Happiness

[Sean K]

Sorry Mods, please move to the approprite thread... but,

Happiness!

What is happiness?

Is it a universal principle, or a totally personal perception of your current state of awareness in your particular environment?

Even in your own environment, is your happiness the same as anyone elses?

Even if you are a twin, living the same life, can you measure what happiness is, to indicate a general basis by which to design your life to achieve happiness?

Or, is happiness totally random? We can do all we can to design of lives to be happy but kaos rules thus negating any efforts on our behalf?

Does nothing else matter in the achievement of happiness but a state of mind?

Can a Buddhist really achieve enlightenment, and become a Bodhi?

Can anyone achieve eudaimonia?

In the end, is all we really want to do is survive, which equates to the final happiness? Survival of the organism?


Just a general discussion on what happiness is, and how to achieve it perhaps?

[de_budding]

I'm not a fan of these preconceptions of happiness, I try to avoid this happiness-idealism by denying all forms of happiness other than those which I freely and spontaneously experience as part of the 'flow' of events. I see too many people trying to 'set themselves up' for happiness so that it comes from the future and falls into their lap, as if it would stay there given the chance.

Seems to me that there is little happiness, mostly anticipation or contentment. The former the more powerful of the two and most common. Largely, people can not appreciate the subtleties of contentment which is, usually, the arival of something which has been anticipated. What most people seem to do is take anticipation and stock pile it, store it into a big ball and release it all at once in (usually done in company.) This I call 'jumping for joy' and it isn't real happiness, in fact it is the most fleeting way to experience something.

So how to obtain happiness? Don't limit yourself to anticipation-happiness only, don't try to force excitement and happiness where there is none. Work on very consciously recognising an experience which has been anticipated (or not) so that you can take time to extract and appreciate things as they happen, not as you for see or remember them. This is contentment and it is subtle, reserved and perhaps not as exciting as anticipation but, it is potent and deeper.

[nameless]

Originally Posted by Sean K

Just a general discussion on what happiness is,

Happiness is a feeling, like sadness, grief, joy, boredom, etc... Appearing at the 'correct' times in one's life.

and how to achieve it perhaps?

Humans (but not limited to) have, generally, a full spectrum of 'feelings' (those humans that are considered 'healthy'...).
Feelings come and go.
If you don't 'like' one feeling, just wait a bit and you will find yourself 'with' another feeling.
If you 'grasp' at one, just wait and it, too, will be gone, creating misery (another feeling).
If you seek 'one feeling' to 'hold' for life, then again, a feeling of disappointment and disillusionment will accompany another moment.
The flow, flows, and the wheel turns.
Enjoy it, whatever the universes 'bring'.

[de_budding]

Originally Posted by nameless

Happiness is a feeling, like sadness, grief, joy, boredom, etc... Appearing at the 'correct' times in one's life.

Originally Posted by nameless

Humans (but not limited to) have, generally, a full spectrum of 'feelings' (those humans that are considered 'healthy'...).
Feelings come and go.
If you don't 'like' one feeling, just wait a bit and you will find yourself 'with' another feeling.
If you 'grasp' at one, just wait and it, too, will be gone, creating misery (another feeling).
If you seek 'one feeling' to 'hold' for life, then again, a feeling of disappointment and disillusionment will accompany another moment.
The flow, flows, and the wheel turns.
Enjoy it, whatever the universes 'bring'.

So your saying there is a limited palette of emotions we can experience at any one time. If we grasp or try to sustain the experience of one, like happiness, you will cause a backlog of emotion (opposite to that which you are trying to sustain) which will flood through you at some point or another.

I like the idea that we shouldn't try to govern our emotions. We should try to manipulate our perspective of said emotions perhaps so we can appreciate pain, respect suffering and the strength it gives us.

At no point should we ever chase or demand anything of our emotions, only allow them to flow. Sounds to me like the philosophy of 'suck it up' or
'make the best of it'. Or any other quick retort usually used to keep those who complain quiet; but this attitude carries poetic undertones of appreciation for the good and the bad... if we can genuinely find the artistic attitude to embrace pain and suffering for all that it gives us, then we would all be truly happy all the time.

