@justarandomgirl i would chat w/ you but im too old.
Pursuit of happiness.. let's discuss, shall we?
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whole life is spend in the "pursuit of happiness" but we don't get it for too long. we have some beloved person, they will be taken away by the passage of time or get separated after fights. people yearn for happiness, but they think that may be running after money will buy them happiness, but we see it is not the truth- even after getting more he strives for more or remains in awe "if his wealth and position is taken away what will he do?" and there we have disturbed mind and no peace there too. and if goal of life was in comforts and wealth then why do we see people doing suicides? mentally ill- in America it's quite prevalent. now a days, people love things and use people to get those things but instead, people were meant to be loved and things to be used. we can go on boozing, partying, on a world tour, watching shows etc trying to get over our feeling of distress, loneliness but we can't go on recreational activities for forever. we are in the pursuit of happiness but we aren't getting it. in fact, if we take it more further, talking of pleasure in other living beings, they have the tendency to seek for pleasure too. for ants on tabletop, having sweets is her pleasure. dogs and cats have their way of obtaining sensual pleasure too. so, this living force is after pleasure! we don't see dead matter desiring for anything. In all the living entities we see, it's the soul- the conscious being with in the body.. who desires for pleasure. soul is like a driver in the car, car is like a body. if we feed only the car( feeding petrol) and don't give anything to eat to the driver, he will die. similarly, bodily pleasures/sensory pleasures can't give fulfillment to the heart/ soul.. for soul, food should be spiritual too. bodily pleasures/sensory pleasures can give a fleeting, temporary pleasure to the body and mind but it can't give nourishment to the soul(self). That's why we are never satisfied of our desires( material desires), because it's not the food for our heart.. it's due to ignorance we think that by enjoying the things or having them in abundance will makes us happy, but they don't and we all have experienced that. Only love, meaningful love can satisfy our heart, that's why you will see.. more than anything or whatever people do( earning wealth, fame, etc) is for having people in their lives, for association, for love and affection. all other things are secondary, but sadly we are focusing too much on that - to be the life's goal! which is perverted and not the real purpose at all.
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@Achal99 ok so you tagged me here , your opinion was quite interesting , ok so my take is that
- Can you say in ideal terms if something is perfect ?
Most will say no and ofcourse in my opinion something as always defect no matter how minute , so why do people long for perfection ? So see this as more of a endless road like more you walk further more you will be near to it perfection but will never tend to it . I apply the same principle to happiness like you could be content with how much you walk passed that journey and everyone will be content with different lengths like you stated some will be happy for survival( like poor people) while some with complex issues( mostly rich) so yes how much you walk on this path matters , if you push yourself to walk forever you will never reach true happiness . So yah thats my take on it
So ask yourself how much you want to tread on it and with how much happiness you will be contented
- Can you say in ideal terms if something is perfect ?
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@Achal99
If you imagine people as a container, with a liquid inside .. let's call it happiness .. but this container is broken at the bottom .. here is that continuously, the desire, but also the need, to fill this void lead us to always desire more .. it's not just material, money, power, but also emotional .. you want so much love, you can't get enough .. it's a kind of loop or a black hole .. -
Being happy every moment of our life isn't possible. We will always have our ups and downs. We can't distinguish our happy moments if we don't have sad moments to compare them with. Living a fulfilling life, with both happiness and sadness or any other feeling, is a balancing act. Not to much of one without the other. As long as we are able to keep our balance in life, happiness is merely a part of it, not everything.
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@kaia_ happy at every moment is possible and I have seen it, if you ever get the chance of meeting a saint( real saint), you would see the opposite. surely, ups and downs are there, but if we have something "higher", we can tolerate or easily ignore the onslaught( distress and happiness). just like when we are busy in playing and if we get a bruise, we won't feel much of pain or even know about it.. only, when we rest or stop playing, we realize a bruise. so, here playing is like a higher taste or involvement which enabled the boy to ignore and not feel the pain.. that's a practical experience. ( just an example, not to be taken too far where we broke our hand and we don't realize that we are hurt ! hahaha) we all need to find the higher involvement. and about-we can't distinguish one without the other is not certainly true. have you seen a child 3-4 yr old?.. he doesn't have suffering like we do( mental or emotional), but is by nature always happy! only when he's hurt or something he might cry.. but the point being- from childhood everyone are happy! consider another example- by your thought process, does it mean that to experience "sweetness" of sugar you need to have "bitter gourd" ? certainly, NO! right? similarly, by nature we all are happy and seeking it, we don't need to experience distress to taste what happiness feels like. it's just those who are very disturbed or distressed, are dearly in search of happiness( of course! no one wants discomfort or distress). so, we should seek for "higher pleasures" by which we won't be much affected by lower or mundane distress- happiness.. example is that of saints or monks.
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@Achal99 That may give us a peace of mind, but not happiness
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@kaia_ we can't be in a state of bliss if mind isn't peaceful.. when mind is disturbed there is unease or frustration or bewilderment or some sort of distress. but happiness is not only confined to the 'peace of mind"( it is one of the aspect tho) but also inevitably, there is a sense of purpose for greater good or something higher, not just for ourselves but also others. When we learn to dovetail our lives in that way-we not only get happiness but also peace of mind( they are related anyway).
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@Achal99 I see.. So, it's not only gratitude is important cornerstone of happiness but things like optimism, mindfulness, forgiveness and having a sense of purpose and meaning are also important to experience happiness and a deep sense of fulfillment in life.
For me, in short.. healthy, family, friends, love, enough money ....and, It’d be nice to have luck on my side :blossom: Color me happy !! -
@Achal99 Hey let's create awareness 💕
Share this with your friends and family and groups too
https://lifeflavorz.blogspot.com/2021/01/self-love.html -
@Kalpa-Wishvajith that's a good idea buddy, but I am not someone who can really contribute anything. but, yeah.. I would like to give it a try.
