Sorry, I forgot the quotation marks.

Anyway my point was limited to music's comment that many people have it pretty rough here, which isn't what the thread was about, except in some highly speculative psychological sense: people can't be happy here because it's rough not having what a lot of other people have?

Yes it is.

Here's the thread title, to refresh your rather shaky memory:

I can rephrase that in words of one syllable, if you're having trouble understanding it.

I can make explicit the necessary assumption required to make your post meaningful, since you seem to have trouble making coherent arguments: "not all people can be happy here with a good job and a decent life because many people have it pretty rough."

Now we can evaluate that implicit assumption and see that it's bollocks?

I've never known anybody say so little with so many fancy words!

You don't actually understand what this thread is about, do you?

Now be a good boy, go back to the beginning, and try reading it again.

But this time, open your eyes.

Good lad.

I'm sure music appreciates your chivalry. But you can't come to that conclusion above simply because you think I insulted your friend by calling her silly. I'm sorry your feelings were hurt.

There's no way you read the entire thread in eight minutes.

Now go and do as you're told, you impudent boy.

@ daboy- that is so rude of you to say that ''MusicChick'' is silly !

She is a big girl, she will survive! She will probably shut his mouth quickly enough that he won't see it coming!

I've read most of the thread, and most importantly what the OP had to say. I commented early in the thread so there is reason to believe I've seen at least that much. It's a complaint about people who have "decent lives" and "good jobs" who nonetheless complain about it all.

Music's point about some people having it pretty rough isn't on topic, i think, because those people probably aren't the ones the OP was talking about, otherwise he presumably would have called it, "why can't people who have it pretty rough just be happy with their life in ch," or something. And then my point was simply that nobody really has it rough here compared to most of the rest of the world, even if by some stupid UNICEF standard they are "impoverished" - stupid, inter alia, because it uses a fraction of median income, which in ch is abnormally high, and any shortfall in basic subsistence is taken care of by the public, by law.

I'm not saying these people have a lot to be happy about, but i also wouldn't call their lives "rough," just because they are a lot worse off relative to most of the country.

On the other hand would you not agree that by admitting that these people do have a rough life here and then by trying to help them out and improve thier lives, the rest of the community are thereby demonstrating exactly why they are one of the most successful Federations in the world?

Yeah, but poor people in Switzerland aren't comparing themselves to the rest of the world because, unlike you, they can't afford to go there and see it for themselves.

Why should some impoverished pensioner in Uri or Nidwalden give a monkey's about beggars in Bangkok when her roof is leaking, she can't afford to buy wood for the stove and Billag is banging on her door?

It's all relative, Daboy, whether you and your fancy Latin words like it or not.

Some aren't. And if the 400fr a month that is supposed to cover teen whole month food, school supplies, anything needed for home, clothes, hygiene, flies out of window because they want to have make up and some real clothes to feel like normal kids that have parents and teenage life..then they don't eat, they have no real shoes. And they pass out in classes. What do you know about kids' life here, anyways..You can laugh at this, I know. You can say these kids are safe, what else do they want. Well, often they lost their folks, they escaped war, now they want to have that little bit of superficial MTV teen life. The fact that the poverty percentage here might be different, does not mean everyone's life is Mercedes, spas, 400fr sweaters and bling.

I think what makes it difficult is not lack of care and welfare, but how expensive everything is here. One gets immobile, lack of edu, lack of chances, debts. Life is sometimes just too expensive for some to afford, despite the fact they are here and safe, made it out of previous hell, now what. It takes knowledge and other survival skills to know what to do now. The welfare rates are ok if there is a family and money piles up, multiplied by family members. The ones without their families, refugees, orphans, single parents, retirees, lonely people without family support, independents, can have it hard here, no matter what the Thai poverty comparison picture is trying to tell you.

I think the real troubles actually is invisible. While there might be some food and some of the fun, used half broken cell phones, hand me down clothes, cheap parties, still ok - right? There are other issues. Not considering oneself equal, learned helplessness, not fighting for oneself despite the potential, selling onself short in terms of life goals, career, etc. Self worth is somewhat conditioned, needs to be supported, taught. It does not sometimes happen. Just beacause the welfare cash here translates into horrendous sum of money in some other country, does not mean poverty here would be less stigmatizing and less damaging, in a long term effect.

Well, my point simply was, eventhough we see luxury and safety here, there are problems underneath. So, the "many" was meant too many for me to be ok with. To work with. I was not blaming the system, not was trying to say things are as horrid here as elsewhere. I don't think so, yet there are many people touched by poverty. Btw, we aren't rich either..

Cmon, do you really think calling somebody silly is ofensive? Makes me chuckle, you should spend some time with some of our kids.

And, btw, chivalry when people agree with eachother's posts, what's that all about... Are you sad you don't get many people agreeing with you? Can't people simply agree, without having somebody jumping their ass saying you just agree coz you are buddies? Or, you saying you just simply disagree coz you want to be confrontational?

Opinions are just opinions.

__________________
"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

If I may add something, what Thai poverty looks like at surface might be beneath a loving family, social networking and feeling oneself equal to everyone in their social environment and at place, whereas what you just mentioned looks like a "bit shiny" pack of loneliness and self-worth deprivation. This is poverty to me. All relative again, and many things non-quantifiable. I've seen people who were happier than many others, only having some frugal meals and a poor shelter. What whould you choose, what's poverty in the end? You can't say those kids not to give a dime about fashion and such, it's the only way they think they could get some approval and acceptance, even though having an empty stomach. Life's not easy. This question-thread makes me laugh.

See, we are the best exemple... we are at each other's throat often with our opinions, but we are bodies!

Take that Daboy!

And very fine ones too, I should imagine.

Hey old chap, keep it for the shag thread!

Happiness is just a relative feeling. It depends what your expectation is. Swiss people are able to get a lot which others have to fight for, but they just can't realize that spontaneously. People tend to ask more, based on what they have already. I think this isn't the fault of swiss people, it is the nature of human being. As you said, you are irritated to hear complains from swiss people, but you are complaining too. In the eyes of some other people, you, too, have been living a relatively 'decent' life and have a relative 'good' job.

As my friend said, what is happiness? It is that you could find a toilet when you want urgently to pee. It is simple and just what you want yourself to feel.

Okay, not that I disagree but happiness for me is a little more.

Contentment for me is that I lack none of the factors in Maslow's pyramid.
Happiness for me is the feeling that I have exceeded the minimum requirements that I can get by on.
Satisfaction is where I know that doing more is just greedy.

Gosh, you're hard to please!

Contentment for me is a full belly.

Happiness for me is a full belly and a bottle of beer at the Odeon.

Satisfaction for me is a full belly and a pint of Pedigree at the Odeon.

... which would explain why, as Mr Jagger would say in his inimitable manner, I can't get no satisfaction.