Gee, this is like some type of sign or something...
I've done nothing but worry about finding happiness the past month. I truly believe that if you are not happy with yourself, you shouldn't try to share with with anyone else quite yet. I am proud to say that I am truly happy lots of the time...which most people I know are not. I feel fortunate.
And I do think happiness comes from within. Only you know how you feel and know what makes you happy.
Oh wait...found a loophole. Happiness also came from with a Starbucks cup last night...which was the Eggnog Latte.
I fully believe that happiness comes from within because only you have the power to make choices which end in your happiness, and only you have the ability to choose to be happy with what you have. Like I choose to be very happy with a pint of Guinness, not because it speaks to my very soul, but because I choose to let my soul listen to its speech. Or something.
its like happiness is a mix of thought and circumstance...
like even the happiest person couldn't (nor should they be) happy dodging bullets in trenche during WWII or some shit...
so yeah its important to appreciate what you have and to enjoy as much as you can out of life...but there just are some shitty places/times and if you are in one of these you should work hard to change...not try and be happy.
yes. quoting the dalai lama: "I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. ...It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace."
although material things do make me happy...eg. shopping and food. trivial though.
Even in times of real hardship (such as the above-stated WWII trench case), people can manage to keep their spirits up to maintain happiness.
I definitely don't think happiness comes from material possessions. I have at least a few friends who spend a lot of money acquiring excessive amounts of clothes, shoes, low-rider cars, bicycles & motorcycles or whatever, and I haven't noticed any long-term changes in happiness resulting from their purchases.
I suppose having money to provide at least basic essentials can contribute to happiness, though my own experience tells me there isn't always a direct correlation. And scientific studies have shown that the stockpiling of wealth is more likely to bring unhappiness than happiness. As popular recording artist Jay-Z notes, more money often brings about more problems.
The one serious candidate for an external source of happiness is other people. Human interaction is probably the most-proven way of cheering people up; but that isn't to say that some people can't extinguish happiness.
Happiness comes from wherever you can get it so my answer is yes, sometimes. Jake, are you sure you aren't thinking of Mase? While more money might mean more problems, no money almost never means no problems.
Happiness definitely comes from within. The trick to happiness is just being grateful and making the best of life's general shittiness.
I agree with Jake that human interaction is probably the only real external source of happiness. That said, I try to spend 50% of my time by myself and the rest with other people. It's the perfect happiness recipe and things get sad when that falls out of balance on either side.
Finally, for the Jay-Z/Mase confusion: Jay-Z had 99 problems, and it was safe to assume money was one. Mase said Mo' Money Mo' Problems. They're both right, I think.
this is the part where i start talking about energy. the energy of the universe and how we're all a part of it, man. entropy, it's matter of course.
j/k, bro. get ready for the long wind...
really, though, what is happiness? does one need to experience euphoria to be happy or can the numb drudgery of daily life still count as happiness? is happiness, like haitch bar, a universal constant, or is it quantitatively (or qualitatively) different for different people?
i recall a point in my life where i was incapable of getting out of bed (i.e. severe depression), however, i didn't really feel unhappy. i'm pretty sure, though, that the company of my friends was my only saving grace at that time. there are also examples of people living in remote areas of the world who lack human contact who are extremely happy with their lives. in this context, the company of people doesn't appear to be the sole cause of happiness.
what about environment? the person living in remote areas, alone, can be happy. can someone, living a relatively hermetic life, reside in a densely populated area and still be happy? i'm pretty sure that in this diverse world there is at least a handful of people who would attest as much.
using these disparate cases as examples, clearly, one's environment can be influential on their happiness although it doesn't appear to be necessary.
if it is not an external factor that causes happiness, then it must be an internal factor, no? if so, then i would like to make the case that happiness, much like depression, is a purely chemical initiated state. the human brain has pleasure centers that are stimulated either exogenously by drugs (e.g. crack, heroin, weed) or endogenously by dopamine. a person feels the sensation of "getting high" from sensations such as touch, sight, stimulating conversation and eating. what causes this biochemical signaling is the real question at hand.
