.
Hope this is useful.
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