Some years ago I developed an extremely painful condition called
polymyalgia rheumatica. My doctor diagnosed
it, prescribed 20 milligrams a day of a medication called prednisone, and in 48
hours I was pain free. I then went on a
very slow declining dosage, the process lasting more than a year, until I reached
a point at which I was taking 2 milligrams a day, something I have been doing
for years now. This morning, out of idle
curiosity, I went on line to see whether there are any bad side effects of
prednisone. Naturally I came up with a
very long list, but one stood out from all the rest:
Inappropriate
happiness.
14 comments:
When is sustainable happiness inappropriate? Now there's a philosopher's question.
when Hume lectures starting?
Term papers are still dribbling in. It will be several weeks.
"When is sustainable happiness inappropriate? Now there's a philosopher's question."
I read this comment quickly and almost failed to notice the "in-". I think that says something troubling about the literary company I keep. :)
Michael, Suppose a sustainable happiness appropriate, as, say, in the case of a terminal cancer patient on morphine. That you cannot conceive of a case of inappropriate sustainable happiness tells me almost as much about your lack of imagination as your lack of logic. By the way, my error if error it were, would have been grammatical not "literary". Ahhh, the company we keep.
I'll thank you to dial back the needless condescension, chief. Your grammar is fine. That was just a humor fail on my part, geez. What I meant to jokingly convey was the fact that I spend an excessive amount of time with pessimistic literature. My literary company (i.e., the authors of the books I read, not you; again, your grammar is fine) have accustomed me to expect the question as, "When is happiness appropriate?" (I.e., "When does happiness not rest on irrationality or illusion?") I was poking fun at the pessimists and at myself, because the suggestion that happiness is never appropriate strikes one as sad and almost comically eccentric.
Reading this made me inappropriately happy too! Stumbled across your lectures on Kant, I am 17 and reading Kant in German so your lectures have been an incredible assistance, both invigorating and informative. Greetings from Austria!
Welcome Ira, and stay safe!
I suppose we would have to ask Suzie if you "suffered" from that side effect. Should we assume that sustainable happiness is, in fact, drug related?
Fwiw, I understood Michael's comment as he intended it the first time around. To me it was crystal clear that "the literary company I keep" was a reference to the (pessimistic) authors he reads.
I always thought that for a marxist, you were irrationally exuberant.
Anonymous,
"Exuberance is Beauty" William Blake
Michael, I think I get your point. This pandemic is driving me to all sorts of vices---intemperance being one of them. The others I don't so much mind.
Same here, my friend. (I've upgraded you from "chief," hehe.) No worries, I appreciate it. Stay safe.
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