#Happy Hedonism

[mandsleanan]

Since the stable is a Jewish business, we really don't do anything differently around Christmas. Boarders are free to decorate their own stalls, and sometimes a festive saddle pad might get brought out.

But here is a Goyim tradition I really fucking love: every December, each horse/pony gets a stocking hung in the arena barn. Around Solstice I stuff them full of peppermints and mini-canes.

Unfortunately, I usually do the stuffing in the evening, when everyone's in their stall for the night. Which means they hear the wrappers crinkling.

Heads are suddenly out all the way down the aisle, because, SHE HAS PEPPERMINS, and then the door pounding and demanding nickers immediately follow.

It's like listening to caroling.

[annoyingann]

Happy Halloween from Hedone High

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time for full-fledged art, but I’m glad to share this sketch!

the characters clothes are taken from that Darqx's drawing

I really like this art, it has a vibe :D

[annika-is-scared]

Post 8.09 and thinking about a different kind of “oh” moment for Eddie. He’s standing in his (soon-to-be someone else’s) living room and so much is happening his team is in his house and he has to be a salesman and he’s mad at Buck and he doesn’t want to leave but he has to go and suddenly—

Buck is smiling like the day’s been perfect, and not some hollow mirror of five years ago, and three years ago too. He grins, and Buck is Freddy. There is no Freddy. His home isn’t a showroom tonight. Buck is renting. Buck is hiding his hurt and renting. He’s fixing it for Eddie, no questions asked. He’s fixing it. He’s fixing it.

“You really did that for me?”

Of course he did.

Suddenly, and much more clearly than ever before, Eddie knows that Buck loves him. Buck loves Eddie so much that he can feel it turning and pulling at the bottom of his stomach, sort of nauseating and overwhelming and terrifyingly real and certainly undeserved; it’s dread as much as its fear as much as its gratitude.

Buck loves Eddie. And now Eddie has to leave.

He has to give that up because he cannot, under any circumstance, choose Buck over his son. Buck said it himself, it’s not even a question. He’s going to Texas and he’ll be with his son but he’ll be without his biggest supporter and best friend, the person who may just love him the most in the entire fucking world, for God knows how long. Weeks. Months? Years?

And for the second time that week, Eddie thinks that he doesn’t know what he’s gonna do without Buck.

Anyway I don’t think Eddie had an “oh I’m in love with him” moment, or even an “oh he’s in love with me” moment, at least not romantically. But he definitely had an “oh. I’m leaving Buck.” moment and it’s not about how Buck is feeling. In that moment, Eddie is thinking about how living without Buck will affect himself.

And maybe that’s the beginning of him starting to recognize and care about his own needs, too. Acknowledging, if not indulging them.

I love that we are exploring Bucks abandonment issues this season, but can we PLEASE get some Eddie POV on this storyline? HE IS LEAVING HIS WHOLE SUPPORT SYSTEM. LET US SEE HIM STRUGGLING WITH IT!!! HE IS STRUGGLING INTERNALLY!!!! EXTERNALIZE IT!!!!!

Thank you for coming to my TEDTalk.

[teterev-um]

Yapiee! New year's art!

I finally finished it! I wish you all good luck in the new year!! (I know it's early. But sooner is better than later xd)

Characters by @darqx

Couldn't escape lol

[omegaphilosophia]

The Philosophy of Happiness

The philosophy of happiness explores the nature, sources, and significance of happiness in human life. It examines what constitutes true happiness, how it can be achieved, and its role in ethical and meaningful living. Philosophers have approached happiness from various perspectives, including ethical, psychological, and existential viewpoints, leading to diverse understandings of what it means to live a happy life.

Key Themes in the Philosophy of Happiness:

Definitions and Concepts of Happiness:

Eudaimonia (Flourishing): In ancient Greek philosophy, particularly in the works of Aristotle, happiness is often equated with "eudaimonia," which is best translated as flourishing or well-being. Eudaimonia is achieved through living virtuously and fulfilling one's potential, rather than through the pursuit of pleasure alone.

Hedonism: Hedonism defines happiness as the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. This view, associated with philosophers like Epicurus, suggests that a happy life is one in which pleasure is maximized and suffering minimized. However, Epicurus emphasized simple pleasures and the avoidance of excess.

Ethical Theories and Happiness:

Utilitarianism: Utilitarian philosophers like Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill argue that the right action is the one that maximizes happiness for the greatest number of people. In this context, happiness is often understood as the presence of pleasure and the absence of pain.

