Slavoj Žižek | Why Be Happy When You Could Be Interesting? | Big Think

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Interesting?
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Slavoj Žižek is a Slovenian philosopher and cultural critic. He is a professor at the European Graduate School, International Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, Birkbeck College, University of London, and a senior researcher at the Institute of Sociology, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. His books include Living in the End Times, First as Tragedy, Then as Farce, In Defense of Lost Causes, four volumes of the Essential Žižek, and Event: A Philosophical Journey Through a Concept.
Žižek received his Ph.D. in Philosophy in Ljubljana studying Psychoanalysis. He has been called the "Elvis of philosophy" and an "academic rock star." His work calls for a return to the Cartesian subject and the German Ideology, in particular the works of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling. Slavoj Žižek's work draws on the works of Jacques Lacan, moving his theory towards modern political and philosophical issues, finding the potential for liberatory politics within his work. But in all his turns to these thinkers and strands of thought, he hopes to call forth new potentials in thinking and self-reflexivity. He also calls for a return to the spirit of the revolutionary potential of Lenin and Karl Marx.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Slavoj Zizek: You know, happiness is for me a very conformist category. It doesn't enter the frame. You have a serious ideological deviation at the very beginning of a famous proclamation of independence -- you know, pursuit of happiness. If there is a point in psychoanalysis, it is that people do not really want or desire happiness, and I think it’s good that it is like that.
For example, let’s be serious: when you are in a creative endeavor, in that wonderful fever--“My God, I’m onto something!” and so on--, happiness doesn't enter it. You are ready to suffer. Sometimes scientists--I read history of quantum physics or earlier of radiation--were even ready to take into account the possibility that they will die because of some radiation and so on. Happiness is, for me, an unethical category.
And also, we don't really want to get what we think that we want. The classical story that I like, the traditional male chauvinist scenario: I am married to a wife, relations with her are cold, and I have a mistress, and all the time I dream, “Oh my God, if my wife were to disappear . . . ,” I’m not a murderer, but let us say, “it would open up new life for me with the mistress.” You know what every psychoanalyst will tell you quite often happens? That then, for some reason, wife goes away, you lose the mistress, also.
You thought this is all I want. When you had it there, you found out that it was a much more complex situation, where what you want is not really to live with the mistress but to keep her at a distance as an object of desire about which you dream. And this is not just an excessive situation. I claim that this is how things function. We don't really want what we think we desire.
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[@King_of_carrot_flowers]

These pieces should be better named. He criticized the true desirability of happiness, but said nothing about being interesting.

[@Medytacjusz]

Maybe, but you can treat the title as adding to the lecture not just a summary. Reading the title again might be a key to prompt new interpretations of what has been said.

[@Proud2btongan109]

+Bartosz Szafarz If so, that is called manipulation of content. The media does it all the time. "See it the way I see it, you fucking idiot"

[@Medytacjusz]

Indeed, sometimes it is. You see it all the time in articles on "science": "scientists prove that X kills cancer", when they have neither proven, nor does it kill it completely, nor is it cancer in general (perhaps specific type under specific conditions). But here? I don't know. I think there's fine line, especially when it comes to more creative content (opinions, interpretations, art) as opposed to just facts. Look at titles of books, for example. This video is not really reporting on Zizek, this video is Zizek. It's not like the title contradicts what is being said. Plus we shouldn't treat consumers as idiots who just read the title. They will get the difference if they watch the whole thing and they should know, that it might not be Zizek himself who wrote the title (but he might have been involved - we don't know!).

[@juanmoralesvideo]

Perhaps it is a typo. May be it should be *be INTERESTED on something*, I guess.

[@saxongreen78]

...didn't need to talk about being interesting - he just IS interesting!

[@shankarlakshmanan6167]

“There are only two tragedies in life: One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.” - Oscar Wilde

[@jamespower5165]

I thought it was Bernard Shaw?

[@martinlavic1082]

@@jamespower5165 he heard it on simpsons

[@michaelwright8896]

@@jamespower5165 The quote by Shaw is not quite that it's: “There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it.”

[@ducatusmediolanensismappin8292]

@@jamespower5165 well, it's actually a Wilde's quote. I think he read it in "The picture of Dorian Gray", as I did. Bernard Shaw's quote is quite different.

[@TheOmerCookie]

Damn that's wilde

[@fsands69]

his accent makes him sound even wiser. Sounds like the wise man in the mountain you find when you're lvl 90

[@namanshah8354]

Lmao I get this 101 and I've started implementing it already

[@patrikburda]

@ThyPeasantSlayer the fuck.. no :D

[@patrikburda]

@ThyPeasantSlayer no its not.. Obviously you know shiat about Czechia so I dont really get why you even argue with me. Edit: I'm from Czechia so that should settle it...

[@Capytain]

@ThyPeasantSlayer don’t spread wrong information, he is from Slovenia

[@mariag5306]

@ThyPeasantSlayer he is Slovenian. My dad used to speak with the same accent.

[@ChrisKogos]

*Sniffs philosophically*

[@shnawtf69420]

😢 (philosophically)

[@ChrisKogos]

@@shnawtf69420 that's what I said yes

[@kshitiztiwari8227]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@xHannibal]

A very accurate statement.

[@tripney6745]

He says nothing about being interesting bcoz if happiness is a cliche and everyone tries to avoid discomfort and you know this and you find the sweet gray area that Grey area is f*ckin interesting I'm tell you

[@JoeMcKenzie888]

In German, passion is called "Leidenschaft", the ability to endure "Leid" (suffering).

[@KristianKoci]

Amazing (y)

[@briandonovan1584]

Interesting ... I have suffered long and profoundly. My endurance of that suffering and surviving that suffering has made me the passionate, decent, kind and charitable man that I am today.