i would like to propound these signaling pathways are developed as one ages and one's definitions of happiness are defined and actualized. this would do well to explain why accumulation of material items and wealth are ultimately disenfranchising. if ones signaling pathway is defined to experience happiness only by achieving the "most" wealth, that is an intangible goal (unless you're bill gates). due to an inability to reach the established goal, the signaling pathway can never develop and happiness can never be achieved.
if you made it this far, feel free to tell me i'm wrong or poke holes in my argument.
What makes me really happy is knowing that I am in control of my own happiness. When you know what makes you happy, you make your plan of attack and go after it.
I think maybe a lot of people just don't know what would make them personally fulfilled. Everyone wants love and a satisfying standard of living, but is that enough? No way, life is too long and we're all too different. That's just part of what makes things interesting for all of us though.
I think happiness is pretty fleeting (I think I am happy or sad in equal parts even at my lowest depression or highest "pression" [Like the graph would have peaks and valleys but if you zoomed in there would be a sinusoidal frequency of happy and sad{like a fractal!}]) but for the sake of this answer I will think more of "satisfaction with the current state of things"
With this in mind I think for me it has to do with:
1) How I am doing with my relationships with other people (eg Am I seeing my friends enough, is my girlfriend happy with me, have I been having conversations that were interesting/informative/funny etc)
2) If at work I am being useful and learning new things. It is lame, I realize, for happiness to hinge on work, but for me it does I guess.
3) How much my family is currently harshing my mellow.
Here you will find a new question to answer every weekday. This is not a secret so tell others about it, eventually we will sell ads and use the money to buy ice cream sandwiches for everyone and when we say "everyone" we mean it literally.
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12 comments:
Gee, this is like some type of sign or something...
I've done nothing but worry about finding happiness the past month. I truly believe that if you are not happy with yourself, you shouldn't try to share with with anyone else quite yet. I am proud to say that I am truly happy lots of the time...which most people I know are not. I feel fortunate.
And I do think happiness comes from within. Only you know how you feel and know what makes you happy.
Oh wait...found a loophole. Happiness also came from with a Starbucks cup last night...which was the Eggnog Latte.
Damn.
I fully believe that happiness comes from within because only you have the power to make choices which end in your happiness, and only you have the ability to choose to be happy with what you have.
Like I choose to be very happy with a pint of Guinness, not because it speaks to my very soul, but because I choose to let my soul listen to its speech. Or something.
its like happiness is a mix of thought and circumstance...
like even the happiest person couldn't (nor should they be) happy dodging bullets in trenche during WWII or some shit...
so yeah its important to appreciate what you have and to enjoy as much as you can out of life...but there just are some shitty places/times and if you are in one of these you should work hard to change...not try and be happy.
yes. quoting the dalai lama:
"I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. ...It is the principal source of success in life. Since we are not solely material creatures, it is a mistake to place all our hopes for happiness on external development alone. The key is to develop inner peace."
although material things do make me happy...eg. shopping and food. trivial though.
I think it mainly comes from within.
Even in times of real hardship (such as the above-stated WWII trench case), people can manage to keep their spirits up to maintain happiness.
I definitely don't think happiness comes from material possessions. I have at least a few friends who spend a lot of money acquiring excessive amounts of clothes, shoes, low-rider cars, bicycles & motorcycles or whatever, and I haven't noticed any long-term changes in happiness resulting from their purchases.
I suppose having money to provide at least basic essentials can contribute to happiness, though my own experience tells me there isn't always a direct correlation. And scientific studies have shown that the stockpiling of wealth is more likely to bring unhappiness than happiness. As popular recording artist Jay-Z notes, more money often brings about more problems.