Virtue Ethics: Aristotle’s virtue ethics posits that happiness is achieved by living a life of virtue. Virtuous actions, in accordance with reason, lead to a state of eudaimonia, where individuals live in harmony with their true nature and purpose.

Deontological Ethics: While not focused solely on happiness, deontological ethics, as developed by Immanuel Kant, suggests that true happiness comes from fulfilling one’s moral duties. Kant argues that happiness is not the primary goal of moral action, but living morally can lead to a form of happiness tied to a sense of duty and integrity.

Happiness and the Good Life:

The Role of Reason: In many philosophical traditions, particularly in the works of Plato and Aristotle, happiness is linked to the exercise of reason. A life guided by rational thought and the pursuit of wisdom is seen as the highest form of happiness.

The Balance of Pleasure and Virtue: Philosophers like Aristotle and the Stoics argue that happiness is not merely about pleasure but involves a balance of pleasure with virtue. Happiness is seen as a byproduct of living a virtuous life, rather than an end in itself.

Subjective and Objective Views of Happiness:

Subjective Well-Being: Modern discussions of happiness often focus on subjective well-being, which is the individual's self-assessment of their life satisfaction and emotional state. This perspective emphasizes personal experience and the psychological aspects of happiness.

Objective Well-Being: In contrast, some philosophers argue that happiness should be understood in objective terms, based on factors like health, relationships, and personal achievements. From this view, happiness is not just about how one feels but also about living a life that meets certain standards of well-being.

Happiness in Different Philosophical Traditions:

Stoicism: Stoic philosophers like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius argue that happiness comes from accepting the things we cannot change and living in accordance with nature. Happiness, in this view, is achieved through self-discipline, rationality, and emotional resilience.

Epicureanism: Epicurus taught that happiness is found in simple pleasures, friendship, and the absence of pain (ataraxia). He distinguished between necessary and unnecessary desires, advocating for a minimalist lifestyle that avoids unnecessary suffering.

Buddhism: In Buddhist philosophy, happiness is understood as a state of inner peace and enlightenment, achieved by overcoming desire and attachment. The Four Noble Truths outline the path to end suffering, which is seen as the key to true happiness.

Existential Perspectives on Happiness:

Sartre and Existential Freedom: Existentialist philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre argue that happiness is not a predefined state but something that individuals must create for themselves through their choices. Happiness is linked to the authentic exercise of freedom and the responsibility to define one’s own existence.

Camus and the Absurd: Albert Camus, another existentialist, explores the idea that life is inherently absurd and that the search for meaning or happiness can seem futile. However, he argues that one can still find happiness in embracing the absurd and living fully in the face of it.

The Pursuit of Happiness in Modern Thought:

Positive Psychology: In contemporary philosophy and psychology, the study of happiness has expanded with the development of positive psychology. This field focuses on understanding and fostering the factors that contribute to human flourishing, such as positive emotions, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments.

Happiness and Society: Modern philosophers and social theorists explore the relationship between happiness and social conditions, including wealth, inequality, and political systems. Debates continue on how society can be organized to promote the well-being and happiness of its members.

Critiques and Challenges:

Hedonic Treadmill: One critique of the pursuit of happiness is the "hedonic treadmill" effect, where people quickly return to a baseline level of happiness despite changes in their circumstances. This challenges the idea that lasting happiness can be achieved through external factors alone.

The Paradox of Happiness: Some philosophers and psychologists argue that the direct pursuit of happiness can be self-defeating. Focusing too much on becoming happy may lead to anxiety or disappointment, while happiness often arises as a byproduct of other activities, such as meaningful work or relationships.

The philosophy of happiness offers a rich and varied exploration of what it means to live well. It challenges individuals to consider the sources of true happiness, the role of virtue and reason in the good life, and the balance between personal pleasure and ethical living. Whether seen as a subjective state, an objective condition, or a byproduct of living authentically, happiness remains a central concern in philosophical inquiry, reflecting the enduring human quest for fulfillment and well-being.

[pendulouspuppyudders]

every time you post I wanna start domperidone and grow my tits to their max size even more, even though I didn't have any interest in more breast growth or lactation before you started posting about them. I'm already fat and hrt's already given me great tits if I say so myself, but now I want M O O O R E

-@wolfgirlknot (a wolfgirl who you're passively corrupting into a cowgirl)

hhfdfhhdfg it's just my aoe, i gotta show everyone that more boob is always better and moore udder is always best, making out with ur wolfcowknot for luck wishing u the sloshiest titties

[mikomiproblemateke]

Happy new year guys!!