[@JJDvorshak]

Me too.

[@KrisVesel]

In English passion used to mean "suffering", such as "The Passion of Christ". It's not about da Geezus getting it on.

[@briandonovan1584]

Kris Vesely Jeeezus was a mentally deranged homeless guy.

[@samuelmontenegroserniotti7146]

Land owner: Your rent is late. Me, as a man of culture: *You dont really want what you think you desire.*

[@valberm]

Besides, if me paying you would make you happy: why be happy if you can be interesting?

[@ButterBeanCW]

If the tenet goes away, so does the house. You just need the tenet as an object of desire. ;)

[@aperture0]

Bully Maguire: "You'll get the rent when you fix this damn door!"

[@SuryaSen001]

@@aperture0 beat me to it

[@aperture0]

@@SuryaSen001 lol

[@Killerean]

We're not really pursuing happiness, we are pursuing the pursuit of happiness.

[@mattvoica4617]

this is why will smith with his son are still one of my favourite influences. ( relatable )

[@_randomyoutubeuser]

@@mattvoica4617 "that's how we do it"

[@co-bruh1423]

Life is the journey, not the destination

[@aesshole876]

​@@mattvoica4617 yeah same my dad loves to slap people too

[@ryandainsberg8997]

They call this the “Utopia Paradox”

[@michaelgonzalez2415]

"He who has a why for his existence can bear almost any how." Friedrich Nietzsche

[@remhawk73]

Not syphilis though

[@thegingerbreadman5149]

“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” A great quote for when I was in a very dark place.

[@ClarkPotter]

Thank you for the quote. It helped me today. I'm writing it down and posting it.

[@thewatermelon3831]

I saw this phrase first in 'Man's Search for Meaning' by Viktor Frankl. Didn't know it was Nietzsche who coined it!

[@elpatas8879]

A good way to justify being in hell.

[@ulasgursoy2838]

“Ultimately, it is the desire, not the desired, that we love.” “Whoever reaches his ideal transcends it eo ipso.” F. Nietzsche

[@MrVarunparmar]

Nietzsche was the most inaccurate mind scientist out there.Every single theory of his is falsified.Quoting him is like quoting Churchill as a hero

[@krainex]

@@MrVarunparmar how so

[@MrVarunparmar]

@@krainex maybe just Google..Freud falsified or something..

[@krainex]

@@MrVarunparmar i just did and google didnt show anything conrete. Elaborete

[@milkbath]

Kradisasht and who the fuck are you?

[@schroeder666]

People misunderstand the point of this video. Slavoj is not laying out an argument on what happiness is, or saying happiness is bad. He is saying that attempting to establish a lucid, conscious category of substantive happiness is faulty and delusional because you are really chasing the strength of your desire, and the sustainability of that desire as it lingers on some horizon, rather than happiness itself.

[@swat22camden]

Well said. For example, a guy with a bike will say if I only had a car I would be happy. Then he gets a car. If I only had a nice house now. Then he gets a nice house. If only I had a few more friends. If only I had more likes. If only I had a girlfriend. If only I had [insert anything here]. I used to live that way but once you have that you're like "now what?" Then coming up with another excuse like "if I only had" a better version of whatever. That's not happiness.

[@hanawana]

Schroeder my god, you’re eloquent! Beautifully articulated.

[@MichelleHell]

i became happier when i stopped trying to be happy.

[@carlrdbro1230]

@@swat22camden "If only I had awareness that attempting to achieve happiness by actively searching for it wouldn't work, I could be happy" It's a little bit of a paradox isn't it?

[@everlastingideas8625]

It could be said like this: happiness is not a goal and should never be seen as such, it s a line that gets further away the more we chase it. It s better to give up in it as a goal, find happiness in the little things of everyday while accepting the suffering that we have to ensure in this life to be and achieve. That s how I see it.

[@Eemes1000]

In the immortal words of Don Draper: what is happiness? It's the moment before you want more happiness.

[@sontinos528]

or as Adorno said, happiness only exists in our memories...

[@ce6236]

@@sontinos528 do u care or just a comment

[@fikus5903]

wtf i never expected to see a tf2 comp veteran in a random yt comment section

[@Eemes1000]

@@fikus5903 lmao

[@markofsaltburn]

He was an alcoholic who had traumatised his daughter by shagging in front of her.

[@opedromagico]

Lesson learned: get a mistress. Thanks Slavj!

[@MeMyself-rt3on]

In your imagination

[@Elias_Cepeda]

Or get married. Be unhappy to have an excuse for leaving your wife. Then keep being unhappy pretending you want the opposite.

[@Ioanides001]

No, get a wife AND a mistress

[@brucetenet6140]

sai daqui BR

[@floriancazacu4504]

@@Ioanides001 a mistress implies you have a wife. Otherwise it's just your girlfriend...

[@tylerelliott4516]

What a fantastic combination of accents and speech impediments. He sounds incredible.

[@dejureclaims8214]

+Tyler Elliott Wowee! That your girlfriend? Ahem... Bravo.

[@tylerelliott4516]

+Alex Stein Yep.

[@mikeandvickyinshanghai]

+Tyler Elliott The great thing is, Zizek would probably be laughing with that statement as well and that's why I love him.

[@leninalopez2912]

+Tyler Elliott I keep saying... is the only thing with a worst english than an Indian or Australian and, yet, perfectly intelligible!

[@tylerelliott4516]

+Dan iel I'm not sure if English if your first language, so I'll forgive you. 'Fantastic' and 'incredible' are not insults. I was being genuine.

[@patodiblasi]

We - don't - really - want - to get - what... we...... think - that we want.

[@patodiblasi]

?

[@briandonovan1584]

Ummm ... I think you mean "raping" not "rapping."

