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Einstein's Note On Happiness, Given To Bellboy In 1922, Fetches $1.6 Million (theguardian.com)
A note that Albert Einstein gave to a courier in Tokyo briefly describing his theory on happy living has sold at auction in Jerusalem for $1.56m, according to auctioneers. From a report: The winning bid for the note far exceeded the pre-auction estimate of between $5,000 and $8,000, according to Winner's auctions. "It was an all-time record for an auction of a document in Israel," said Winner's spokesman Meni Chadad, adding that the buyer was a European who wished to remain anonymous. The note, on Imperial Hotel Tokyo stationery, says in German that "a quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest." "I am really happy that there are people out there who are still interested in science and history and timeless deliveries in a world which is developing so fast," the seller said on condition of anonymity after the sale.
Einstein's note, advocating "modest living", sells for an insane amount at an auction that only the uber-rich could possibly afford. The irony is palpable.
Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
Happy Wife, Happy Life
Secret to Happiness in 3 words: Remove false expectations.
Trivia for architecture geeks and/or enthusiasts of Japanese history: the Imperial Hotel (torn down in '67) was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and was one of the only buildings to remain standing after the Great Kanto Earthquake devastated Tokyo. more here.
...you CAN buy happiness with money :-) :-(
There is growing body of legitimate scientific research on the best ways to achieve happiness. This research confirms a lot of the old cliches; the strongest contributing factors to happiness are meaningful relationships with family and friends, contributing to the community and a connection with nature. It makes sense when you recognize that our brains evolved 250,000 years ago and the conditions that optimize happiness are the same ones that were available before money, fame or luxury travel were ever invented.
This is why people get irate when you give advice as a "tip". That's totally inconsiderate ... unless you write it down.
The beach is a place where a man can feel
He's the only soul in the world that's real,
Well I see a face coming through the haze,
I remember him from those crazy days.
Ain't you the guy who used to set the paces
Riding up in front of a hundred faces,
I don't suppose you would remember me,
But I used to follow you back in '63.
I've got a good job
And I'm newly born.
You should see me dressed up in my uniform.
I work in hotel, all gilt and flash.
Remember the place where the doors were smashed?
Bell Boy! I got to keep running now.
Bell Boy! Keep my lip buttoned down.
Bell Boy! Carry this baggage out.
Bell Boy! Always running at someone's heel.
You know how I feel, always running at someone's heel.
Some nights I still sleep on the beach.
Remember when stars were in reach.
Then I wander in early to work,
Spend the day licking boots for my perks.
A beach is a place where a man can feel People often change
But when I look in your eyes,
You could learn a lot from
A job like mine.
The secret to me
Isn't flown like a flag
I carry it behind
This little badge
What says...
Bell Boy!
Remember when news were both relevant and useful?
Just curious :)
even with similar life rewards (good health, nice home, good spouse & kids, ...) those living the slow, rural life will tend to be happier than a frenetic, fast living city dweller.
"I am really happy that there are people out there who are still interested in science and history and timeless deliveries in a world which is developing so fast," the seller said on condition of anonymity after the sale.
What does that mean? Amazon's ultimate objective for world domination? What secret is written on the back of that note?
Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...
No mention on the paper was Einstein's use of his wife as a stress ball/punching bag
On the off case that it wasn't a troll.
A quiet and modest life brings more joy than a pursuit of success bound with constant unrest.
Thank you Einstein...
Does that statement motivate people to better themselves and make the world better for others, or to sit on the couch all day and never accomplish anything?
That was a rhetorical question.
And anyway I think the statement is false. The "constant unrest" of an achiever's life is not joyless. The two can be combined. The rosy image of a low-level functionary living contentedly on minimum wage is a complete fiction. And it thrives because of equivocation.
When we say "money doesn't bring happiness" we do not mean that an absence of money does bring happiness. In fact, poverty tends to bring terrible suffering. If you can't afford adequate food, clothing, medical care....you will be miserable and your "modest life" will have some joy here and there....but nothing compared to the joy that someone who has all their needs met and can afford some recreational activities will have.
My point....the money itself does not bring happiness. Happiness is a combination of genetic predisposition and one's skill at managing one's emotions. But a lack of money will make happiness quite hard, and an abundance of money will make it a whole lot easier. While it is still true that someone may lack money and yet be good at happiness, or someone may have money and be bad at it.....the overwhelming norm is that people with money have a much easier time finding happiness, and tend to do so.
There are more poor people in the world than rich people. "Sour grapes" keeps the fiction of the miserable rich person alive. I am calling it out as just that, sour grapes.
Having money is awesome, and I am quite happy because I have enough to live in an air-conditioned and heated house with instant access to clean water, and nutrient-rich food, the Internet, and on and on.
Einstein was being patronizing.
any mean is good to bring balance back to a few who need it.
Still mostly ignored.
Link
engineers are working class,
" they should have become" billionaires...
It's the killer joke
Ahahahahahahaha[NO CARRIER]
A friend and I sent up a helium balloon that GPS reported achieve an elevation of well over 100e3ft above the surface. Right before it popped and was recovered via telemetry, it appeared to stop moving around with the atmosphere and moved in a straight line (no atmosphere). I checked, and the straight line was pretty similar to "scientism"'s report on the tilt of the Earth's axis. I mention the tilt only because I know that you will otherwise just claim that it just came in contact with the "dome/firmament" and stopped moving with air currents. Any rebuttal flat earth man?
Hitler did nothing wrong...and wes bellamy is a N!gger!!!
Whatever people think, Jerusalem is not in Israel it's in occupied Palestine.
It's all relative, you know.
How can a helium balloon move higher than the atmosphere? Your question is false.