this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2023
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Literature
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That's true. So maybe it's because you can't really know happiness or appreciate it without having pain and sadness to compare it to. So like reading about sad or painful things also helps us appreciate things more. Like waking up from a nightmare and realizing it wasn't real. It's a relief. Or maybe it's just schadenfreude.
Maybe it's how far along I am in life, but I certainly have plenty of pain and sadness for comparison purposes already.
I don't really do schadenfreude, but clearly other people do, so I suppose maybe that's part of it? Bit scary if it is, if seeing other people in pain is a positive experience for many.
Either way, this is different to the idea of "better". Yes, books about difficult things are important. They're part of how we learn about ourselves and each other. I think we've gone too far in that direction and we really need more emphasis on models of positive emotions and interactions.
Yeah I agree. I've often thought it would be cool to see a really good utopian novel rather than the usual dystopian.