Happiness

[PowerWizard]

This seems to be a bit vague topic at first, but after rereading Nichomachean Ethics, I'm interested in the idea of discussing it.

What are your views on happiness? Do you think it is easy to achieve happiness in human life, and if achieved can it be kept for a long time? What does "happiness" mean for you? Is it an emotion or a state of mind? A state of financial freedom or social interactivity? Is it enough to lead a morally valuable life through deliberate actions - as Socrates suggests - or do you need other things, factors too? Is morality in play here at all?

[seireikhaan]

Happiness is a state of mind, methinks. It comes from contentment. Different people are contented differently. For some, it comes from living a certain ethical code, for others, financial security. For some, its knowing they've been a productive and independent member of society. Or combinations of the three. I don't think you can pigeonhole what causes happiness, but I think one overriding factor is some form of stability from which to build a life.

Is this easy to achieve? Honestly, I think, personally, happiness is as easy to achieve as you want it to be. How ambitious are you? How simple are your demands of life? Do you allow emotion to run your life? This is why I attempt its wisest to limit one's greed and desire for excess. If you can find peace of mind with what you have instead of agonizing over what you lack, than happiness is much easier to both find and keep.

[PowerWizard]

A very sensible answer, I can agree with almost all you've posted. However, I must contest your views on greed, for the sake of debate. Let's assume A defines P as his life goal, whereas "P" can be anything from a sum of wealth to personal achievements, family, or a mix of all. It isn't a too ambitious goal, however enables A to be happy by achieving this goal in a relatively short time and remain happy for the rest of his life. A reaches his goal "P" at the age of 35. Now what happens for the rest of his life? Doesn't his life start to deteriorate in the lack of goals? Aren't goals a constant driving force of life? If yes, can we be happy by pursuing goals? My questions are a bit loaded of course, and predict my answer, that I think goal-achievement does not directly lead to happiness, only the morality of your action, and by morality I mean the notion that you lead a meaningful life and act as such.

[Rhyfelwyr]

You can only be truly happy when you don't want yourself to be happy.

[Marshal Murat]

The best way to achieve happiness is to have open gun-laws that makes every super-friendly, ensuring domestic tranquility (or a Texan approximation thereof).

[Rhyfelwyr]

I think my ideal of happiness would be owning several shotguns and using them responsibly.

That works too.

[miotas]

There are two situations in life that make me truly 100% happy, one involves good music, good friends and family, and good alcohol. And the other involves camping, taking a hike through the bush etc. Anything like that where it's just you, nature and a few sangas. Preferably with family.

And the sad thing is that I've only truly realised just how happy that stuff makes me now that I've moved to Sydney away from all my family and all that nature I love so much. The only refuge I have now is good music. Bloody hell I'm depressed.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

The three F's: Firearms, Food, and Family.

[rotorgun]

My Dad used to always say to us "Take it one day at a time guys." It took me a long time to figure out that he meant to live in "the now" and don't worry what has passed or what will come. Let's face it, we can't do anything about whatever is past or future. You will definitely benefit from stopping to "smell the roses" by concentrating on the present.

"Don't worry.....be happy"

[Hooahguy]

happiness is a warm cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter night.

[Samurai Waki]

Couldn't agree more with rotorgun. Sounds like some of the same advice my father imbued with us shortly before he died. His wisdom always shined through, when he'd begin to talk about his days in the Navy.

"Finding Happiness is like sailing; you begin to appreciate the downtime before and after the storms, it should never last quite so long as to lead to boredom, and laziness, but should never be so short as to worry about what will happen next."

[rajpoot]

It's all relative. Like it's been said before you can't really classify what makes people happy or unhappy, because while I feel very happy gaming on the PC, my grandmother feels happy going to the temple....
However when you achieve the state of perfect happiness, you reach a point where you don't desire anything else at all. You have reached the point/gained/done whatever you wanted and I believe it's as close to the 'enlightenment' thing (that all the religious books in history speak of)a man can get.
More practically though, even this isn't possible I think, since as time passes, one does begin desiring more and more things.....

[Hosakawa Tito]

According to Lennon happiness is a warm gun. For me the path to happiness is learning to want and appreciate what I have.

[seireikhaan]

A very sensible answer, I can agree with almost all you've posted. However, I must contest your views on greed, for the sake of debate. Let's assume A defines P as his life goal, whereas "P" can be anything from a sum of wealth to personal achievements, family, or a mix of all. It isn't a too ambitious goal, however enables A to be happy by achieving this goal in a relatively short time and remain happy for the rest of his life. A reaches his goal "P" at the age of 35. Now what happens for the rest of his life? Doesn't his life start to deteriorate in the lack of goals? Aren't goals a constant driving force of life? If yes, can we be happy by pursuing goals? My questions are a bit loaded of course, and predict my answer, that I think goal-achievement does not directly lead to happiness, only the morality of your action, and by morality I mean the notion that you lead a meaningful life and act as such.

