Would you rather have a happy life or an important one?

[DuesToTheDirt]

By an important life, I mean important to people who don't know you - a famous writer, or a scientist, or maybe someone who founds a charity?

I was watching Sylvia (Plath) last night on Amazon, and she was obviously desperately unhappy and then committed suicide; but she left a legacy of her work.

I am happy, but I am a nobody, and I was wondering whether, if I couldn't have both, I would trade happiness for achievement.

I can't decide. What about you?

happiness. It must be horrible to be depressed for years and commit suicide. Who in their right mind would want that? (pun intended).

Happy. An 'important' one makes no odds to me, I just don't care.

Important is also subjective. You could say that having children and continuing the human race is important and the impact you have on thise around you makes you important to them.

It's a no brainer for me, I would chose a happy life

Happy! What's the point in being important if you're not happy?

Absolutely happy. No brainer.

I'm sure Sylvia Plath would have traded importance for happiness.

I don't know, it's just that I feel too old now to achieve anything, and in an alternative universe I would like that to be different.

Well every life to me is important. Happiness comes and goes.

Happy, without hesitation.

But every day, with everything you do, you have the chance to make a difference to the lives of others; you don't need to be famous or leave a legacy of work in order to do this. Watch It's a Wonderful Life and An Inspector Calls to see how your actions can be "important" being renowned.

*without being renowned

Happy, every time.

Happiness unless I was going to solve world peace / racism / save the planet. But for a legacy such as literature I'd still want happiness (and I'd love to be a writer). I do think many of our most creative souls are some of either our more troubled or those that struggle to adapt to life.

So to answer the question: happy

I take great comfort from the fact that I will be forgotten rather than be someone like Boris Johnson who will be remembered for his many, many failings.

Happy

Happiness every time. Life is here to be enjoyed where possible, always take them chances.

You can do something each day to change someone's life for the better, even a hello to a lonely person in the street.

Happy.

I don't give a shiny shit that I am unimportant and won't be remembered for anything after I die. I don't even have DC who will remember me.

H A P P Y

Without a doubt. As much as I appreciate those who have made a difference.

Happy though I hugely admire people with important lives. All the great scientists... writers..
Maybe you can have both

Happy, always always choose happy

I do think many of our most creative souls are some of either our more troubled or those that struggle to adapt to life.

In the film (I don't know too much about her life) Sylvia couldn't write when.she and Ted were living happily, and did her best work after he left her.

She was portrayed as very ambitious and jealous of Ted's success, and getting little to no pleasure from her children - I wonder how she would have answered the question.

I am currently reading a book called 'Happy by Design'. It's author maintains that you need both pleasure and purpose to be happy. If by important you mean someone who has found their purpose, then it can be argued that you can be important and happy; they are not mutually exclusive.

And yes, I'm sure it is possible to be both happy and important - just idle musings!

They do tend to be mutually exclusive, if you think about many troubled creative geniuses, scientists, inventors, artists, radicals, military leaders etc through history.

I suppose it depends about the cause. Are we talking cure for cancer or building a business empire for wealth, for example?

For me personally I'd choose personal happiness and dying as a nobody over the opposite, without hesitation. I'd want the same for my children.