[@limitless1692]

+patodiblasi so he is thinking for me so i am a stupid moron person who doesn't know nothing and i have , MUST fallow him ! THAT IS A DANGEROUS PATH MY FRIEND .

[@user-eb9rl5bp7o]

It's so amazing for entry level english practicing

[@patricksputnick5094]

How do you know that ? I want what I want and You and Zizek want what you want. Or did I miss something.

[@quantumastrologer5599]

Zizek on a lifelong quest to make everybody miserable. Love this guy so much.

[@nicolasmemmolo4785]

​@@RihardNovacan Exactly. It's far easier to sell the idea that one's sole goal is to achieve happiness, and it's far more profitable to do so, also. It's the desire for something what keeps us moving. We may achieve it, enjoy it and, eventually, move on to the next thing. Happiness is a temporary condition, not the goal.

[@Ryan-nq3qp]

@@RihardNovacan Exactly. I think what people fail to comprehend time and time again is how we acclimate to our achieved desires. We as humans adapt so quickly to a change in circumstances, whether that means new material possessions or living under more desirable conditions. Every new positive change becomes the norm after a short while at which point anything less will seem like a serious downgrade.

[@ClaytonLivsey]

He has been known to say 'the first task of philosophy is to make you realize what deep shit you are in'

[@thefasco4424]

"When you are in a creative endeavour, that wonderful fever; 'my god I'm onto something' happiness doesn't enter" This is because happiness is already present from the moment the endeavour starts. This view that Zizek has comes about when you see happiness as the goal rather than the process, like Aristotle implied 'Happiness is constant, if you feel happiness arising and subsiding you are not experiencing happiness'.

[@pedrosantos6183]

Purpose is more important than happiness

[@joeschmoe1193]

Happiness is doing something useful. That is called whistling while you work. If you whistle while you work you are doing what you like to do as opposed to drudgery. One doesn't whistle when doing drudgery.

[@Ray2311us]

The worst of happiness is when something or someone comes to disturb it. Now whatever that thing or someone is, they or it becomes tainted into the mind that was in a happy bliss to be a red flag or a trigger. Happiness is but a chemical reaction within us that feels like dancing without judgement. The moment the dancer senses judgement is the moment the dance becomes tainted with hatred or resentment.

[@Ray2311us]

People with bipolar disorder have this because in low states of chi, the chemical reactions are very suggestible towards switching between happiness and or anger/sadness.

[@Ray2311us]

You also see this in older people.

[@sreeharip8901]

This topic is so interesting and he even forgot about touching his nose.

[@matheu5mato517]

But he did

[@vamseekrishnathinnuru3425]

0:12 , 1:02 and 1:35

[@Baraa.K.Mohammad]

@@vamseekrishnathinnuru3425 not nearly enough.... I'm not interested anymore!!!

[@mariag5306]

Are you getting a little picky? lol

[@Nicole-rq8ix]

"After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true"-Spock

[@kirklandau2826]

How is "wanting" pleasing? I guess it can be sometimes, if it's like a form of daydreaming or pleasurable anticipation. But many other times "wanting" can be unpleasant, a feeling of being unfulfilled or lacking.

[@pedrorodriguez-tirado5329]

The price of getting what you want is getting what you wanted. Sandman

[@sauliusltcool6902]

@@kirklandau2826 well If you are addicted to something then wanting can be bad, but that's not what she said

[@kirklandau2826]

@@pedrorodriguez-tirado5329 But *why* is that a price to pay? I don't get it. The only scenario in which I could see getting what you want being a bad thing is if you never had it before and the reality turns out to be different from the ideal, or if you were foolishly presuming that getting desire X would fulfill you completely and then it doesn't, especially if its something shallow or materialistic. However if you already had something and know what it's like and want to have it again, you're not going to be disappointed by what you're already familiar with and if what you desire is something deep and fulfilling on a spiritual level then it's not going to leave you feeling empty because there will be a net decrease in emptiness/unfulfillment, thus as long as you temper your expectations and don't expect to be *perfectly/completely* fulfilled then getting what you want is always a good thing and an improvement of your life condition so long as you want the right things and have the right mentality.

[@kirklandau2826]

@@sauliusltcool6902 If you're addicted to something then wanting is bad and having is great. The problem with addiction is only a matter of sustainability. Addictive drugs and their hefty monetary cost and their legal obstacles and their practical challenges and the build up of tolerance over time leading to increasing dosage, decreasing effect/euphoria/novelty, and decreasing satisfaction... are usually not sustainable, for the aforementioned reasons. However, some forms of addiction are in theory sustainable. If I am addicted to a woman who is my soul mate who I want to spend the rest of my life with her then what's wrong with embracing that addiction? Well, to answer my own question partly, the only real problem is that you don't always truly know if the other person can be trusted or if they truly love you as much as you love them. You can't guarantee that they won't just abandon you. In which case you're fucked. Love is even more dangerous that heroin. I'm not joking. I'm not exaggerating. I've experienced both addictions. Heroin put me through a really rough patch in life, but love destroyed my soul and has doomed me to an existence of torment and regret and longing and obsession and unfulfillment and bitterness and despair and literal insanity. It's like withdrawal but imagine that it never goes away. Since getting abandoned by my soul mate I have been in hellish withdrawal for over a year now, and it's not getting any better. Acute heroin withdrawal lasts less than a week with maybe a couple weeks of milder post-acute withdrawal symptoms afterwards. It's been over a year since my soul mate inflicted emotional and spiritual armageddon on me and it's only becoming more torturous over time. I can't live without her and I feel like I'm dying at an accelerated rate. Plus I'm cracking up psychologically, I'm possibly on a gradual route to going insane.

[@an6350]

i think the reason we willingly face pain is because we seek happiness that will come from it... like creative ventures might be painful and frustrating and exhausting, but it's because we want to create something that is interesting and will cause some type of happiness/peace.

