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Re:
I totally agree, Against. Some people will spend a great deal on an item that eventually will just there and collect dust, the thrill of the "purchase" having long since worn off. And any time spent with a loved one doing almost anything you both enjoy is indeed an underrated treasure! 
posted by
JimmyA
on January 30, 2013 at 7:49 AM
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Re:
I can go along with that, mariss. It's hard to concentrate on anything when the Sandman is knocking on your door. And even though I said that no answer could be deemed wrong, I must admit that I personally don't know anyone who finds pleasure in getting fatter around the midsection, overrated or otherwise! 
posted by
JimmyA
on January 30, 2013 at 7:46 AM
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Re:
That's quite alright, Utah. I usually fall behind on the weekends! But you're right . . . it's those simple pleasures, or underrated treasures, that some people either take for granted, or just don't realize their importance in their lives. That's how my wife and I like to live . . . simply!
posted by
JimmyA
on January 30, 2013 at 7:43 AM
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The way I see it is that many of the overrated pleasures are material items gained by riches, at a great price, that bespeak an affluent status. Often people who hold them are held by them, that is, they are weighed down with the stress of this expense. Underrated treasures are moments that don't cost anything, except for the time to enjoy them, like spending time with family or watching a sunset on the beach.
posted by
Against4WindsOn2Flam
on January 29, 2013 at 8:20 PM
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Overated pleasure: Overeating and getting fatter around the midsection
Underated treasure: Exercising and developing profitable hobbies instead
This is challenging and a little painful to think when tired, but could produce great gain!
posted by
mariss9
on January 29, 2013 at 5:42 PM
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It is a great line because many of us have become blind to the simple pleasures. I am sorry that I have fallen behind in my reading while in Denver as I forgot my lap top, but I am looking forward to getting caught up.
posted by
UtahJay
on January 29, 2013 at 2:55 PM
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Yeah, that's probably true, C C T. Just because something carries a high price tag doesn't necessarily mean it will bring someone the immense joy they expected. And I'll have to agree with your underrated choice as well. I used to suffer from debilitating headaches, and any morning I woke up without one was a great day!
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 7:22 AM
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Re: Jimmy
Very well put, Naut, and I agree completely. Yes, the "expectation" of something viewed as terrific by someone else can be very overrated, especially if the end result is great disappointment. And of course, many underrated treasures can spring up each day, and would be, of course, open to interpretation by whoever is experiencing them. Great response . . .
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 7:19 AM
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Re:
I had a feeling, sam, that someone might consider those two particular extremes! Some nights I flip through 300 channels of crap with nothing of interest to watch. And then, when the TV is off, I can find great solace and peace just laying next to my wife, all snug and comfy under our bedspread! Yes, "quiet time" is indeed highly underrated!
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 7:15 AM
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Re: JimmyA
I can see that, Wiley, but when you're at the porcelain stone, is it really worship?
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 7:11 AM
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Re: Jimmy
Interesting choices, Justi, and like I wrote, no matter what anyone was to respond, no answer would be considered right or wrong. I can easily agree with your underrated choice, but I'm not entirely sure if I would consider truth to be overrated, unless it's a situation when someone's feelings could be hurt or spared. I believe I understand where your thought process lies concerning Science and Marketing, and in some of those cases, yes, the "truth" seems to be some arbitrary thing like a lump of clay that can be twisted and manipulated into whatever the bearer wishes others to see. Great topic for discussion, isn't it?
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 7:10 AM
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Re:
Two great choices, FSI, and I'll have to agree! Like I wrote, these choices would all be subjective, and therefor couldn't be considered "wrong." And I think many will agree with your underrated choice!
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 7:02 AM
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Re:
That's true too, lustor. Sometimes you'll hear someone rant and rave over something, really building it up to be something spectacular. And then when you try it, you're let down, and left wondering what all the fuss was all about! Actually, I thought the underrated category would be the easier of the two to contemplate.
