Oneironaut
01-19-2007, 04:26 PM
Well, I finally figured out the secret to true happiness. It's actually simpler than I expected it to be.
It turns out the Buddha was right. Much of suffering comes from the presence of unfulfilled desires. When we want something and we don't have it or can't get it, we become unhappy. Often our expectations of what kind of pleasure we should be getting are too high, and when we experience something pleasurable but not quite as pleasurable as we expected, we find ourselves disappointed.
The first step to achieving happiness, therefore, is the minimization (or ideally elimination) of your expectations of pleasure. Do not act as if the world owes you happiness, and you can truly and fully appreciate every little pleasurable thing in life. Once you have gotten rid of your expectations of pleasure, you can stop taking things for granted, and that is where happiness comes from. You already have the things that will make you happy, but chances are you take a good deal of them for granted. Don't ever take anything for granted.
Don't take food for granted. Think of the hungry.
Don't take those who care about you for granted. Think of the lonely.
Don't take warmth for granted. Think of those who are cold.
Don't take your eyesight for granted. Think of the blind.
Don't take weed for granted. Think of those who will die without having tried it.
Don't take the fact that you live in a First World industrialized nation for granted. Think of the slums of impoverished countries.
Don't even take suffering and pain for granted, since it is only because you suffer sometimes that you know what pleasure means.
Live your life, here and now, and don't expect happiness. Just let it come to you in all its myriad of forms, and teach yourself not to take it for granted. Our standards and expectations have gotten too high in this society, and because of that we often find ourselves underimpressed with our blessings. This leads people to the erroneous conclusion that gluttony will make them happier than moderation, and that striving for the most and the best is the only thing that can ever satisfy them. Do not fall into this trap, and you can be happy.
If anybody's interested, here are two amazing speeches about the pursuit of happiness:
http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=d_gilbert
http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=b_schwartz
It turns out the Buddha was right. Much of suffering comes from the presence of unfulfilled desires. When we want something and we don't have it or can't get it, we become unhappy. Often our expectations of what kind of pleasure we should be getting are too high, and when we experience something pleasurable but not quite as pleasurable as we expected, we find ourselves disappointed.
The first step to achieving happiness, therefore, is the minimization (or ideally elimination) of your expectations of pleasure. Do not act as if the world owes you happiness, and you can truly and fully appreciate every little pleasurable thing in life. Once you have gotten rid of your expectations of pleasure, you can stop taking things for granted, and that is where happiness comes from. You already have the things that will make you happy, but chances are you take a good deal of them for granted. Don't ever take anything for granted.
Don't take food for granted. Think of the hungry.
Don't take those who care about you for granted. Think of the lonely.
Don't take warmth for granted. Think of those who are cold.
Don't take your eyesight for granted. Think of the blind.
Don't take weed for granted. Think of those who will die without having tried it.
Don't take the fact that you live in a First World industrialized nation for granted. Think of the slums of impoverished countries.
Don't even take suffering and pain for granted, since it is only because you suffer sometimes that you know what pleasure means.
Live your life, here and now, and don't expect happiness. Just let it come to you in all its myriad of forms, and teach yourself not to take it for granted. Our standards and expectations have gotten too high in this society, and because of that we often find ourselves underimpressed with our blessings. This leads people to the erroneous conclusion that gluttony will make them happier than moderation, and that striving for the most and the best is the only thing that can ever satisfy them. Do not fall into this trap, and you can be happy.
If anybody's interested, here are two amazing speeches about the pursuit of happiness:
http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=d_gilbert
http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=b_schwartz