[@adino20]

I think it’s this state where you feel like you are during something important and difficult that people (atleast me) truly are “happy”. But it doesn’t feel right calling it happiness. It’s like fulfillment. But notice how how you don’t need to “get” anything out of it. So a painter slaving away at his creation will cultivate this sense of fullfillment even if at the last second he accidentally drops a can of paint on the canvas and ruins it. The process is what I think we should be after and not the result.

[@an6350]

@@adino20 i think it has to be a mix of the process and result to be fulfilling. like i run, and it's very difficult for me... it almost feels like i'm running endlessly every time because it's so uncomfortable and the time feels like it's moving so slow. I really do enjoy it in a way though, because after i'm done i rest and feel accomplished and healthy. but if immediately after i ran, the physical action was erased from space (no dopamine, health benefits, soreness, etc), i would feel cheated and miserable. that's just how it works for me at least.

[@AnimatedStoriesWorldwide]

Its all well and good to speak of "suffering for creating art". The problem: the majority of people suffer to get to a dead-end job, the next day. Not on their way to becoming living gods of fame and wealth.

[@rijakhalid9011]

@Frutadi Thank you for putting this in words. It's an idea I have never been explain to anyone. People think you are after something aka the result, when all you really want is fulfilment. You just want the emptiness to go away. You don't want to "get" anything out of it in the traditional sense at all. The satisfaction is in the process and in the knowledge that you were able to do something that you wanted to try.

[@adino20]

@@rijakhalid9011 It definitely helps make the emptiness go away. It may even be a cure. But I think my way of thinking of it in my last comment might be too general and its actually part physiological. So, when I try to understand a difficult concept, like when I study, between 20 minutes to 1 hour I start to feel a light euphoric feeling. My brain feels well-oiled and like every part of my brain is engaged and like I could study or do anything and find it reallllly interesting. It makes me feel like I'm getting the same benefits someone in the middle of an amazing meditation session is getting. Also, it does not align with having finally understood a difficult thing, it just randomly happens 20 minutes to one hour from doing this. Isn't that weird? So it's THIS difficult and important thing that I'm talking about specifically. Maybe not ALL things that are difficult and important give people this level of pleasure. Maybe I've just uncovered a way to release dopamine into my brain without realizing it. I mean, I also feel good about exercising (which is difficult and important and feels good even in the middle of it and not after I finish it), but that is not fulfilling like this state I can get to when I study.

[@DougWIngate]

"Why be happy when you can be interesting" is the most eastern european statement in history

[@SkyeFische]

Happiness erases boredom and boredom is the root of learning and exploration. People don't want to be bored, but boredom motivates us to create, investigate and discover.

[@pander22]

What if you're happiest when you're creating or discovering and the suffering/difficulty makes it that much more fulfilling. I sense a fallacy in this video...

[@SkyeFische]

pander22 The problem with that is, and I know many people that suffer from this, if you are happiest most in the struggle of trying to answer a problem/create something/etc. -- then your happiness will immediately cease to exist once you realize that your task can be completed, once it is no longer challenging. People like this tend to start many ambitious things, prove they are possible, then never put them to good use/finish them.

[@pander22]

This may apply to some but not all, therefore it is not a universal truth.

[@libertynerd2562]

What if studying and creating is not boring for one, but instead makes them happy? This pursuit leads to more studying, more creation. It varies from person to person. So, in essence, this video creates a paradox. It condemns people achieving only the state of happiness. However, it seems to urge people to conform towards being only interesting, and not happy. I understand if what I said is vague.

[@SkyeFische]

Uhm, your comment is exactly what I said. If you are bored, it motivates you to go out and study and create and learn things. If you are not bored, you're no longer motivated to do that. If you're already happy and fine, you'll never get up off your ass and do stuff.

[@brunobonisiol]

Slavoj Zizek VS Pharrell Williams. The final clash!

[@Alexkearney]

lol

[@amemename]

lol what do they have to do with each other

[@bulletsizednuke1100]

@@amemename you know, "Happy"

[@SalmanMalik-eo8uo]

Hahahahahaha

[@sacrificedmind98]

(Because I'm interesting) Clap along if you feel as you want is not what you desire

[@marcofabiocarosi2996]

The pursuit of happiness is exactly that journey that doesn’t get you instantly what you think you want. I believe that aligns to the message of this video.

[@masterofnuggets7342]

You dont want the thing, you want the émotions associated with it. But émotions are never linear.

[@girlatendofrwjishot]

In the introductory business course that most colleges offer (foundations of business thought), it's theorized that humans strive for a goal, and then once it is achieved they set the bar higher and strive for a new goal. Our lust for "more" and "better" is never truly satisfied because you're always trying to nudge your way into the social class above the one in which you reside. In layman's terms: the pursuit of happiness is not about finding happiness as an end result of the pursuit, but rather finding happiness through the persuit of happiness itself.

[@bergweg]

Kinda like (economical) growth for the sake of growth, which is like cancer.

[@girlatendofrwjishot]

I'm not sure I follow. How is that like cancer?

[@bergweg]

Cancer cells multiply/spread exponentially, similarly like economical growth, i.e. non-linearly, %.

[@lynneperkins494]

Ahmad's right. It's the process, not the goal. Blame it on our huge brains. If the drive weren't there, we'd still be in the trees in the Transvaal.

[@bergweg]

What do you mean by process? And to which part of the brain is it linked?

[@Karlwasright]

"Happy" is an emotion. Happiness is a misconception.

[@WillGaylord]

Agreed. However, I think that people mistakenly use the word "happiness" instead of "peace" and fail to realize that having peace in one's life isn't about constantly feeling happy.

