It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Originally posted by minettejo
I actually had a philosophy prof do this. I thought it was original....LOL
I enjoyed the demonstration then, and appreciated the reminder now.
Originally posted by AceWombat04
I think the reason people take issue with such analogies sometimes is because there is an instinctive tendency to interpret them as saying, "If you appreciated what you had, you wouldn't be so miserable." People feel that it invalidates their feelings or the predicament they find themselves in in their own lives. While I don't believe that's the case here, people do use such analogies and otherwise positive messages to do precisely that frequently.
I think those who feel that way might say, "I do appreciate my golf balls, and I value them above everything in life. But they happen to be dirty, chipped, in some cases lost or broken, golf balls, and that makes me unhappy." That's a valid feeling and statement and shouldn't be dismissed in the name of "positivity" in my opinion.
But as I said, I love the analogy and the message behind it. So I will conclude by saying, tongue firmly in cheek, "I wish you all shiny, plentiful golf balls." Peace.