"Excitement deprives children of happiness" column

[The Buzz]

Normally Buzzy sticks to the "Industry Buzz" forum, but when he read this column, he felt like he had to post it, and it certainly doesn't qualify as Industry Buzz.

World Net Daily is a "news" site that is dedicated mainly to promoting the Conservative Christian ethos.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/articl...TICLE_ID=57030

This column came to Buzzy's attention because he has a Google alert set for "Internet gambling," and both the Internet and gambling are mentioned in the article, though there is no specific mention of "Internet gambling."

Regardless, here are the opening two paragraphs of the column.

If you want your children to be happy adults and even happy children – and what parent does not? – minimize the excitement in their lives. The more excitement, the less happy they are likely to be.

In both adults and children, one can either pursue excitement or pursue happiness, but one cannot do both. If you pursue excitement, you will not attain happiness. If you pursue happiness, you will still experience some moments of excitement, but you will attain happiness only if happiness, not excitement, is your goal.

Buzzy is curious what the GPWA thinks of this notion. Are excitement and happiness mutually exclusive?

And he couldn't end the thread without including this gem from the column ...

If (your children) are bored, they will have to remedy that boredom by playing with friends, finding a hobby, talking to a family member, walking the dog, doing chores, reading a book or magazine, learning a musical instrument or foreign language, memorizing state capitals, writing a story or just their thoughts, exercising or playing a sport, or just thinking.

There's some merit in this argument, but memorizing state capitals?

[ntaus]

I don't think so. Trying to think how excitement could end in a lack of happiness and can't come up with any examples. A disappointment after excited anticipation maybe. Wouldn't that be the exception rather than the rule?

The first thought of how to overcome this argument is the excitement a child would feel on looking forward to its birthday party. I would think that finally having the party would engender happiness.

Childish reactions and adult reactions are universal imho. Maybe the Christian ethic is towards moderation - but that is Socratic and nothing to do with Christianity.

Giving it more thought, I think they're full of it.

ntaus

[big fish]

i don't know about this...

they seem to be contradicting themselves greatly because memorizing state capitals is very exciting. i think they will be introducing it into the x-games in 2008.

but seriously... these guys are crazy. i think they are completely wrong. i LOVE adventure and excitement. that’s what gets me going.

[GPWA Aaron]

i LOVE adventure and excitement. that’s what gets me going.

Well then you must be one miserable person ... kidding of course.

[Fergie]

Reading the entire article, I think the writer made a very poor choice in the use of the word "excitement", when what he seems to be saying is that spoiling kids deprives them from happiness.

That being the case, I'd say that in some respect he is right. Children who are spoiled grow up to feel that others owe them something, and tend to be unhappy people in general.

More from the article:

When we give our child a present, he experiences excitement, and we are delighted when we see how happy he is. When done occasionally – a holiday, a birthday – this is perfectly fine and even beneficial. Children should have those special moments and remember forever that wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah or birthday present.

But because we parents so delight in the excitement we see in our children at those moments – because they seem so happy then – we can easily fall into the trap of providing more and more exciting things to keep them seemingly happy at just about every moment. And they in turn come to rely on getting excited to keep them happy and to identify excitement with happiness.

-- my bold. (Also, bolded sentence makes little sense to me. The problem with spoiling kids is a lot more compex than that.)

He makes a valid point, but unfortunately the article is written in such a way that it's hard to see how it wouldn't be misconstrued, and the use of the word 'excitement' garbles the logic. I think the author is a twit.

[villa10]

Prager's speech is a canned argument all around the world.
Just think that the worst crimes against the humanity were done during the years with very few tech in this planet.

I was a bored kid, performing all his recipe, with the sole exception of capital memorizing......