[@skyinuri8868]

Baller

[@spacepimpkevin1184]

I truly feel this. Whenever i try to manifest or bring my desire to reality: It often ends up not being worth the effort or it ends up not working out as well as i wanted due to it's unprecedented complexity. Whenever i'm trying to manifest contentment, understanding, awareness, and peace of mind without focusing on desire for joy: Then almost all things can bring some form of joy by some amount.

[@sucersdungeon]

Based on Jaak Panksepp's work, we have a primal emotional system for the feeling of joy and another one for the feeling of enthusiasm. The system for enthusiasm is paramount. Thus, we really do prefer being interesting (or rather interested) over being happy.

[@edg2726]

Neurological studies that I'm too wasted to cite right now suggest wanting something is different from liking it. So I think zizek is onto something here.

[@adrianmontero4682]

I know is like 3 years late, but you could send that studies, it sound interesting

[@PBAmygdala2021]

@@adrianmontero4682 I was just thinking that! Maybe he's still too high.

[@SDMF20]

@@PBAmygdala2021 Wasted suggests alcohol not psychoactive drugs.

[@oreziopancrazio3685]

Actually he is completely out of way, he is too cinical to understand such concepts

[@sadyoshhours2769]

@@SDMF20 alcohol (drinking) is ethanol which is definitely a drug

[@wcyee26]

From my understanding, happiness is a state of living totally, if you start chasing it, u created distance to it urself, u lost that state. It is like when you play music, you're playing it, if you think about music, then you're not playing it. You missed the whole point by only thinking about it.

[@Ray2311us]

It's Flow

[@Ray2311us]

Disturb that flow and good luck fixing it.

[@beastmasterbg]

my feeling is that happiness is waking up for the day and do what you have to and when you finish you do what you want to.

[@David-yk5tq]

This video is awesome! I completely feel related to what he's talking about. What a smart and wise person! 😄

[@robertbrennan2268]

"We don't really want what we think we desire..." Splendid and illuminating!

[@williammelendez9174]

He wants to make it sound more confusing than it actually is, by linking happiness to the concepts of safety and confort, or the attendance to a certain craving. You can get to happiness by also finding meaning in your work and vocational path, which also comes with self sacrifice in every step of the way. Maybe it can be a never ending road, but fulfilling throughout.

[@gotnoname7051]

Yes yes yes yes yes!

[@Wyatt19961212]

Of all modern thinkers & philosophers, Zizek reminds me of The Greeks (Plato, Aristotle *sniff* and so on). I think it’s his logical & sequential presentation of ideas that seals the deal

[@ClaytonLivsey]

I don't think you know much about Zizek then lol. You never even tried to understand what Zizek thinks about his forefather, Lacan. Do your like posing on the internet? For people who are just as ill informed as you?

[@Wyatt19961212]

@@ClaytonLivsey nobody cares that much about the semantics but you bruh 😃 I was making a general observation No need to get booty tickled about it lmao 🤣

[@abelmbaakanyi1000]

“Sniff” 😭🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@kubermr29]

Cool. Back to the past. Nothing new. And no progress.

[@Wyatt19961212]

@@kubermr29 Humanity is doomed to repeat its own mistakes

[@BlindSwami_]

Listening to zizek ramble for me is like reading those great old Nietzsche quotes. You aren’t really sure you fully grasp or believe in what they’re trying to convey but it’s so electric that you’re just completely invested for that short period of time

[@spacepimpkevin1184]

He's got a pretty strange way of saying that basically the desire and the want will be more enjoyable than the thing you desired.

[@icykarma2122]

We don't really desire to be happy or interesting, we desire something interesting which makes us happy. If you find something interesting you are inherently "happy". Happy isn't so much something you feel as much as a state of mind.

[@MariaKhordina]

"Protect me from what I want" -Jenny Holzer

[@siberianTiger639]

My God, this guy is absolutely spot on. The pursuit of hapiness chains us and imprisones us into doing only the things that make us "happy". You want more. Poeple want do DO somethig. Change something. Create somethibf if you like. Whatever. The pursuit of hapiness only ends up making you miserable and tied down. You only end up trying to break those chains (and feeling guilty for doing it) and you're not avare you created them in your search for happiness. Whoever said it's all about being happy and happiness is the most important this is either an idiot or am very evil man.

[@citrusjuicebox]

I say it's the latter. If someone convinces you that the pursuit of happiness is noble and worthwhile, they can tell you how to do it. And at that point, you begin to lose yourself.

[@RGMRT]

This guy's accent really adds to everything and even though i'm not a big fan, but the passion of this man is enough to make his debate opponents throws in respect.

[@MRK1sauce]

Hes got the accent of those fish from the Rock Bottom Episode of Spongebob

[@te9591]

I was thinking zoidberg.

[@littlepinkcactus]

I seriously lost it over that comment mate XD

[@RedInferno112]

Some could argue that when embarking on an "interesting" task the feelings could be considered happiness themselves. To me, happiness describes someone in good spirits, emotionally high. This surely happens when we do these things. In all fairness, I can't see a good difference between them.

[@Reasonalism]

Your comment makes a great point. This is one of the things I intended to write here in the massive ego war between Sarin and Leroy (before I felt it would be wasted to do so). What is 'happiness'? How should it be defined, and in what context is it appropriate for it to be used? It appears it's not simply a disagreement in value propositions or even in philosophies, but rather, in the use of linguistic definitions and how they are applied. I for one, can find 'happiness' in the pursuit of a goal, even if it may yield consequences which negatively impact me. The elation of the pursuit itself, or it's eventual destination (whether it's what we desired or believed we desired) could bring about happiness or a sense of satisfaction (which can, depending on the persons preferred definition, be synonymous with happiness). There is no universally understood notion of what happiness is, or where/how it is confined. This is why it's imperative that we first convey our usage and definitions of words when we have exchanges with one and another beforehand, rather than after. Otherwise, it erupts into what you as well as many others see above. Language is really a fascinating thing, but it's also easily conflatable even to the most highly literate speakers. Indeed, this one one of the things the late philosopher Ludwig Wittigenstein alluded to.

