Christopher Hitchens (I'm sure some of you know him), when asked essentially about the above:
"Well, I can only answer for me. What cheers me up... I suppose mainly gloating over the misfortunes of other people... It doesn't always work, but it never completely fails. And then there's irony... which is the gin in the Campari, the cream in the coffee... Sex can have diminishing returns but it's amazing... Yeah, that's pretty much it. Then it's a clear run to the grave."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg6VTQK5-wI (Please fast-forward to 3:25 if you click. Don't want to open a can of worms on the religion thing...)
"Well, I can only answer for me. What cheers me up... I suppose mainly gloating over the misfortunes of other people... It doesn't always work, but it never completely fails. And then there's irony... which is the gin in the Campari, the cream in the coffee... Sex can have diminishing returns but it's amazing... Yeah, that's pretty much it. Then it's a clear run to the grave."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg6VTQK5-wI (Please fast-forward to 3:25 if you click. Don't want to open a can of worms on the religion thing...)