The one serious candidate for an external source of happiness is other people. Human interaction is probably the most-proven way of cheering people up; but that isn't to say that some people can't extinguish happiness.
Happiness comes from wherever you can get it so my answer is yes, sometimes. Jake, are you sure you aren't thinking of Mase? While more money might mean more problems, no money almost never means no problems.
Happiness definitely comes from within. The trick to happiness is just being grateful and making the best of life's general shittiness.
I agree with Jake that human interaction is probably the only real external source of happiness. That said, I try to spend 50% of my time by myself and the rest with other people. It's the perfect happiness recipe and things get sad when that falls out of balance on either side.
Finally, for the Jay-Z/Mase confusion: Jay-Z had 99 problems, and it was safe to assume money was one. Mase said Mo' Money Mo' Problems. They're both right, I think.
this is the part where i start talking about energy. the energy of the universe and how we're all a part of it, man. entropy, it's matter of course.
j/k, bro. get ready for the long wind...
really, though, what is happiness? does one need to experience euphoria to be happy or can the numb drudgery of daily life still count as happiness? is happiness, like haitch bar, a universal constant, or is it quantitatively (or qualitatively) different for different people?
i recall a point in my life where i was incapable of getting out of bed (i.e. severe depression), however, i didn't really feel unhappy. i'm pretty sure, though, that the company of my friends was my only saving grace at that time. there are also examples of people living in remote areas of the world who lack human contact who are extremely happy with their lives. in this context, the company of people doesn't appear to be the sole cause of happiness.
what about environment? the person living in remote areas, alone, can be happy. can someone, living a relatively hermetic life, reside in a densely populated area and still be happy? i'm pretty sure that in this diverse world there is at least a handful of people who would attest as much.
using these disparate cases as examples, clearly, one's environment can be influential on their happiness although it doesn't appear to be necessary.
if it is not an external factor that causes happiness, then it must be an internal factor, no? if so, then i would like to make the case that happiness, much like depression, is a purely chemical initiated state. the human brain has pleasure centers that are stimulated either exogenously by drugs (e.g. crack, heroin, weed) or endogenously by dopamine. a person feels the sensation of "getting high" from sensations such as touch, sight, stimulating conversation and eating. what causes this biochemical signaling is the real question at hand.
i would like to propound these signaling pathways are developed as one ages and one's definitions of happiness are defined and actualized. this would do well to explain why accumulation of material items and wealth are ultimately disenfranchising. if ones signaling pathway is defined to experience happiness only by achieving the "most" wealth, that is an intangible goal (unless you're bill gates). due to an inability to reach the established goal, the signaling pathway can never develop and happiness can never be achieved.
if you made it this far, feel free to tell me i'm wrong or poke holes in my argument.
What makes me really happy is knowing that I am in control of my own happiness. When you know what makes you happy, you make your plan of attack and go after it.
I think maybe a lot of people just don't know what would make them personally fulfilled. Everyone wants love and a satisfying standard of living, but is that enough? No way, life is too long and we're all too different. That's just part of what makes things interesting for all of us though.
I think happiness is pretty fleeting (I think I am happy or sad in equal parts even at my lowest depression or highest "pression" [Like the graph would have peaks and valleys but if you zoomed in there would be a sinusoidal frequency of happy and sad{like a fractal!}]) but for the sake of this answer I will think more of "satisfaction with the current state of things"
With this in mind I think for me it has to do with:
1) How I am doing with my relationships with other people (eg Am I seeing my friends enough, is my girlfriend happy with me, have I been having conversations that were interesting/informative/funny etc)
2) If at work I am being useful and learning new things. It is lame, I realize, for happiness to hinge on work, but for me it does I guess.
3) How much my family is currently harshing my mellow.
4) Cats.
I think like 89% of happiness comes from within, ther the 11% can be outside factors.
My happiness doesn't come from this:http://board.veryserious.org/topic.php?id=39&page#post-146
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