I don't disagree- in my original statement, I used the word "limit" very deliberately. Wanting better for yourself is not something that will inherently make you a more miserable person. Rather, letting that desire grow, fester, and take hold of your entire life will, in my opinion. Greed, as a concept, can no more be eradicated than any other emotion or desire. Attempting to completely destroy it will, ironically, make you even more unhappy because you are attempting to achieve a goal that is impossible. Rather, its best to hedge greed, work with it, contour it. Goals are, in themselves, a very healthy part of humanity. But, as I said, you cannot let goals interfere with actually living life. Its better to make your goals a part of your life, rather than make your life a part of your goals.

[Furunculus]

happiness is:
> girlfriend
> good friends
> gaming
> mountain-biking
> outdoors
> enough money to buy any two of the following each year: computers/bikes/airguns
> peace and quiet to enjoy all the the above

[Kurando]

It's an amazing thing that in this life we have the ability to both suffer and to be happy. Moreover, we have the opportunity to learn just as much from the times when we have suffered as we do from the times when we've been happy.

For better or worse we are not in this alone; our happiness is intimately tied to the happiness of all beings. When we are acting from a place within ourselves that we know to be true: is it not hard to be happy when another is suffering, and is it not hard to suffer when another is happy?

[PowerWizard]

But, as I said, you cannot let goals interfere with actually living life. Its better to make your goals a part of your life, rather than make your life a part of your goals.

A wise statement.



I think the inherent difference between Western and non-Western civilizations is how they view life: as a never-ending endeavour to reach certain goals and be a 'complete' man, wanting and gaining more and more in an accelerating tempo, or to live in perfect harmony with the self and the world. The first one presumes goal-oriented action, which is only bound by the laws and morality, in so far as it can be ascertained, that it contributes to individual and social growth. Whereas the second one presumes self-conscious action, or "sacred action" (called by Buddhism), in which the actor only focuses on the solemnity of action, not the goal or outcome. I think it is a sensible compromise to mix these two actions in the pursuit of happiness.

[naut]

Not sure how one would pursue happiness. Seems like a fruitless endeavour; better to close your eyes, flail around and hope for the best.

Happiness is all manner of things for me: Helping friends and family. Socialising with friends and family. Laughing at all the absurd things that happen to the people I know. Drugs, whether it's alcohol, weed, mushrooms or LSD. Even painful events bring me happiness to some extent. Strangely enough most of my happiness stems from the absurdity of my life and it's happenings, I always have a good laugh thinking about all the things that make no sense.

Can it be kept? Stored if you will? No, of course not. To quote Gogol:

But nothing is lasting in this world. Even joy begins to fade after only a minute. Two minutes later, and it is weaker still, until it is swallowed up in our everyday, prosaic state of mind, just as a ripple made by a pebble gradually merges with the smooth surface of the water.

Is happiness achievable? Yes in brief segments, sure. But, it is silly to think there is some way to transcend this existence into something more meaningful. And holding hope that there is is frivolous.

But maybe I've read too much Camus.

[HoreTore]

Happiness is the feeling you have when your hopes and dreams are crushed, and you are forced to live your own, real life.

[Ja'chyra]

Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet.









Sorry

[Reverend Joe]

I might have a slightly skewed perspective for various reasons, but in my opinion happiness is actually the Buddhist state of Samsara. Ridiculous, I know, because the Great Fatass known as Buddha called it the ultimate state of unhappiness; but to me, happiness cannot exist without constant misery.

Happiness, to me, is the moments when unhappiness ends. There's a lot of unhappiness, but all it takes is a little work to force through it and once it ends you have an opportunity to be happy. Note, however, that I say an opportunity; if you don't take that opportunity, you will never be happy. It is also the contrast between the unhappiness and the happiness that makes happiness. This comes from the fact that you ahve to fight through the unhappiness, and at the end, happiness is your reward; and in so doing, you open up more opportunities to be happy. That's what bothers me the most about Buddhism. If you destroy all unhappiness, you destroy happiness as well; in fact, you destroy what makes you exist as a human. That destruction is not a transendence, to me; it is a regression to a level of lower existence, ultimately leading to a total neutrality and absence of good. This, to me, is far more terrifying than unhappiness.

[ICantSpellDawg]

Learn how to enjoy life the way it is, was and what it can be. Then, throw a brick covered in poo through a Democrats window.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Learn how to enjoy life the way it is, was and what it can be. Then, throw a brick covered in poo through a Democrats window.

They leave their windows open. They WANT the neighbors to see/hear everything.

Braggarts.

[Reverend Joe]

Learn how to enjoy life the way it is, was and what it can be. Then, throw a brick covered in poo through a Democrats window.

Buddy, you oughta watch out for some poo-covered bricks coming through YOUR window after that comment. Hell, I might tie some weed to the bricks instead of poo and call the police just for a laugh.

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