GTDH (Glad That Didn’t Happen)

By Daniel Miessler on November 21st, 2009: Tagged as Philosophy

garden

I think a really useful mind-altering drug would be an injection or inhaler that temporarily convinces you something really bad just happened to you. The main problem with humans is we fail to realize how good we have it, and this would help by showing how it could be much worse.

So, you could buy different strengths. You could get flat tire, fender bender, or, if you’re really depressed, you could go for the ‘cancer’ or ‘death of child’ options.

The way they’d work is you’d temporarily be thrown into this world–much like in a bad dream–and when you awoke after a few minutes you’d instantly realize that thing didn’t actually happen.

For that moment, or perhaps the rest of the day or week, you’d appreciate the life you have. ::

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CarlM

Just watch Jerry Springer. It will have the duel effect of making you appreciate your own life and making you worry about the state of life in general. … just about the same effect as your hypothetical drug but with the extra (dis)advantage that it's available now.
http://thedailypanel.blogspot.com/ Ben Carlsen

There's a problem there with clinical depression, though. I realize that isn't what you're talking about, but you reminded me of it. I've known some folks that say that treatment doesn't work for them, and it only makes them feel worse. Basically, they don't know why they're feeling depressed, and someone tries to make them feel better by telling them how good they really have it, and it only makes them feel worse because they know they ought to feel good but they don't. Also, it doesn't help to tell people that other people have it worse, because it only makes them feel terrible about how badly those people have it.

I think this would work for a number of people though. Kind of reminded me of the thing from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Don't know if it was in the books, or only in the original radio series. Basically, all the known diseases and injuries in the galaxy had been cured, and people didn't know what it was like to be ill or injured. So, they came up with pills that would give you the sensation of diseases and injuries, to make things a little less boring.
http://www.simonsarris.com simonsarris

Whenever something bad happens to me or one of my friends, I always say, “Worse things have happened to better people.”

Similarly for when people complain about strange first-world ills

I think some kind of perspective is necessary to carry with you. Everyone has bouts of melancholy, of course, but it is really remarkable the amount of situations that stress people out.
http://thedailypanel.blogspot.com/ Ben Carlsen

There's a problem there with clinical depression, though. I realize that isn't what you're talking about, but you reminded me of it. I've known some folks that say that treatment doesn't work for them, and it only makes them feel worse. Basically, they don't know why they're feeling depressed, and someone tries to make them feel better by telling them how good they really have it, and it only makes them feel worse because they know they ought to feel good but they don't. Also, it doesn't help to tell people that other people have it worse, because it only makes them feel terrible about how badly those people have it.

I think this would work for a number of people though. Kind of reminded me of the thing from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Don't know if it was in the books, or only in the original radio series. Basically, all the known diseases and injuries in the galaxy had been cured, and people didn't know what it was like to be ill or injured. So, they came up with pills that would give you the sensation of diseases and injuries, to make things a little less boring.
http://www.simonsarris.com simonsarris

Whenever something bad happens to me or one of my friends, I always say, “Worse things have happened to better people.”

Similarly for when people complain about strange first-world ills

I think some kind of perspective is necessary to carry with you. Everyone has bouts of melancholy, of course, but it is really remarkable the amount of situations that stress people out.

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