[@armadilloHD]

I think you're dawning on the underlying point that pursuing an immaterial "happiness" is intrinsically futile. Most people use happiness as a buzzword for fulfillment.

[@RedInferno112]

SkepticusMaximus I would actually argue that we feel in high spirits for the prospect of "nice" things rather than whilst doing them. I'm not sure if others feel this way too, but some great experiences I have, such as vacations, usually make me feel better about them after or just before, when I am on the way there. Perhaps because it's all too much information to acknowledge immediately.

[@andromedaiscoming185]

SkepticusMaximus hey you mentioned me! thanks for tuning in. i still visit this video alot. yeah it was an ego war, for sure. i agree that RedInferno112 makes a valid point. the definition of happiness is not simple and there are alot of valid points of view.

[@guineapig55555]

RedInferno112 the point is whether you're pursuing those tasks as an end in themselves, or whether you're pursuing them just to be happy or satisfied. Zizek thinks the latter is morally wrong. You should be doing things because they are valuable in themselves, not because they give you happiness. For example, a serial killer kills and hurts other human beings, but that makes him happy. How can you possibly say happiness lies in the ethical domain here?

[@bdstudios6088]

With other people I usually listen to their speech on double or triple speed, but with Zizek I feel like I have to slow it down, he gives so much to process

[@paulajimenez8022]

I needed that so much, thank you

[@evelindiana]

"We don't really want what we think we desire" soo true, sometimes we work hard for something and once we get it we soon realize that it doesn't make us happy. Sometimes we stumble upon something unexpected and that does make us happy. I guess we should always be open to anything and try things out, and not be set on a specific thing that we think will make us happy.

[@michaelmcateer1156]

I agree completely with Zizek on this matter, although I would have liked him to offer some gloss on the ancient Greek concept of eudaimon.

[@nataliapockets]

thank you Zizek

[@cclark3]

That is so fascinatingly beautiful, when you are ready to suffer you begin to live.

[@waterkingdavid]

A great antidote to "The Secret" and its billion dollar industry.

[@manishasingification]

♥️♥️♥️ yes indeed

[@user-pz8nt4pv1r]

What do you mean?

[@rumo1086]

@@user-pz8nt4pv1r I think they meant something like, when we fall into ideas that "philosophies" like the Secret push, we are operating on selfish, base desire. The elusion I see in this comment is that there is so much more to explore than simply asking the cosmos for whatever we want. Akin to a spoiled child throwing a fit til satisfied. Imo the secret has bastardized the practice of positive affirmation to make it seem like some solution to everything. It operates purely on self-centeredness, which deprives us of life's true experience, which is everything, good and bad.

[@Earthad23]

Just use the law of attraction …..

[@krzysztofbroda5376]

two working braincells are sufficient antidote for this

[@abosnjak]

"Freedom is not achieved by satisfying desire, but by eliminating it."

[@whosrichpurnell3328]

This did actually change the way I think about social interactions and how people perceive you vs how you want people to perceive you

[@MonsieurKonthaar]

As a person who has a very negative view of humanity (and myself) because of overthinking the human condition, i find it delightful to listen to this guy. It feels like i can put those thoughts to rest.

[@anthonyaurel6001]

Extraordinary analysis. Maybe he is right. We do not pursue happiness. We pursue the pursuit of happiness.

[@zoezzzarko1117]

So GOOD. Passion trumps all 💖

[@jesterfrombeyond1776]

I saw this first 10 years ago and visit this video every now and again to remind myself of this very important insight. Thanks Zizek! Not persuing happiens has produced so much happienes in my life. ;)

[@SankyEON]

The real happiness was the friends we made along the way

[@BoggyTheWorm]

The hapiness can be the loving families too.

[@dejureclaims8214]

Slavoj is operating with a very limited definition of "happiness" in this one. It might be better if he specified "hedonism" or "immediate pleasure." If we define happiness as a "desirable state of mind", then being engaged in an intellectual pursuit can be a happy thing, as can enduring suffering with a purpose. I do agree that we're poor arbiters of what will ultimately make us happy, as any glance at a list of cognitive biases will attest.

[@emotown1]

+Alex Stein I didn't get the impression Slajov was referring to hedonism, although it might have sounded like that with his example of 'the mistress', which obviously shouldn't be read into too deeply. In any case, as john doe said, the definition is what is the problem in this sort of discussion. I like your 'desirable state of mind' definition. I think that, paradoxically, those who aren't philosophically preoccupied with their own happiness are probably the happiest of us!

[@dejureclaims8214]

Keith Roberts Ignorance isn't always bliss ;)

[@emotown1]

Yes, those poor fools who don't realize they're unhappy ....tsk, tsk. ;)

[@jakob1063]

+Alex Stein I would say that its very narrow to claim that happiness is anything that makes you keep doing something. That is far from the meaning/usage of the word, and what traditional ethics is built on. I don't mean that happiness is a broader term, just something completely different.

[@dejureclaims8214]

Jakob I didn't define happiness as "something that makes you keep doing something." I would be very keen to do whatever a person holding a gun to my head told me, but I wouldn't be happy about it.

[@vaitesh]

The mistress perception was really quite natural to explain about hapiness. I am glad that I watched this video. Cheers to all the sufferings 🎉

[@garrisondinsmore5808]

big think indeed. thank you, slavoj

[@patee5aa]

I like his passion!

[@alexsm3882]

I'm never really happy and I'm never really sad, I just keep moving forward. I'm not sure what this contributes to this topic but I've felt this way for quite some time, and I don't feel the need for extreme happiness, I'm not even sure what that is tbh.