There's some doodles that I made for my friends

"New Year is better if...

... to celebrate it with someone close to you"

Kirill belongs to @yalohda99 and Nikita is mine(they're our hhsonas)

...if you hear his predictions for the next year"

Nikita is still mine and Sam belongs to @miduza-leah

... you pray for well-being (despite all the prejudices)

Anya(podkrovatny_mangaka its telegram channel her author) with bp!Mikomi(Nastya)

... there is someone you can discuss everything with"

Me and @daria-dam1enlover together

IT LOOKED LIKE I WAS WEARING THONGS(for Samael/hj)

[meerawrites]

It is me and my bullying Dorian Gray and the French Ancien Regime (including everyone at Versailles from Louis-Dieudonné (XVI aka the Sun King to the fall of the monarchy) wips against the world, so have these which I borrowed from Pinterest.

^^ regarding the last one, I can explain at length why I think Dorian Gray is interesting.

It is cause it shows Oscar Wilde was more self-aware or was at the time he wrote that book than a lot of his critics then and now say he was (see also: The Happy Prince and other works also with the usual caveat of every historical figure is morally complicated or just not good by our arbitrary morals because constantly changing attitudes and also just depending who you ask), but… Dorian Gray ruined his own life by choice of his own free will, but it was a group project cause it only took a painting, a book of bad things you should not do but will cause that is what happens when you tell people they shouldn't, and a dead would've been fancée <- I understand why Sibyl Vane has to die in the story cause it then makes sense for Dorian to minimize every bad thing murder or otherwise afterward, I do unironally think about Sibyl/Dorian a lot the power dynamic is bad because class not age she is 17 he's 20, but he is the upper 20% she is definitely not also cause alternate universe potential I've picked Dorian's brain I doubt it would 'fix him,' but at least he would be a lot less easy to put up with Henry Wotton's act (which is an act and that makes it worse). Also, because Dorian Gray and Lestat de Lioncourt have the most understandable 20-something reactions I've ever read cause of course no one thinks your actions will have consequences when you are 20.

[mandsleanan]

Article text under cut.

Elizabeth Johnson and her husband hit the vacation circuit hard over the past couple of years.

They went boating in Florida, hiking in the Swiss Alps, snorkeling in Hawaii, waterfall exploring in Oregon, and leaf peeping in Canada. They saw moose and orcas in Alaska, manatees in the Dominican Republic, and sheep in the Irish countryside.

"We also volunteer at a local food bank each month, go to comedy shows at Mall of America, routinely go to concerts," she said.

Neither Johnson nor her husband grew up wealthy, and the couple never expected to have such an indulgent lifestyle. Johnson's husband, in particular, faced "a very bleak outlook" for his career when he graduated from college in 2008 at the height of the Great Recession.

But now, 16 years later, the 30-something couple make a generous joint income of just under $300,000. That income, their hard work, and a dash of savvy investing are largely responsible for the lifestyle they lead — but there's another big factor. The Johnsons are DINKS, a dual-income couple with no kids.

The costs of rearing a child have skyrocketed in recent years, especially as parents get less help from their families and communities. Raising a kid could cost parents upward of $26,000 this year. Being a DINK has always been a way to save money, but as the stigma around the choice to be child-free has faded, more and more Americans see being a DINK as the key to a new American dream of financial stability, freedom of choice, and a comfortable retirement. DINKs are proudly emerging as an aspirational class for young people — and they're ready to live it up.

Lifestyles of the DINKs and the child-free

Johnson's Tinder profile set her on her path to DINKhood. In early adulthood, she never felt the desire to have children but wanted to keep an open mind. As the years went on, even as she saw her peers having kids, she said her "beliefs just never changed and completely solidified." So when she set up her dating profile, Johnson included in her bio that she didn't want to have kids of her own.

"I just wanted to weed out the ones I wouldn't be compatible with," she said. It worked. Johnson recalled that on their second or third date, she and her now-husband discussed the topic to make sure they were on the same page. The pair married in 2022, and Johnson said their decision to live as DINKs had been enriching.

"It makes my life more meaningful," the occupational therapist said of her choice to be child-free. "I feel like I can give more to my patients at work. I have more time to see my loved ones and family."

Beyond the emotional value Johnson ascribes to her DINK status, there are the dollars-and-cents benefits to the lifestyle. Her husband, who works in banking, is "a very big spreadsheet guy," Johnson said, and the couple track their finances "religiously." Part of that maniacal focus is tracking their net worth. The latest tally? About $1.1 million, a combination of the equity they've been able to accumulate in their new-build, suburban Minneapolis townhome and their retirement accounts.

