Monday, October 17, 2011

Philosophical Question of the Week

I think I'm going to start these up because I always have these types of discussions with people.

You have to pick an option.  It is an a vacuum so no "what if" or "can I" stuff.

Option A - You get the spend the next year with the person of your dreams.  It will be the most awesome year of your life.  You will travel to the coolest places and see things you may never see again.  The sex will be the best you've ever had and you will never tire of it or that person.  However after a year, it will be over.  They will vanish and you will never see them again.

Option B - You can choose a person to spend the rest of your life with.  They will be dependable and reliable, safe and trustworthy.  They will always have a steady income and always "be there".  However, the relationship will be lukewarm in terms of passion and excitement.  

Pick an option and EXPLAIN why.

14 comments:

  1. A. It's important to be happy and have fun. I have my friends and family to "be there" and they are reliable, safe, trustworthy. Not that I don't want that from my chick but you get my point. In a relationship I expect passion, having a good time and lots of it. One year of the best time in my life vs playing it safe and die of boredom - it's so easy to choose. I know option B kind of couples. They seem so lifeless and have no fun in life. So yes A is my final answer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Option A- Risk= Reward in this situation. This is possibly the one time that I would experience such awesomeness. I have heard that 80% of the average persons life is mediocre, 10% is bad, and 10% is great. This would fall in the +10% range. Lukewarm is like driving a smart car for the rest of your life ,option B. Option A is like having a 1970 split bumper Camaro with a 502 big block that has a blower sticking out of the hood for a commuter car.
    -Marcel

    ReplyDelete
  3. A) I don't think there is a right answer to this. It's going to be dependent on the person. I don't really value stability, and I choose to measure my life by the kinds of experiences I have, so for me, A is a slam dunk. I'd enjoy every minute of that year, and then move on to the next thing. I'd also keep those memories of that year with me for the rest of my life. I feel like playing it safe is more often than not the more boring, regrettable option. It's natural to want to seek security, but I think security is coupled with mediocrity. Dare to give up your security and see where it takes you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A.
    Why: Its better to live for a year than exist for a hundred

    ReplyDelete
  5. Obviously, A, but almost relationships turn into B, or worse, into C, a partner no dependable/reliable/safe...at least by now I´m in B. But maybe I´m the kind of person who plays C.

    ReplyDelete
  6. B. Option A is a narcotic that you'll spend the rest of your life chasing and leaving a lot of carnage in your wake. B is the natural progression of a human relationship. It's what I've been in for years and I couldn't be happier. When I'm feeling "A", I got my memories and my right hand.

    ReplyDelete
  7. B. Basically doing it now and still happy. In my experience people who have done something close to A in their life, after its over are more depressed. The drug comparison is really good, life may be really good when you on it but after you crash it sucks. If it was really worth it wouldn't we all be doing drugs?

    ReplyDelete
  8. So for this to work, if you choose A that's all you get. After a year, there is no more companionship, ever. So the choice is between the greatest year of your life followed by loneliness, or a lukewarm monotonous relationship where you are more friends than lovers. A certainly is tempting but I'd have to go with B under these conditions.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ryan - You're taking liberties with it.

    I think the drug comparison is poor. Lots of people have had short lived-high passion relationships that fizzled out soon, and they got over them. Lots of people don't chase those experiences over and over again, and realize them for what they were/are.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I wonder if the people picking A realize that you'll probably be comparing every relationship after to that year and in the end you would either end up with a B relationship anyway or worse, end up alone.

    I would rather take B than to meet the person of my dreams only to lose them in a short time.

    Reminds me of an exchange in the first Men In Black:

    Will Smith: "Well its better to have love and lost than to never have loved at all."

    Tommy Lee Jones: "Try it sometime."

    ReplyDelete
  11. I find this very intriguing as I started off with A and finsihed up with B, took a bit longer than a year but oh hum! Then again it is freezingly cold never mind lukewarm, though I keep hoping it will change.

    Tony B (UK)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think only you can make your own joy and happiness, or what have you. I have almost always lived on my own terms emotionally, regardless of circumstances. Even though I've lived with severe asthma my entire life and have almost died as a result maybe 15-20 times, I have still been the happiest motherfucker I've ever known through 98% of that.

    So, B. The woman I'm with doesn't define me, I do.

    ReplyDelete
  13. They all might be relevant to this question but #4 the reason I posted this link.

    http://www.cracked.com/article_19376_5-scientific-reasons-your-idea-happiness-wrong.html

    ReplyDelete