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 7:00 AM
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Re:
That's fine, adnohr. I knew this wouldn't be easy, simply because there may be several choices to place into either category. But like I said, it's all subjective, so don't waste too many brain cells pondering it! I just thought it may have been a fun "mental exercise" for everyone!
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 6:57 AM
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Re: an over-rated pleasure--youth.
Those are two excellent examples, Ciel, and could probably be considered the two extremes of that thinking. I often wish I could travel back in time with all of my found intelligence and experience, and do certain things over again, hopefully with better results. And I have always respected my elders, regardless . . . kids, not so much!
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 6:55 AM
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Re: For me an over rated pleasure would be a very expensive bottle of wine that
I can't argue with either of those, Kabu! Yeah, a bottle of expensive wine that is quickly consumed and then forgotten about ( more or less ) should be considered overrated, and I know my wife and I share your sentiment about the animal kingdom!
posted by
JimmyA
on January 29, 2013 at 6:52 AM
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Well one of the under rated pleasures as one gets older is to wake and feel happy.
Overrated take your pick, most things that have to be paid for excessively.
posted by
C_C_T
on January 28, 2013 at 11:19 PM
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Jimmy
A very difficult question!
An important part of any pleasure is our expectation. But I have found that often the anticipation of pleasure is more pleasurable than the fulfillment, which frequently does not measure up to our expectation. Hence, I would say that I probably overrate my expectations...
And my treasures? I do rate them highly, otherwise I would not call them treasures. But, upon reflection, I find that their value fluctuates. I do not have a fixed ‘exchange’ rate, as it were, for any of them; there are times when I pay much attention to them, and times when I do not. It is at those latter times when I clearly underrate my treasures...
posted by
Nautikos
on January 28, 2013 at 7:25 PM
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An overrated pleasure is Cable TV, etc and and underrated pleasure is sitting quietly without outside interference! sam 
posted by
sam444
on January 28, 2013 at 5:07 PM
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JimmyA
Kabu and I worship at the porcelain stone and we find prayer is underrated.
posted by
WileyJohn
on January 28, 2013 at 2:48 PM
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Jimmy
I think Ciel did a good job. All Ciel wrote comes into mine as well. But I want to say you have done a very good thing bringing this out to a community thought process.
I think the most overrated thing is truth. There is the truth of Science and the Market Place both of these are subject to so much monetary pressure they are thin as water by the time they clear security. The most underrated thing is the truth of God. Even here there is monetary and other bias that corrupts the truth. Anyone putting the totality of the Word of God according to the 66 Book Canon without buying into denominational differnces outside this cannon. In my case this Canon is of the Protestant Faith. I have spent many years studying and studying those who have studied this. This is only experienced by a relationship with God, not by reading and studying alone.
posted by
Justi
on January 28, 2013 at 2:04 PM
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Overrated pleasure: cellphones (namely texting)
Underrated treasure: Famlies and friends
posted by
FormerStudentIntern
on January 28, 2013 at 9:51 AM
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thats a good question a lot of things are overated but you dont know it until you try them
posted by
Lanetay
on January 28, 2013 at 6:37 AM
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My list is too long, and Ciel already mentioned the main one. I'll have to think about this and come back.
posted by
adnohr
on January 28, 2013 at 5:39 AM
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an over-rated pleasure--youth.
It has its charms, the chiefest of which is energy, but lacks experience and therefore, very often, wisdom, patience, tolerance...
An under-rated treasure: Elders. Trials by fire, wisdom gotten the hard way... years experienced and survived. History lives in elders, our best way to know how it was, to know what life was like, then... Family history, and the shared history of a community, of the world--They saw it, lived it... learned from it.
posted by
Ciel
on January 27, 2013 at 7:56 PM
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For me an over rated pleasure would be a very expensive bottle of wine that
i drank too much of and wasteed worshiping at the porcelain throne....an underated treasure would be for me, almost any animal I may sight living its proper life in the wild.
posted by
Kabu
on January 27, 2013 at 4:55 PM
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