Friday, March 23, 2012

Happiness and Satisfaction - from the Sudden Death of Whitney Houston

 &npbsp;  The sudden death of Whitney Houston is both a shock to the public, and somehow expected tragedy, give the ups and downs of her recent life. There had even been a wrong report about her death in 2001, close to 10 years ago. What's ironic though, she will be valued much more than when she was alive from now on, just all of the famous artists in the history.
 &npbsp;  Her sudden departure from this material world remind one how much difficult for human being to really appreciate this particular material world. Having been extremely successful in her career, one can easily imagine the fortune she have made from her success. A happy marriage with a similarly famous and successful person makes people expect even more happiness for her. Yet, in reality, it has turned out to be totally different.
 &npbsp;  No need to say, every family, every individual encounters all kinds of problems. It is not "sour grape" to think more about those endured by more successful people. Rather, this particular example shows how hard it is not to have worries, anxieties, perplex about our life, no matter how rich one can get in terms of material.
"Material Things Will Not Bring You Happiness" (backup) in "The Teenager's Guide to the Real World online", there are detailed descriptions about "happiness" and its relationship with all kinds of materials. In fact, this is not only for teenage, but also for adult people of all ages.
 &npbsp;  The GNH (Gross National Happiness) advocated by Bhudan's King is more holistic and psychological terms than only the economic indicator. But it is no doubt an important indicator of the most important aspect of our life, with a more general definition for holistic and psychological.

(updated on Mar. 22)
According to TMZ, "The L.A. County Coroner has just released the singer's official cause of death -- accidental drowning ... but the report also notes heart disease and cocaine use were contributing factors to Whitney's demise. ". ... "Officials say Houston also had traces of marijuana in her system ... as well as Xanax (anxiety medication), Flexeril (muscle relaxer) and Benadryl (allergy medication)." How sad it is. Drug starts everything evil, and ends what should not have ended.

America - a Free Country? アメリカは自由な国?

    Is America a free country?
    アメリカは自由な国でしょうか。

    One has no freedom of choice, when going through security check at the airport. One must take off his/her belt, shoes, and some must be scanned FULLY including under wears.
    空港にいったら、いくつかの自由がなくなってしまいます。セキュリティチェックで、ベルトから靴まで脱がなければいけません。人によっては、下着(それ以上?)まで見られる全身スキャナーで検査されます。
    似たようなことで、バスケゲームを見に行っても、金属探知ゲートを通らなければいけないし、鞄は持ち込み禁止です。

    One has no freedom of keeping privacy, when going to a wash room (aka toilet). Anybody sitting in the neighboring cube can see part of his/her legs, hence identification. There is therefore no secret of daily bowel movement, or how things are getting OUT.
    トイレに入ると、すべてのドアや壁の下は開いています。中で用を足している人のスネから下が丸見えなのですから、30センチ〜50センチは空いています[5]。ドアに隙間もありまして、角度によっては中をのぞけます。


References
  1. What four things make America a free country? (cache)
  2. Is America still a free country? Good question(cache)
  3. Is America Really a Free Country?(cache)
  4. 米空港での検査…「全身ボディチェック」?それとも「全身透視スキャナー」?
  5. アメリカのトイレ