Is your personal happiness the most important thing in your life, or would you give it up for your principles?

Question

Would you willingly live a life of unhappiness in order to not violate one of your principles? If so, which ones. Please include your religion and what country you are in, if that's not too difficult. Thanks.

Answer 1

The most important thing in my life is a balance between personal happiness and the happiness of those I love.

Would I violate one of my principles for personal happiness - possibly, depending on how much I'd have to violate it, and which principle. One of my principles is I don't take what isn't mine. But if I could steal a 10p chocolate bar from a multinational company, which would give me eternal happiness, I'd do it. I'd never kill someone, never pretend to believe in something I don't believe in, never cause harm to someone else for personal gain, though.

No religion, and from England.

Answer 2

There are a lot of people who get great satisfaction from making others happy. Parents are a basic example of the "self-sacrifice" principal taught in the Bible, volunteer missionaries would be an extreme example. Pretty much all of the principals found in the Bible are in between those two extremes.

So, yes, personal happiness would be the most important thing for me.

(Religion doesn't matter when you believe in equality among human beings, but I'm a garden variety Protestant.)

Answer 3

I don't think you really know what happiness is. It comes from within - not from your life situation or stuff you have.

You can give up comforts for principles and still be quite happy. I am living my principles right now...and I am very happy. Nothing in this world nor anything that could happen to me is able take my happiness away.

(Mystic/yogi - USA)

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 4

You're right- but only partly. What you think was absolutely right when Aristotle was around. Since then, philosophy has branched out into other disciplines, mathematics and physics, for example. Scholasticism that held sway till renaissance served as handmaid of religion. Which, in effect, means a dogmatic conclusion was given and philosophy had to find proofs to justify it. I believe Kant was the pioneer of modern philosophy. He removed the last traces of scholasticism but in the process, he turned metaphysics upside down. Contemporary philosophy has an extremely delicate task to perform. It has to find the ultimate law with which facts gleaned by other sciences can fit in. In this sense, it stands at a second remove from observable facts ( observable is used here in widest sense). I agree you've put philosophy on the pedestal it deserves. But I disagree it should be a major subject alongside math and science throughout grade school. My argument is pupils lack maturity level to understand philosophy. We have to wait till one has grasped most of the facts. To give an example, Stephen Hawking's attempt to find TOE (Theory of Everything) is really philosophical in nature.

Answer 5

I wouldn't violate one of my principles to make myself happy. Actually, I am happy while living by my principles. I have no desire to do things that seem unethical or immoral (to me).

However, I would violate one of my principles to survive (or for the survival of my children). Example: Kill or be killed.


Oh--I'm agnostic in U.S.

Answer 6

My life is in Christ who makes my life joyful and the principles of GOD are my principles.

Answer 7

Good question!

I wont practice evil, anything that seems to be evil, i have rejected. but i have suffered many things, in various types of tortures and mental torments. like being poisoned with Meth, or Lsd. Against mywill.
in the beginning such poisons create an intoxication, but continued poisoning against my will, have cause torment beyound the ability to endure.
They do not make me happy, they make sleep deprivation and Insomnia is a sickness unto itself.
for seven years I prayed to die, rather than endure this evil, at the hands of the followers of satan. So i chose to follow principles of faith, and NOT to join these people, rather than be happy.
as for seeing doctors, i tried several kinds of anti depressants and anti psychotics. but the greater the dosage of prescriptiom drugs the HIGHER and more stoned i became. in effect i was more miserable with the medicines of the world, rather than endure the sleep deprivation of my enemies.
70 million people suffer from insomnia in america alone!
insomnia is not a symptom of STRESS and workaholics, it is a symptom of Evil and wicked devices in the land.

Answer 8

If all americans were as Christian as they claim, they'd give all they're money away.

Answer 9

u.s.a.,i am spiritual,not religious,but believe in serving God by helping others and selflessness and compassion and love.only through putting God and others before myself do i feel closer to the creator and find happiness