[@margaos1]

What an excellent and straightforward analysis!

[@kokomanation]

The reason we do things or follow our interests is to reach a level of happiness.Happiness is a motivation for action in my opinion.

[@maratonec5]

i agree, we lose our personality without emotional suffer, we get dehumanized in a way

[@practician5730]

and why is it bad to lose personality, losing ego means you can see reality as it is.

[@leagueofdraven6613]

@@practician5730 But personality =/= ego

[@theoffensiveidiot5996]

This is beautiful

[@Ali_0h]

Dis Guy hits the nail on it’s head, suffering brings great creativity whereas “happinesses” can feel like an empty vessel

[@ayanavolahiri3122]

"We don't really want what we think we desire" most appropriately said.

[@pilouuuu]

His accent makes me quite happy.

[@dmtdreamz7706]

Slavoj is not just extreme pleasure. Slavoj is the realization of immortality and the realization that everything is heaven. When you realize that, it's so good, it's infinitely good. It's not just good. It's good to the infinite degree. It's so much goodness that you can't contain it. your body can't hold it. Your entire body shakes and shudders in a cosmic orgasm of bliss. It's perfection. It's total peace. It's absolute love, that's truly Slavoj.

[@Riposte821]

Very existentialist, and I love the example of, simply put, the grass not always being greener on the other side.

[@mikael9325]

This is just the truth. It's not said enough that the pursuit is what keeps you going and the pursuit will always keep going. Realising that is the true path to "happiness", or rather, being content with what you have.

[@michakilijanek7437]

Wow.. it just struck me: Slavoy in the ending sentences just explained the ending of "American Beauty", which I couldn't really grasp as well as I can now with this psychoanalytic inside.

[@IanAannevik]

I think this is kind of what it's like when you have a particular place in mind that you want to visit, and when you finally get there it's not at all like you imagined it to be. It needs to be at a distance, in a way. For instance how many people imagine Paris to be similar to how it is in the film Amelie, and when they get there they see how filthy and just city-like it really is.

[@andrewpearson1903]

The des Esseintes kid in "Á rebours" eating at an "English" restaurant in Paris instead of risking disappointment on a trip to London. What we want is not in the world.

[@acidz0043]

happiness is fleeting and momentary… i strive for contentment…😌😌😌

[@Fredric_Cedrich]

This man inspires me

[@AndresGomezEmilsson]

"Why be happy when you could be ecstatic" - David Pearce

[@romanasustar]

To understand Zizek perfectly you have to know his background, I would agree with what he is saying.

[@rumaisahassan384]

Not very long ago I was telling a friend that maybe I don't want to be happy and maybe nobody. So I am happy to have come across this

[@alimbaloch657]

Be happy ,always be happy ,chose your happiness over anything ,protect your mind ,be at peace

[@LoreleiLala]

I'd dispute this to some degree. One is happy when life is interesting, even if a level of suffering is involved. Happiness may be perceived as being a smiling idiot but that's not always the case. Pursuit of the interesting, creativity, or challenge may or may not include a feeling of happiness, depending on the situation, the person involved, their take on life, and whether they only accept happiness when they have what they think they want. I would suggest Zizek expands his interpretation of the concept. He does say 'happiness, for me, is a very conformist category', but he, as a philosopher, must surely be aware his limited interpretation is far from an absolute or all encompassing one. He seems to be talking about contentment, which is not happiness. In fact contentment can become boredom if it goes on for too long.

[@WhiteCamry]

Indeed. Zizek decries happiness but he seems quite happy here, doing what he does.

[@forfitlife]

The interesting life zizek puts forwards, is the wanting of an interesting life. In comparison to the pursuit for genuine happiness. But there's lots of claims he's making in his philosophy like the fact of hovering desires in proximity so it keeps us climbing, like aristotle's final cause towards a perfective singularity, we're just climbing towards this object. It's odd because then people wouldn't have it, zizek would have to say your letting go of your desire once you have it for the sake of allowing it to not bore you.

[@butterbean86]

Good point. Also his view on desire is interesting. Many Asian philosophers would agree that obtaining your desire does not make you desireless. In fact it is our 'normal' neurotic state of the mind to want more and more and more. So it never ends.

[@NakedSnake02]

Totally agree with you man. I believe in happiness in a wider sense of the word and that most people live for happiness though they might define it in their own terms.

[@NakedSnake02]

butterbean86 I think it's the constant journey of happiness followed by the essential phases of contentment and sadness (i categorize sadness as the negative emotions each individual feels through their own paradigm) that makes the lives of most people

[@Elias_Cepeda]

Always thought the same. We say we want peace but we, in fact, want conflicts. We say we want tolerance but all we desire is separate.

[@teti9087]

Happiness is an emotion you choose to experience not something to achieve or chase

[@BingtheLizard]

It's demonstrated to me in my experience in gaming. The meaningful (and yes, enjoyable) part is the challenge, the rise towards the end "happy" state of the game where one pictures one's self dominating everything. When you finish the climb and can obliterate anything and everything with a single swing of a blade, it doesn't instigate joy. It births boredom. It's after that point that I start the game from scratch again; deleting my old save so that the inaccessibility of the end state becomes my drive for progress once more.

[@AlbertOlli666]

Great analysis here. Exactly what happens to me as well when I play video games.

[@onyxianz8132]

That's a very accessible analogy of the idea and it hits home for me and i'm sure that it would hit home for many other young thinkers of the early 21st century.

[@schmittenhammer]

So I haven't been wishy washy or confused all my life, just normal. Thank you!

[@whuffo]

It's quite possible to be happy AND interesting; those aren't opposites at all.

