The premise of that axiom is that a things inherent value rests in it being hard to get. I don’t think this is the full story though and would like to explore this more.
Let’s take a couple of things which are hard to get- say, mastery of a musical instrument and acquiring sexual relations with an extremely beautiful women.
So taking out the hard to get aspect would these things still be esteemed as valuable? As I think about it I think asking that is like asking ‘what would it be like if the sky were blue?’ or what if money grew on trees. I.e Im finding it hard to contemplate so would appreciate some assistance in untangling such thought experiments.
I’m interested in the cause effect relationship of the original statement- how much a thing’s being hard to get plays into its inherent value.
I know I don’t appreciate things which are easy to get but it just so happens the things I think of which are easy to get are not of high quality- for instance junk food (vs learning to make food which is both tasty and healthy), less desirable women.
As I type I’m thinking it’s both its intrinsic value and the fact that its hard to get. Or maybe more that we as humans instinctively understand that things of the highest quality are nearly always/always hardest to get so it acts as another ‘seal of approval’ of the given thing.
Are their exceptions to this rule? If so what? Other thoughts related to this?
In general terms I would be happy to get everything I want without having to work for it, and working for it makes no difference in my experience. Oh except for females, I like a good tease.
If a thing were hidden then the whole thing changes, the journey of discovery makes the thing more appealing, though perhaps not once the euphoria of attainment has passed [its probably the journey you would remember more that the treasure chest].
Attaining goals can be as disappointing as they can be euphoric.
Right that’s one of the cruxes of it I think. Buddhists study their whole lives just to appreciate the everyday.
That’s why ppl take shrooms/acid etc. so they can appreciate the mundane more and get out of their narrow view of existence.
This is a little off course from my original query tho or at least what I was getting at of how much the actual value of something which is hard to get is tied to it actually being hard to get.
Maybe it’s related tho and worth exploring. Perhaps everything has equal value (I guess it does , i.e from a non living form everything is equal and has no value) just through our human lens of survival and replication we only appreciate those things we had to work for through constant repetition it becomes dinned into our brains. Maybe the survival rep thing and the working thing is confounding two issues…not sure.
This still hasnt been settled in a satisfactory manner for me yet tho and I still feel veiled by a fog of ignorance on the subject which will require more contemplation.
Sure, I appreciate a walk in the woods. I appreciate a nice nap. I appreciate seeing, usually, an animal in nature. I appreciate the moon some nights. I appreciate the way my wife laughs. I appreciate being able to see.
I do recognize this guilt, which is what I think this is, that one should only enjoy after suffering in some way, or doing something we do with a goal in mind and not just for itself. I see this guilt/judgment in myself and others. But that’s all it is when it is a rule. Sure, hiking up a mountain, making an effort - an effort I enjoy - can add to the pleasure.
I’m not sure what you’re getting at, agape, but I agree with all the ‘free’ things in the world that can be appreciated and could add even more.
On the other hand, an education beyond high school can be hard to get, in a lot of ways. And to get a degree and go on to graduate and/or post-graduate degrees is even harder. Unfortunately, having a Bachelor’s degree means very little to future employers other than that you have a certain amount of perseverance. Don’t ‘go to school’ unless you go for the joy of learning.
Do people appreciate career advancements that they’ve worked hard to get, or do they set their minds on the next advancement? Perhaps they appreciate the new car or home they were able to buy as the result of that advancement, but how long does that ‘appreciation’–really an advertisement of their achievements–last? Appreciation is more a prideful feeling, to me. And people should have pride in their accomplishments, no matter how small those accomplishments may seem to others. A small accomplishment, to some, may be great to the person who’s finally achieved it.