Social Question

Pandora's avatar

Which life would you rather have?

Asked by Pandora (32205points) July 12th, 2015

I’m curious about how important is happiness to people compared to money.
So I will give you two scenarios and please explain your choice.

Keep in mind that in both scenarios you will be physically and mentally healthy, have a roof over your head, and food to eat and all the general comforts.

Option A
Rich, brilliant, inventive (nobel peace prize winner for curing one form of cancer) good looking but you have absolutely no one you trust and you think everyone is an idiot . So you don’t have friends and you distrust flattery because you always feel you can do better and what you have in the bank isn’t enough. You aren’t sad, but rather annoyed with people and annoyed you wasn’t born in a more advanced time. No one understands you or your frustrations. You wouldn’t know what happiness was if it bit you in the rear, but at the same time you aren’t sad. Just kinda blah, for our lot in life.

Option B
You have a job that pays the bills, and you have a few good friends and loving family that you can depend on and trust. You are marginally smart and even though you don’t trust everyone you don’t distrust everyone. You have had great moments in your life but some very sad ones as well. But you are not bitter from the sad ones. You have your ups and downs but the ups making living worth while. You have known true happiness many times. Even though you haven’t done anything worthy to call mankind attention you certainly will live on in your love ones, so you feel your lot in life was grand.

So which would you choose? Blah, or happy, brilliant or smart, remembered for curing one form of cancer and saving lives in text books, or remembered by a loving family and friend who will tell tales long after you are gone to other family members about how you made a difference in their lives.

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18 Answers

SQUEEKY2's avatar

Sorry, just as long as Mrs Squeeky is with me I will take either, and if Mrs Squeeky can only be with me in choice 2 than that is the one I want.

ZEPHYRA's avatar

@SQUEEKY2 standing ovation with the most resounding applause.

Pandora's avatar

@SQUEEKY2 Yes, Mrs.Squeeky can only be in Option B. Option A has to be a loner.

marinelife's avatar

Option B of course. A sounds like a miserable existence.

cookieman's avatar

I was going to say A because I’m already living B, but now that I find out there’s no Mrs. Squeeky (or in my case Mrs. Cookiewoman) in choice A, I have to stick with B.

DrasticDreamer's avatar

B for me, too. I already distrust pretty much everyone I meet in life, so there’s no way that I would give up the very few people in my world who I love and trust. I couldn’t do it on my own.

Apparently_Im_The_Grumpy_One's avatar

Definitely B.

“A” sounds terrible.

Espiritus_Corvus's avatar

“B” pretty much describes how I’ve spent the past 60 years. I’m quite satisfied with that. I’ve known a few A’s. A few very sharp physicians. For awhile all my sister’s friends were top-rank, world-class athletes. Many of these people were just as you described, and not without good reason in many cases. No thanks.

zenvelo's avatar

“B” for sure. “A” sounds like a miserable existence.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Does option B provide me with a comfortable retirement?

stanleybmanly's avatar

I was going to hop on B until I re read the questions and understood that A seems content with being alone with his success and riches. So the choices are a lifetime of struggle with moments of happiness, or fame, wealth and security all by myself. Personally, I’m grateful for not having the choice, because you gotta ask yourself: if you’re wired with no need for friends or companionship, aren’t you much better equipped to deal with the world?

cookieman's avatar

@stanleybmanly hit the nail on the head. Frankly, if I didn’t already have a wife and daughter, I’d definitely choose A.

Coloma's avatar

I can’t choose because ideally I would incorporate both A.& B.
After all, who wouldn’t want to have it all?
If I must choose I will choose “B.” but can I have the extra IQ points of A. please.
Although I do see the merits of what @stanleybmanly mentions as while I do enjoy a few close friendships and a good relationship with my daughter I am also very content with my own company, not emotionally needy and even though I am an extrovert by nature a lot of people annoy me and I have no problem spending lots of time in solitude. haha

Pandora's avatar

@stanleybmanly You missed where the person is dissatisfied, they feel they never have enough money and living without trust of pretty much everything leads to stress because you will constantly question everyone’s motives and ideas. So no. This person is not equipped to handle the world, just kind of indifferent and annoyed. This person isn’t like Spock from Star Trek. Spock was cool and aloof but he didn’t feel he had a need for luxuries, he also had no real need for a big bank portfolio and he did know happiness.

Darth_Algar's avatar

A would be my choice. B sounds like a miserable existence.

stanleybmanly's avatar

Well, now that you’ve loaded A down with anxieties, I’m certainly prone to revise my answer. At the moment, I’m searching my memory for the number of people I can come up with who believe they have enough money to feel secure The original A appeared more or less indifferent to flattery, and though frustrated with the size of his stash, was not described as psychotic enough about it to be driven to extremes. It seems to me that we require a more concrete description of A. It’s one thing to live without trust, the question is to what lengths is A driven with this distrust of others and quest for money. I’m not willing to state that the life of a miserable neurotic is preferable to B

Pandora's avatar

@stanleybmanly LOL Now that I think of it. I guess he would be a miserable neurotic.
Thanks for clearing that up.

josie's avatar

B
Although it would be cool to cure cancer.

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