Poll: What do you value the most?

What do you value the most?

  • Your survival.

    Votes: 53 22.6%

  • Your money.

    Votes: 13 5.6%

  • Your happiness.

    Votes: 81 34.6%

  • Your kin, friends, or community.

    Votes: 75 32.1%

  • Your reputation.

    Votes: 9 3.8%

  • Your sovereign state’s form of government (democracy, monarchy, dictatorship, etc.).

    Votes: 3 1.3%
  • Total voters
    234
  • Poll closed .

Clifford

What do you value the most?

DIRECTIONS: Rapidly, but thoroughly, read all the choices, then quickly vote to your FIRST INSTINCT.

If you need additional time to think, or would like to read thread posts or other material prior to responding, please abstain from voting and redirect your opinion towards discussion.

Thank you, have a great rest of the summer.
 
For me it's obviously my happiness, so therefor the happiness around me as well, because if they're happy I am too. I believe that life is here to enjoy, and I intend to do so to the fullest. Having as many fun and exciting experiences as I can is my goal in life.
 
Thanks post #3 - will edit soon.

Can't edit the poll, will have to work around. "Happiness" doesn't fit money exactly - indeed, it could just be an obsession or something, but I guess "happiness" is the closest. Perhaps I should recommend abstinence?... Just realized that I forgot to put a period after "happiness" too.
 
OK post #5's forcing out my secret... I sort of based this poll of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, with the most basic physiological needs at the bottom and more ethereal ones like philosophy and self-esteem higher up.

With modern synthesis through natural selection (just a theory, yes, not a real fact like evolution) almost all organisms are hard-wired to prioritize survival and reproduction as their #1 needs - according to the theory, these species are the ones that happen to survive and propagate, passing on their genes for prioritizing survival and reproduction... physiological needs at the base of Maslow's pyramid.

Second level is safety needs, including financial, personal, and health security. Happiness is the state of contention, satisfaction, etc., that comes more through having wealth, a roof, and well-being than mere survival. Hopefully voters will pick whichever they think (instinctively) is more important. Generally, does the general Smogoner value being happy more than just gratefulness for being alive, or does he/she have even higher/complex/nobler values?

BTW - if anyone's been reading all this, please abstain from voting and redirect towards discussion, thanks.
 
Gah Darkie and other Smogonites always one step ahead of me in both Wyoming and AP Psychology. Can you or another Mod move "Your money." up to between "survival" and "happiness"? Thank you.
 
hehe I didn't even notice the connection to Maslow. I'll have to rearrange some stuff, but okay, I'll see what I can do.

edit: okay, if you already voted, the italicised option will be wrong, but the numbers are all good, so it doesn't matter. you should be able to remember which you voted for without the aid of the forum. :b
 
Clifford said:
Gah Darkie and other Smogonites always one step ahead of me in both Wyoming and AP Psychology. Can you or another Mod move "Your money." up to between "survival" and "happiness"? Thank you.
Click to expand...

The only thing I remember from IB Psych was Erik Erikson because he has an awesome name. Oh, and Kohlberg's Ladder.

EDIT: I'm surprised nobody mentioned "self-actualization" yet.
 
Trying to think of a good option for self-acc/transcendence... it's hard : /

Maybe something about justice or some controversial issue. Can't frame a question though - maybe I haven't reached self-actualization yet myself, oh noes!

PSA: If you're reading this, please abstain from voting but consider constructive discussion, thank you.
 
It's a difficult subject to debate, it all boils down to people's personal experiences.

I voted for my survival.
I know this is an extremely simplistic anecdote, but would you rather have a crappy, hand-me-down bicycle or no bicycle at all?

Now you could probably argue, that if one is a situation that would bring you unhappiness and one would bring you complete though uncertain non-existence, that a person would rather not live at all. This kind of attitude seems to endorse suicide, a basic 'if life get's hard then fuck it' philosophy, which I think is the wrong way to think about it.

Also, there are other things to think about, such as reproduction, perhaps saving or having a lasting impact on someone. Conversely one could argue that one less human on the world would slow down the rate we are trashing this planet, though it is rather negligible.

Now that I've read my post, I've pretty much argued with myself. Drat.
 
Funny. I did exactly as the post instructed and read the options quickly, and voted without thinking it through.
I choose survival.

I have suicidal thoughts on a daily basis.

Damn survival instinct.
 
I couldn't instinctively go for one. Although I was inclined towards survival, I had to ask what exactly survival meant - whether it was just staying alive or staying alive and passing on one's genes.
 
Post #17 raises an important point; continuity of an organism's genetic material comes hand in hand with the instinct to survive and reproduce (species tend to pass on instincts for survival and reproduction this way); but I can't directly reveal that cause in the poll. Maybe there's another way to phrase Option 1?

Second - requesting that a mod change "Your money" to "Your possessions." A bit broader and more appropriate in context, thanks.

EDIT: Actually, "Your material possessions." may be even better - eliminates abstract stuff covered by other choices.

2nd EDIT: I think "Happiness" may really include "reputation" - not sure though, 5 poll options is better than 6. But if the poll's still following the Maslow theme, would "reputation" be the only choice to cover the self-esteem level of the hierarchy?
 
I would say my happines, because I get really annoyed if life doesnt enthrall me for even one precious moment. For that reason, I have it made. If I lived in the 1500s, I would have killed myself. Hell, boats were considered "hi-tech". But, I am the one out of two children of wealthy entrepenours (founders of the RollerCoaster Tycoon games, lol), so I really can have anything. One might say I'm selfish, I say that its just a matter of personal value :)
 
It has to be the people around me. I would lose my sanity if I had no one around to comfort me and talk to. They're, for the most part, what keeps me happy.
 
lol, looking at the poll, I think its funny how little faith we have in our government...I mean, I dont trust them either.
 
I chose the fourth one. As I see it, there is no happiness without other people to share it. On the other hand without survival there isn't happiness either...so I'll just assume i don't die or anything.
 
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