Happiness is a mental or emotional state of well being characterized by pleasant emotions.
It is of such fundamental importance to human condition that "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" were deemed unalienable rights by US Declaration Of Independence.
Pursuit of happiness is a universal quest but it becomes doomed the moment we tie our happiness to particular outcome/result/situation. That there is not much difference between one outcome or another (barring a few scenarios) is comfortably ignored and it has been a cause of misery/agony.
As "Father of Economics" Adam Smith puts it:
“The great source of both the misery and disorders of human life, seems to arise from over-rating the difference between one permanent situation and another. Avarice over-rates the difference between poverty and riches: ambition, that between a private and a public station: vain-glory, that between obscurity and extensive reputation. The person under the influence of any of those extravagant passions, is not only miserable in his actual situation, but is often disposed to disturb the peace of society, in order to arrive at that which he so foolishly admires. The slightest observation, however, might satisfy him, that, in all the ordinary situations of human life, a well-disposed mind may be equally calm, equally cheerful, and equally contented. Some of those situations may, no doubt, deserve to be preferred to others: but none of them can deserve to be pursued with that passionate ardour which drives us to violate the rules either of prudence or of justice; or to corrupt the future tranquillity of our minds, either by shame from the remembrance of our own folly, or by remorse from the horror of our own injustice.”
All this coming from one of the greatest advocates of capitalism. My own experiences have been the same.We can be happy in any situation/outcome , its just the conditioning of brain that prevents us.
Fixation with a particular outcome not only robs us of our present happiness and God forbid,if the result is different, the future happiness as well.
Other thing which reduces our happiness is the constant deliberations about the choices we made or gonna make and the actions we have taken. "What if I had chosen/acted differently" has robbed the humanity of all the peace and happiness that was already there at the moment. Anxiety about choices/actions to be taken and Regret about choices made/actions taken have done no person any good. There is a "Divine Joy" in taking a decision and sticking to it ,come hell or high water.
Thus following these points will guarantee that you never have to pursue happiness.
These points will ensure that you will be happy instead of pursuing it.
1. Our present happiness is not tied to any particular goal/outcome/situation.
2. There is joy in being stuck with a decision.
It is of such fundamental importance to human condition that "life, liberty and pursuit of happiness" were deemed unalienable rights by US Declaration Of Independence.
Pursuit of happiness is a universal quest but it becomes doomed the moment we tie our happiness to particular outcome/result/situation. That there is not much difference between one outcome or another (barring a few scenarios) is comfortably ignored and it has been a cause of misery/agony.
As "Father of Economics" Adam Smith puts it:
“The great source of both the misery and disorders of human life, seems to arise from over-rating the difference between one permanent situation and another. Avarice over-rates the difference between poverty and riches: ambition, that between a private and a public station: vain-glory, that between obscurity and extensive reputation. The person under the influence of any of those extravagant passions, is not only miserable in his actual situation, but is often disposed to disturb the peace of society, in order to arrive at that which he so foolishly admires. The slightest observation, however, might satisfy him, that, in all the ordinary situations of human life, a well-disposed mind may be equally calm, equally cheerful, and equally contented. Some of those situations may, no doubt, deserve to be preferred to others: but none of them can deserve to be pursued with that passionate ardour which drives us to violate the rules either of prudence or of justice; or to corrupt the future tranquillity of our minds, either by shame from the remembrance of our own folly, or by remorse from the horror of our own injustice.”
All this coming from one of the greatest advocates of capitalism. My own experiences have been the same.We can be happy in any situation/outcome , its just the conditioning of brain that prevents us.
Fixation with a particular outcome not only robs us of our present happiness and God forbid,if the result is different, the future happiness as well.
Other thing which reduces our happiness is the constant deliberations about the choices we made or gonna make and the actions we have taken. "What if I had chosen/acted differently" has robbed the humanity of all the peace and happiness that was already there at the moment. Anxiety about choices/actions to be taken and Regret about choices made/actions taken have done no person any good. There is a "Divine Joy" in taking a decision and sticking to it ,come hell or high water.
Thus following these points will guarantee that you never have to pursue happiness.
These points will ensure that you will be happy instead of pursuing it.
1. Our present happiness is not tied to any particular goal/outcome/situation.
2. There is joy in being stuck with a decision.
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