I say the kind of happiness distinctive of man, because the happiness of pigs, which the enemies of Epicurus accused him of seeking, is not possible for men. If you try to make yourself content with the happiness of the pig, your suppressed potentialities will make you miserable. True happiness for human beings is possible only to those who develop their godlike potentialities to the utmost. For such men, in the world of the present day, happiness must be mixed with much pain, since they cannot escape sympathetic suffering in the spectacle of the sufferings of others.
Source： Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, part II: The Conflict of Passions, chapter 10: Prologue or Epilogue? n4
More info.：https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-2_1005.htm
* a brief comment:
Since I like watching TV, I watch a variety of programs every day. I often watch NHK and NHK Educational TV, but I also watch some programs on commercial channels, especially special features and variety shows that aren't too sarcastic or mean-spirited.
Commercial TV programs are made possible by corporate sponsorship through advertising revenue. However, I sometimes feel dissatisfied when it seems that producers care more about pleasing their sponsors than about how the audience actually feels.
In the case of NHK, they have to create programs that cater to viewers with diverse backgrounds, tastes, and interests, so the content tends to be more restrained. Still, I think many people feel more comfortable watching NHK because it usually avoids mindless noise, exaggeration, and discriminatory content. So depending on how one feels at the moment, switching between NHK and commercial channels seems like a reasonable approach.
That said, I often feel uncomfortable when I see food-related shows where popular celebrity children of famous parents boastfully go around sampling one expensive dish after another. The producers and the celebrities might think they're providing entertainment, but when they keep showing themselves eating such expensive food, so far removed from ordinary people's sense of money, I can't help but feel like saying, "Isn't this the very 'happiness of pigs' that the hedonist Epicurus was accused of seeking?”
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Source： Bertrand Russell: Human Society in Ethics and Politics, 1954, part II: The Conflict of Passions, chapter 10: Prologue or Epilogue? n4
More info.：https://russell-j.com/cool/47T-2_1005.htm
* a brief comment:
Since I like watching TV, I watch a variety of programs every day. I often watch NHK and NHK Educational TV, but I also watch some programs on commercial channels, especially special features and variety shows that aren't too sarcastic or mean-spirited.
Commercial TV programs are made possible by corporate sponsorship through advertising revenue. However, I sometimes feel dissatisfied when it seems that producers care more about pleasing their sponsors than about how the audience actually feels.
In the case of NHK, they have to create programs that cater to viewers with diverse backgrounds, tastes, and interests, so the content tends to be more restrained. Still, I think many people feel more comfortable watching NHK because it usually avoids mindless noise, exaggeration, and discriminatory content. So depending on how one feels at the moment, switching between NHK and commercial channels seems like a reasonable approach.
That said, I often feel uncomfortable when I see food-related shows where popular celebrity children of famous parents boastfully go around sampling one expensive dish after another. The producers and the celebrities might think they're providing entertainment, but when they keep showing themselves eating such expensive food, so far removed from ordinary people's sense of money, I can't help but feel like saying, "Isn't this the very 'happiness of pigs' that the hedonist Epicurus was accused of seeking?”
* Amazon Gift Card