Dan.

[GoodVibes7]

Briefly, happiness requires harmony (love) & contrast (preferably in the form of growth). Without the latter, boredom ensues.

[nameless]

Originally Posted by de_budding

So your saying there is a limited palette of emotions we can experience at any one time.

I don't know if we can experience more than any one 'point' on that pallette at any one moment.

If we grasp or try to sustain the experience of one, like happiness, you will cause a backlog of emotion (opposite to that which you are trying to sustain) which will flood through you at some point or another.

One moment here we are with this feeling, this emotion; another moment here we are with that feeling... all moments of existence are synchronous. What a moment 'is', is all it can be.

I like the idea that we shouldn't try to govern our emotions. We should try to manipulate our perspective of said emotions perhaps so we can appreciate pain, respect suffering and the strength it gives us.

Yup! Pain hurts, but I'd give up none! All the feelings are deeply enjoyed!

At no point should we ever chase or demand anything of our emotions, only allow them to flow. Sounds to me like the philosophy of 'suck it up' or
'make the best of it'.

There are those who love chasing feelings and trying to grasp them, and those who hate it, and everyone else.. All us Perspectives are unique!

Or any other quick retort usually used to keep those who complain quiet; but this attitude carries poetic undertones of appreciation for the good and the bad... if we can genuinely find the artistic attitude to embrace pain and suffering for all that it gives us, then we would all be truly happy all the time.

True! One can still be a 'happy' person while in the most excrutiating of pain! But it is the pain at the forefront of thought, for most...

[Deftil]

I think of happiness as "the enjoyment of certain feelings" and that it is caused by chemical reactions in the brain that give one pleasure. Different things make different people happy, but the chemical reactions in the brain are extremely similar in different people.

[Sean K]

Originally Posted by Deftil

I think of happiness as "the enjoyment of certain feelings" and that it is caused by chemical reactions in the brain that give one pleasure. Different things make different people happy, but the chemical reactions in the brain are extremely similar in different people.

Yep, defining what 'happiness' is is probably important to discussing how to achieve it and maintain it.

And, I pose the question; can individuals achieve happiness without fitting into their environment?

In the short term we can all play, and have fun, and achieve, to satisfy ourselves, but if this is in contrast with our culture and environment, then ultimately those around us will be negatively effected, thus negatively effecting ourselves.

To build a foundation for the ultimate happiness don't we need to establish what is the best way to live for all those around us, and then act in a way to satisfy that? Upholding the virtues of our culture might be the first step, whatever they may be.

I think this might come before exceeding expectations, etc..

Just thinking out loud here, I'm a novice at this..

[de_budding]

Originally Posted by Sean K

To build a foundation for the ultimate happiness don't we need to establish what is the best way to live for all those around us, and then act in a way to satisfy that? Upholding the virtues of our culture might be the first step, whatever they may be.

I think this might come before exceeding expectations, etc..

Just thinking out loud here, I'm a novice at this..

To build a foundation for 'happiness' you first must define happiness by cutting all ties with things which bring about negative emotions. But to stop us inhibiting everyone else while in personal pursuit of happiness, the best we can do for 'all those around us' is be empathetic and courteous. This is a compromise where a select few 'enlightened' ones, who appreciate all emotion, end up babysitting the masses, or the herd, who need constant stimulation and comfort to feel joy.

Ideally what 'all those' need to do to enter our utopia delusion (in that we delude our perception of negative emotions in order to create a general contentment) is learn to appreciate the full spectrum of emotion like us. There is no 'ideal' for happiness, only tolerance and appreciation can bring about contentment... any other tour de happiness seems to head in the direction of drugs, promiscuity or ultimate-laziness.

Dan.

[Deftil]

Originally Posted by Sean K

And, I pose the question; can individuals achieve happiness without fitting into their environment?

It's possible for very few, because we are pretty social creatures. Each of us in different degrees, but being at least somewhat social is something most people have in common.

btw Bertrand Russell published a book in 1930 called The Conquest of Happiness that I want to read at some point.

Powell's Books - The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell