Happiness at the Misfortune of Others

Schadenfreude: [n. SHAW-den-froy-duh] Delight in another person's misfortune.

This is a real term that came up in the Broadway hit; Ave Q. I saw it recently, and it was hilarious!! The term Schadenfreude is a German term meaning people find some sort of pleasure from others misfortunes. For example: finding it funny watching a door close in someones face. Or seeing someone unable to get into the class of their choice...and thinking..."hahaaha glad that wasn't me!!"

It makes me wonder...do we all experience this phenomenon called SCHADENFREUDE??

I won't lie...I know I do!! Like today this poor unfortunate soul missed his bus...and I thought: 'well that sucks" *chuckle chuckle* Does that make me a bad person?? I always try to put myself in the other person's shoes...but sometimes...its just funny. Sympathy for others should be a natural reaction, but it doesn't always arise...like in times when you see some poor sap getting slapped by his gf.

Feel free to comment if you've ever had this feeling of "Schadenfreude" =P

Maybe I don't Want to Have Kids

What is our purpose in life...go to school, graduate, get a job, get married, have kids, retire and then watch as our offspring repeat what we spent the past 50 years of our lives doing? Is this really the agenda of my life? Recently while sitting in my sociology of reproduction class the professor chose to show a documentary that all women dread: "The Miracle of Birth". Not only do they track the conception and process of pregnancy in a woman, but they vividly show in detail, the birth of a newborn. No doubt about it, the graphic film was not a product of special effects. Amniotic fluid and all, they displayed the baby pop out with placenta in tow, and a flood of fluid gushing out of the female's womb right behind it. Needless to say, it was an immediate turnoff. And undoubtedly, I wasn't the only female in the audience digusted by the scene. But that isn't the only reason why a woman may not want to bear children. What if she career driven, with a different agenda besides nuturing offspring? Despite modern times today, there is still an unbalance with how much time a mother spends with the children compared with the amount of time a father spends with them. From the time of pregnancy, womens lives are already significantly affected by a baby. Taking leave from work. Backaches, frequent pains. Its all very grueling, and doesn't leave much time for playtime...or drinking for that matter. But as a woman in society, how taboo is it to not have children? Sure, I want my genes to live on, my own little piece of myself to accomplish the things I may not have in my own lifetime...but what if that means taking a huge chunk out of my lifetime just for that purpose? I mean...I want to be able to go skydiving and bungeegjumping without having to worry: "what if I don't live thru this...then who will teach my kids that its not okay to point at strangers?" Personally, I could care less about people labeling me as that woman who didn't have kids, but I do care about what I think...and how I will feel when I am in my late 50's, and wondering why I didn't pop out a few little ones. I don't have any regrets, and I refuse to create any. So whether it be for a more enriched life, or something for you and your loved one to share, or maybe just to have a bit of your legacy to carry on in this world...do it for the right reasons.