It makes my life more meaningful. I feel like I can give more to my patients at work. I have more time to see my loved ones and family.

As an occupational therapist who works with older people, Johnson said, she sees "one of the biggest downsides to being a DINK is not having your children there to support you and help you age in place as you get older." So in addition to enjoying travel now, it's important for the couple to have "the financial resources in place to support safe living when we're old," she said.

For many adults, having children holds a massive amount of intrinsic value, but there's no denying that those who choose to forgo parenthood gain a serious financial edge. In fact, the net-worth data from the Federal Reserve's most recent Survey of Consumer Finances showed there's never been a better time to be a DINK. Child-free couples' median net worth of $399,000 in 2022 was the highest of all types of family structures studied by the survey and almost $150,000 more than couples with kids. The median net worth of DINKs was also more than $100,000 higher than it was in 2019, and the gap between child-free couples and couples with kids has only widened as prices on items and services parents need most, such as childcare and food, have spiked.

Amy Blackstone, the author of the 2019 book "Childfree by Choice," said that the financial gap between DINKs and couples with kids wasn't solely because of the choice about children. In many cases, it's also a bit of selection bias.

"It's the people who already have higher incomes, higher education, and are generally more privileged who opt out of parenthood," she said.

Still, DINKs like the Johnsons demonstrate that as the American dream of homeownership and putting kids through college gets further out of reach, forgoing children is one way to achieve the upward economic mobility that many parents find more difficult to reach. Child-free couples have more free cash flow that can be invested in real estate or stocks. And while the pandemic's fiscal stimulus left pretty much everyone with more cash, DINKs seemed to emerge victorious in the battle to grow wealth. After a few years of saving, the Johnsons are free of student debt and said they're in a financial position to start planning for an early retirement in their 50s.

"I am from a middle-class family, and my husband from a lower-class upbringing," Johnson said. "He experienced paycheck-to-paycheck living, started his first job at age 11 delivering newspapers. We feel very fortunate for our current economic stability."

Of course, not all DINKs are raking in six-figure incomes and investing in real estate. Alex Killingsworth is a 25-year-old entrepreneur building a content-writing business, and his wife is a full-time graduate student. She makes $14,000 a year as a teaching assistant, while his business earned them $84,000 in 2023. Not having kids has allowed them to invest in his startup and her higher education, both of which they believe will pay off.

"I'm 'investing' in the work I'm doing," Killingsworth said. "Likewise for my wife, almost all of her income is going into research, so our actual take-home pay is quite a bit lower."

If they had kids, paying the bills could be tougher for them. Instead, they're buying wine and whiskey, maxing out a retirement account, and taking advantage of the freedom to spend Thanksgiving in Alaska, visit family in Texas, or go to Broadway shows in New York.

"I don't know if we have any hacks or tricks here, but I have been told all of the extra income has a tendency to dry up when you have kids," Killingsworth said. "I don't know if that's true, but it's better to overprepare than under, right?"

Growing acceptance

The financial upsides of being a DINK used to come with a cost: In 1974, a substitute teacher named Marcia Drut-Davis was fired from her job and received death threats after discussing her choice to be child-free on"60 Minutes."When another school asked her to give a speech on her decision, angry parents carrying signs calling her "the devil's sister" crowded the entrance, and the teacher who provided closing remarks after the speech denounced her in front of the auditorium.

In her 2013 book, "Confessions of a Childfree Woman," Drut-Davis recalls the teacher saying: "How will you feel when you're old and alone with no one to take care of you?How will you feel without a grandchild to give you chocolate kisses? You're a sad excuse for a woman."

For decades, the social stigma around choosing not to have children has been substantial, but Blackstone said that she'd noticed a major shift in acceptance since she began research for her book in 2008.

"I would say that it's millennials and Gen Z who have really done the heavy lifting in terms of bringing this conversation out into the open," she said.

That's not to say Gen X didn't contribute to the conversation — Blackstone is a child-free Xer — but she said the younger generations' experiences with the 2008 financial crisis, accelerated climate crisis, and increasingly divisive politics made the choice to forgo kids more acceptable to a wider group.

One 2022 Nature paper from the researchers Zachary P. Neal and Jennifer Watling Neal found that nearly half the adults they studied were parents and 22% were child-free by choice. The rest were ambivalent, undecided, unable to have kids, or planning to have them. In the 2020 US census, 87 million Americans were between the ages of 20 and 46. If you apply the findings from the Neals' study, that means roughly 19 million millennial and Gen Z adults of childbearing age were child-free by choice. That same research, which polled 1,500 Michigan adults, found that while parents felt warmer toward fellow parents, "both parents and child-free people feel about the same toward child-free people." The report concluded: "Although parents really like other parents, they don't dislike child-free people."

