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It seems to me that nowadays, everyone runs after happiness and pleasures (each in his own way), and I suspect that attaining intelligence isn't the best way to be happy.

Looking at two types of intelligence, there is intelligence that the person acquires through education and intelligence that the person has since birth. Some people who have never been to school see things so clearly, while many who have studied at universities do not.

One of the things I believe brings happiness to the human being is to be recognized for his choices and effort. Take, for example, a teacher who has spent all his life researching and earning degrees; spent long nights writing articles, traveling with his own money, etc. He goes through many difficulties, but at the end of his life few people even know that he existed and he lives in a modest house.

Now take a soccer player (I'm not even referring to soccer stars). This man may not even know why rain is formed but earns millions and lives in a luxury house in a good neighborhood and seems much happier than our teacher.

Following your heart is good, but what good is it if you do not receive financial recognition for your troubles?

And what great contribution has a sports figure made to humanity so that he is considered an idol?

I do not know if I understood myself well and if you want to correct some of the points I've said, feel free to do so. I would like to have some opinions on this subject.

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Sorry about my English.

Thank you.

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  • It seems like there's two ideas here: 1) Why does society idolize some people and not others and 2) How much does intelligence contribute to happiness and success. To the second one, I think I'd say there's a difference between recognition and idolization. The teacher is probably happier being recognized for their work by friends, colleagues, and students than the soccer player is being idolized by strangers.
    – Nich Del
    Commented Apr 8, 2018 at 17:30
  • Football player brings more profit than teacher. That's how capitalist economy works. But do not think this is a call for planned economy.
    – rus9384
    Commented Apr 8, 2018 at 19:36
  • There's more to be explored here. Consider that, if this was a complete analysis of the effects of money/fame/idolization, we would not see major stars committing suicide. Yet we see it. This suggests the story must be more nuanced.
    – Cort Ammon
    Commented May 10, 2018 at 2:03

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I would say that chasing happiness is not the primary goal. How many of the great thinkers, writers, composers, scientists etc. who we remember today were happy? I would say very few. The quest for knowledge is a difficult one and may not make you very "happy" or famous, but the quest for knowledge is certainly more rewarding for the individual. This value however is not widely recognized by the populous and therefore I think that these days people are more likely to want to become a singer or a model or an actor instead wanting to become a teacher, a writer, a composer, a poet etc.

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  • I agree, but I wonder if you have any references you can share of people who take similar positions as you do or studies that have been made supporting your position. This would raise your answer above the opinion-only status and give the reader some place to go for more information.
    – Frank Hubeny
    Commented May 9, 2018 at 21:25
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Your question is common. Just do a Google search for "what's the meaning of life?" and you will find many answers from many authorities, from the religious and the secular, humanitarian, self-fulfillment, relational, and on and on. And every successful person will be asked to tell news reporters what makes him or her tick, why he or she did what he or she did, and how happy they are. And the tabloids are plastered with stories of how sad some of these movie stars and sports figures are later in life when they're no longer "the talent"!

The choice of what will make you happy is personal. There is no scientific research that will make this decision for you. But there are many people who will tell you how to do it... because that's what will enrich or empower themselves!

People differ and it would be impossible for the public to idolize and enrich the best person, since nobody knows for sure what the best is, so I do not suggest seeking recognition as a life-plan.

Being able to discern what is good and what you want is a major benefit of clear thinking. And those who can't see clearly can at least ask their friends for help.

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