[@andrewpearson1903]

Not everyone is meant to be content. You and I are made for different things, vulf :)

[@theodorebear6714]

Thanks Salavoj. I work hard assuming I could find something I want after the shit I've been through. Now it's like I might get to a point where I could heal or be happy and then that's invalidated.

[@maxwillson]

Truly happy people are just happy. They don’t really seek it. The faster you appreciate your circumstances, the faster you’ll be happy.

[@kleinermannsr.8334]

Problem is, it depends on what you call happiness. I suppose here, Zizek names "happiness" a kind of contentment, a calm situation like, sitting with a cigare and a glass of wine, listening to Mozart, under a not too hot sun in Spring, in your garden. I suppose for people this kind of situation isn't disagreable, but just too flat to be called "happiness".

[@rab8298]

"We dont really want what we think we desire"

[@DarongQi]

Basically it's the journey, not the destination. It's the beauty of the pursuit, and not attainment, that we live for. It's like living next to or with a beautiful view of something; eventually the beauty fades because we realize the view is permanent.

[@R06LoXXX_k1d]

Brilliant thoughts.

[@freeallinfo]

Annotation: You know, happiness is - for me - a very conformist category. It doesn’t enter... it doesn’t enter the frame. You have a serious ideological deviation at the very beginning of famous proclamation of independence, you know, pursuit of happiness. If there is a point in psychoanalysis, it is that people do not really want or desire happiness. And I think it’s good that it is like that. For example, let’s be serious, when you are in a creative endeavor - in that wonderful fever: ”My god, I’m onto something!” and so on… Happiness doesn’t enter it, you are ready to suffer. Sometimes scientists, I read - history of quantum physics, or earlier, of radiation - were even ready to take into account the possibility that they will die because of some radiation and so on. You know, happiness is for me [an unethical / a nonethical?] category. And also, we don’t really want to get what we think that we want. The classical story that I like - the traditional male chauvinist scenario: I am married to a wife. Relations with her are cold and I have a mistress. And all the time I dream, “Oh my god if my wife were to disappear - I’m not a murderer but let us say - drop me - it would open up new life for me with the mistress.” You know what every psychoanalysis will tell you quite often happens? That then, for some reason, wife goes away; you lose the mistress also. You thought, “this is all I want”. When you have it there, you turn out that it was a much more complex situation where what you want is not really to live with the mistress, but to keep her at a distance, as an object of desire about which you dream. And this is not just an excessive situation. I claim that this is how things function. We don’t really want what we think we desire.

[@qqueuenstein5616]

Zizek conflates pleasure with happiness here. In his defense, so does much of humanity; it is to them he is speaking.

[@guineapig55555]

Q Queuenstein No he doesn't. His main point is just that happiness or pleasure or whatever other word you use for it does not lie in the ethical domain. the point is whether you're pursuing your goals as an end in themselves, or whether you're pursuing them just to be happy or satisfied. Zizek thinks the latter is morally wrong. You should be doing things because they are valuable in themselves, not because they give you happiness. For example, a serial killer kills and hurts other human beings, but that makes them happy. How can you possibly say happiness lies in the ethical domain here?

[@Ray2311us]

happiness occurs when either emotions are fulfilled or the ego is fulfilled, and many times both.

[@Ray2311us]

That's why there is a sweet spot when you practice discipline, you get a little of both for the most part.

[@Ray2311us]

but who am I to know, right?

[@ugonormal9438]

I would like to know how he defines happyness. To me there is a huge difference between happyness and the satisfaction of your own needs.

[@lolollolol5654]

i needed that very much. I just graduated best in my country in my field and it was my dream and goal and now i am going throug kinda grey emotional phase now that I made it and thought it would feel better. so this could not be more true

[@TheDiamondNet]

Underneath everything there is a grasping for positive emotions. Even in desiring to be "interesting" or "successful" or "beautiful" or literally any other thing, it is informed by a deep desire for happiness, peace, and fulfillment. It's just that adults lose focus on what they really want (peace/happiness/fulfillment) and often end up focusing only on the means to get to happiness. And this happens to the point where we forget that what we wanted in the first place was just to be happy. So, adults end up doing things that make them miserable in the future hopes that their endeavors will yield them happiness. Then, when we are on our death bed, it becomes clear that we never got the pay off that we were looking for. So, it's important to remember that emotions are our primary guidance system and the desire for positive emotions are the only thing that motivates us to action. If you lose sight of this, you will end up wasting your time in misery.

[@ale9507]

Rather late response, but that's a truly lovely comment.

[@jarlbalgruufthegreater1758]

"I'm like a dog chasing cars, if I were cought one, I wouldn't know what to do with it" - Joker

[@sailesteele4372]

One could argue that happiness is, indeed, the ultimate goal and suffering is the pathway to achieving that goal. We suffer in our creative pursuits to be able to gain fulfilment, satisfaction, happiness.

[@andreipulosul1492]

Happiness is working properly as a human being,with or without types of "pain"

[@pkingo1]

Happiness isn't about getting what you desire :). It's the other way around - when you're happy what you desire comes to you.

[@drakecummings7805]

Wow, well worded

[@pinupwaallify]

should we be more interested in being interesting because of what people will think or how they will perceive us instead of feeling good for ourselves?

[@user-fg8ou1ec1f]

I think it means to make the life interesting to yourself .. the star you wish is not the same thing when you own or touch it..you have to understand it is beautiful because it's a star ..and feel happy in your place. ☂️

[@pinupwaallify]

@@user-fg8ou1ec1f what if making life interesting for me is persuing happiness? Like when Slavoj say every great artist is doomed, i find this total bullshit; everyone has problems, doesn't matter what you are good at i'm tired of seeing gurus saying every artist need to be depressed or insane to be a good artist

[@content2sales]

The process is greater than the outcome.