Sentiment actually seems to be shifting in the opposite direction: In a summer 2022 Harris Poll of 1,054 American adults, 20% of all adults — and 27% of millennials — agreed "that people should stop having children because of the harm it causes," specifically the harm to the environment, animals, and even other people. Similarly, about one-third of all adults — and over 40% of millennials — said that they agreed "people should stop having children because their children's quality of life will be poor."

And then there's social media and our identity-obsessed culture. Child-free people now have more and more platforms to connect with each other and flaunt their no-kids lifestyles of extensive travel, impeccable homes, and spoiled pets. The communities devoted to a child-free lifestyle are booming: The subreddit r/childfree, focused on "topics and links of interest to childfree individuals," boasts 1.5 million members. TikTok videos about DINKs rack up millions of views and hundreds of thousands of likes. DINKs, GINKs, "rich aunties," and DINKWADs — DINKs with a dog — have become aspirational identities for younger generations.

We hang out with other people's kids every once in a while, but then we happily just give them back to their parents.

Stigma against DINKS certainly remains — just look at the comments of "selfish" and "missing out" on child-free TikTok videos. But they're overshadowed by comments of support. As Blackstone, who wrote the 2021 book on the topic, said, what happened to Drut-Davis wouldn't happen today.

"I've gotten the random email telling me that I'm miserable and going to die alone or that I'm right, I shouldn't have kids anyway," she said. "But nothing like what Marcia got in the 1970s."

With the rise in childcare costs, education, and other parenting expenses that have outpaced inflation, it's hard to deny that a two-track economy has emerged. There are the DINKs who can seize the American dream and the parents who are struggling to stay afloat in a country without guaranteed paid leave or affordable childcare. It's no wonder that so many people are suddenly interested in becoming a DINK.

Johnson said that her DINK lifestyle kept her plenty busy. She invests time in her hobby of landscape photography, and though she's questioned whether it's a selfish choice, she overall feels more "well rounded and healthier" than she would if she had kids, she said.

"We hang out with other people's kids every once in a while," she said, "but then we happily just give them back to their parents."

[annoyingann]

This day has come!! My birthday!!

I must say, a lot has happened in the last year. I met a lot of people, my environment has changed a lot.. but I am sure that with the experience gained this year, I have become cooler and stronger💪 more text↓

Thank you, dear followers, for reading me this year. I am going to continue drawing and feeding you with doodles! I believe that today will be interesting!! 🙌

P.s. And I will not tell you my age directly anymore. I am not comfortable keeping information about me in the public, sorry :[

[sugar-and-pearls]

i love you having the whole addams family on your list.

on a second note, what if they all had buckets on their heads?

Hiya Obscure! It's nice to meet you and thank you for sending this in!!

Bold of you to say "what if" - it's not an unusal thing to find the family doing this on a Friday night. Going through out the house blind with buckets on our heads is certainly an experience. Wednesday doesn't do it as much now that she's a teen but that just means she can be the judge.

[quotationadmiration]

Anything that makes you feel alive is good.

Ray Bradbury

[puppppppppy]

3, 17, and 20?

3: answered here!!

17: name 3 things that make you happy

20: favorite things about the night?

send me a number!! 💌

[futchgunk]

spending ur lunch break to shadowbox trannies in the alley!!!

[chillinaris]

"Wanita yang kuat adalah wanita yang memancarkan rasa percaya diri dan bisa bersikap tangguh namun adil dan baik hati. Dan juga tahu cara mendapatkan apa yang diinginkannya. Jadilah kuat. Jangan menjadi pengikut. SELALU LAKUKAN HAL YANG BENAR."

~ Jennifer Lawrence

JENNIFER Shrader LAWRENCE (lahir 15 Agustus 1990) adalah seorang aktris Amerika. Ia muncul dalam daftar orang paling berpengaruh di dunia versi Time pada tahun 2013, dan telah memenangkan Academy Award, BAFTA Award, tiga Golden Globe Award, dan dua Screen Actors Guild Award, serta berbagai penghargaan lainnya.

[mandsleanan]

Decadence is so often described as eating grapes while reclining, but I associate it more with shoving leftover Thanksgiving ham into my gob, while four cats attempt to climb my sweatpants.