"Without sadness there wouldn't be happiness." - True or false?

[Takes Two To Tango]

Yes. Because the world is not black and white. There is a lot of states between sad and happy.

I understand that, there are definitely greys in the world.

 

[ssBaldy]

Depends on what those problems are. If they are money related, absolutely. And it certainly doesn't hurt, at worst you now have money to pay for regular therapy sessions.

It sure depends. But unless you are filthy rich, most life problems are money related, at least somewhat.
Money give you access to better healthier food, better places to live, better doctors, education for your kids, etc, etc. When you don't need 3 jobs to survive you have extra time to spend with your loved ones and for self development. You can afford sports and hobbies.

Yes money don't buy happiness in itself, but money provide a pretty solid basis to be happier in everyday life.

 

[ferrisjso]

Depends on what those problems are. If they are money related, absolutely. And it certainly doesn't hurt, at worst you now have money to pay for regular therapy sessions.

The best way its been described is money gives you the freedom to work on your shit. Lack of money causes misery but obtaining it doesn't automatically get rid of it. But it doesn't cause problems unless you won the lottery or something like that.

 

[Berserker13]

seems like there should be a more fair distribution

 

[pugilistico]

You can definitely feel happiness without ever having felt sadness. I'm sure if you got someone who never felt sad and increased his serotonin levels, he'd be happier.
Maybe if you were sad, you could appreciate it more, but that's not the same thing as being happy.

 

[yamahacrasher]

Similar to how you hear that you can't truly hate someone without first loving them. Not sure that's completely true, but I do know that the hate you feel for a former loved one feels more intense.

 

[ObsoleteSoul]

Similar to how you hear that you can't truly hate someone without first loving them. Not sure that's completely true, but I do know that the hate you feel for a former loved one feels more intense.

I agree to an extent, but it is fleeting. After a time, the rage loses its intensity, and then at least you still have good memories of them that will begin to dominate. The people I hate but never loved, do not receive that benefit. Just my everlasting malice.

 

[Sweater of AV]

"Happiness" is a label for a state of mind. The mind state could exist without reference to anything else but then it would be permanent and it would form our entire existence. We wouldn't know anything else. The moment we give something the label "happiness" we are acknowledging there is something that isn't "happiness." Conventional reality is inherently dualistic.

 

[El Panteron]

Untrue in the literal sense, of course in therapy we try to work out sadness as part of the process that can lead to a necessary change, but the goal of that change isn't happiness as much as a working balance. Happiness tends to be a fleeting and situational thing that characterises a moment in time, not necessarily a "state".
Sadness can be helpful in the way any crisis can be, highlights some aspects of one's life that need to change or something that needs to be faced and processed.

Ironically, since the feeling of sadness is deeply tied with loss and mourning, maybe it's the opposite: we can have happiness without sadness, but no sadness without happiness.
Though don't quote me on that, it's cat lady on facebook level shit.