(July 16, 2016 at 7:21 am)thesummerqueen Wrote: Quantity may not always equal quality, but it definitely helps a person live a fuller life when they aren't afraid of dying before 50. So yeah, I have plenty of derision for the idea that we have to live much more difficult lives just to be able to meet one person's standards of living fully. You want to talk condescending? It's pretty smug to decide that because someone else hasn't met your version of adversity, they must in some way be unfeeling, or numb, or less alive than you. Or that their experiences are somehow more invalid. It's a false sense of superiority and smacks of “get off my lawn”
You're projecting too much, I think. First, I didn't say I meet my definition of being alive. Second, I'm not talking about you or anyone you probably know. I'm talking about people like Ayn Rand, who no matter how long they might live, cannot be said to have a full human existence because they close the door on feelings, instincts and social interactions which are important part of the human experience.
The funny thing is that Rand thinks the other half are missing out on life. It makes sense, too: watching TV all the time, living only for the next meal, etc. isn't much of a life. Maybe somewhere in the middle is the best "quality of life": enough conflict to keep things interesting, enough focus to feel purpose, but enough simple freedom to enjoy the 50 years+, the cheap and bountiful food supplies, etc.
