Social Question

Rubrica's avatar

If you had to choose between having a social life or being successful, which would you choose?

Asked by Rubrica (613points) October 19th, 2010

You can either:

A: Have a social life, but never make any progress in life, and be rather, well, stupid.

B: Be extremely successful, but be incredibly emotionally stunted and show no interest in other people.

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

25 Answers

JustmeAman's avatar

I would rather be “stupid” but to say that means that I am not. But this recalls a poem for me about a guy that has all the money in the world but is so lonely he comes home and puts a bullet in his head.

Cruiser's avatar

Do both have access to Fluther and the internet??

CyanoticWasp's avatar

Wow, how thrilled would I be if I could actually pick one or the other?

BoBo1946's avatar

To be successful, you have to do both. Social skills are large part of being successful.

crazyivan's avatar

Wow, I was going to go for social life (the choice I actually made in life) until I saw that you included stupid as a prerequisite. Of course, being emotionally stunted is another form of stupidity, so both of your choices require a person to choose being stupid.

Can I answer© Be neither successful nor social nor stupid?

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

Psha, successful ftw.

downtide's avatar

I am already in position A (including the being rather stupid bit) and that’s where I’ll stay.

CMaz's avatar

B will lead to A.

So I go with B.

A will can lead to B or a dead end.

Coloma's avatar

Depends on how you define ‘success.’

I have never been desirious of being in a ‘lonely at the top’ posistion in life.

Why isn’t there a 3rd category for intelligent& social but opts out of the game and still lives well? lol

Loried2008's avatar

I’m with @BoBo1946 I don’t believe it’s possible to be successful without social skills. I’d personally be happier with the “stupid” choice.

cazzie's avatar

I’d like to be successful because I’m already the other stuff you mention in option B.

CMaz's avatar

“I don’t believe it’s possible to be successful without social skills.”

Howard Hughes did it.

JustmeAman's avatar

No it was only later in life that Howard became a recluse but a lot of his success was money he inherited when he was 19. Not to say he didn’t work hard for more but he did many social events before he became how his final years were.

Joybird's avatar

Isn’t having a social life one measure of success? Success has so many different definitions. For all basic purposes I am successful in alot of ways…none of which have led to financial wealth. But to those people who are painfully shy, suffer debilitating social anxiety or some other issue that has stunted their acquisition of friends….having a social life wouldn’t be just success..it’d be a miracle and they would feel like they had overcome all obstacles in life.

The_Idler's avatar

How the fuck can you be successful, with no emotions or interest in other people!?

Successful at what?
What are you supposed to do all day, smoke joints rolled with $100’s? Skeet shoot with the royal china?

Coloma's avatar

@The_Idler

Easy,happens every day if you’re a sociopathic narcissist. hahaha

Frenchfry's avatar

Be successful. There is always online friends. LOL

SuperMouse's avatar

I would rather have a social life, but I am not convinced that would make me stupid. I have turned down promotions and given up good positions because I did not want to deal with the stress. Give me my relationships any day.

josie's avatar

Survival is the first order of business.
I take success, and figure out how to make do without the other.

nikipedia's avatar

Assuming the two are mutually exclusive, A.

YARNLADY's avatar

I would choose to successful, as long as no social life does not include my family. I really do like my family.

rooeytoo's avatar

Successful without a doubt. I am by nature a loner, enjoy my own company and that of my dogs. I would like to keep my mate too however.

Pepshort's avatar

Assuming that ‘successful’ is defined in materialistic terms, in my mind the answer to this question is clear. Without a social life—those to whom I can express love, and be nurtured in return—is a life where one is ‘alive’, but not truly ‘living.’ An indispensible component of a happy, well-lived life is one that involves meaningful relationships with others. A successful life only is limited to a relationship with ‘things.’ How sad. In the words of that great philosopher George Strait—there’s a difference between living, and living well :)

gm_pansa's avatar

as people always enter and leave my existance…......
most definitely i’d choose to be successful.

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