posted April 30, 2008 10:38 PM         

Life is really short. This is something we're told again and again, but until you reflect on the passing of your years it's hard to really solidify this knowledge. People say your perception of time even accelerates as you age.

Given that life is really short, do we want to live it in unhappiness and misery?

Unhappiness is a choice. Unhappiness is a choice. Misery is a choice. Happiness is a choice.

Happiness is not dependent upon external conditions. We are always waiting for a certain circumstance to disappear, or for a desired one to appear. Once i get this new job I'll be happy, once I move away from my shrieking wife, I'll be happy. But this is not the case, unhappiness is a habit that we've all learned, we've all been trained to think ourselves into misery.

The educational system trains us to be analytical thinkers, but this kind of thinking doesn't make us happy. These thought processes turn over our anger, jealousy, resentment, fear in our heads again and again, driving us to the brink of insanity. Capitalism thrives on unrest, if they can convince you that you are unhappy, they can convince you to buy products that will make you happy. If they can convince you you are fat, you will by weight loss products. Of course they make you fat first with fast foods. Capitalism runs on a a platform that assumes you are incomplete. You are not. You are complete.

Happiness is a choice we can make very day. It is my belief that everyone in the world wants the same thing, to maximize their happiness, and to minimize their suffering. But if you watch the choices people make it is clear they do not know what that path is. People believe that sensual gratification or material possessions will bring them happiness, but that brings pleasure, which is impermanent.

It takes strength to break out of our habits. Habits are what do us in and turn us into old people before our time. Can we challenge ourselves to live outside of our habits? Shut down the computer, the tv, put down the cigarette, the alcohol, walk into nature and commune with the fact that our bodies and minds intimately woven into the fabric of the universe. There is no separation, there is no escape from the self, we are charged with a life sentence in this body, and it goes by quickly.

posted April 30, 2008 10:49 PM         

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It takes strength to break out of our habits. Habits are what do us in and turn us into old people before our time. Can we challenge ourselves to live outside of our habits? Shut down the computer, the tv, put down the cigarette, the alcohol, walk into nature and commune with the fact that our bodies and minds intimately woven into the fabric of the universe. There is no separation, there is no escape from the self, we are charged with a life sentence in this body, and it goes by quickly.

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posted April 30, 2008 11:31 PM         

You're walking but you're not going anywhere!

posted May 01, 2008 01:27 PM         

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Will you teach me?

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posted May 01, 2008 03:19 PM         

Life is short, isn't it? And yet, some moments seem to take forever to pass. When we look down that long road, however, it all just seems so capricious and unbelievable. Perhaps its the peace that surrounds us when we look at our life accordingly. That quiet stillness seems so vast and infinite that it makes the time we've lived look like a trifle in its presence. And when we are living life, especially in the nitty-gritty of it, we often lose that touch of serenity. Ah, the fine beauty of both is overwhelming!

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Life is too short to live one day locked into habit without awareness, life is too short to blame others or our current conditions for our misery. Life is meant to be milked for every ounce of happiness it can provide. So I challenge everyone to break out of the habit of misery and open our eyes to the beauty and joy that is always present. This is your life, right now, passing before your eyes. Make it a good one, waste no time, and connect deeply with as many people as you can.

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I especially like the last sentence here. I would also add that there is an importance in deepening our ability to connect as fluently as we possibly can, even if it is just with one person throughout the span of one's life. The more one can spread that depth to others would be splendid, absolutely.

I see you, Blue. I see a lot more of you than you probably think. You seem to give the impression that I don't appreciate your presence, but I would confess that I do. You wear the raiment of your soul as a child in his parent's clothing and it makes me laugh from joy...the joy of seeing a brother and myself in the vestige of our parent's inheritance.

In the spirit of your thread, I think I'll share a bit too.

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The educational system trains us to be analytical thinkers, but this kind of thinking doesn't make us happy. These thought processes turn over our anger, jealousy, resentment, fear in our heads again and again, driving us to the brink of insanity. Capitalism thrives on unrest, if they can convince you that you are unhappy, they can convince you to buy products that will make you happy. If they can convince you you are fat, you will by weight loss products. Of course they make you fat first with fast foods. Capitalism runs on a a platform that assumes you are incomplete. You are not. You are complete.

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As far as I can tell from these words, I disagree with the tone of this particular part. You seem to be saying that there is a blame that falls on the educational system and system of Capitalism. Its true that we are trained at our schools, in some respects, but it is not the product of this training that "drives us to the brink of insanity". Similarly, Capitalism (at its core) does not thrive on unrest. It thrives, first and foremost, on the freedom of the market that enables individuals to determine the business of their endeavors and not the government. People often make the mistake of thinking that the Great Depression was caused by a lack of government control within the free market when it was actually the other way around. I can't get into it with much detail, but the cause of the Depression was a slew of federal policies that were arguably well-intentioned but misguided. It was the failure of those federal policies, policies driven by Hoover and Roosevelt that unnecessarily prolonged the Depression. Just look up a few policies like the Revenue Act of 1932, the Smoot-Hawley Trade Act, the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933, and the Davis-Bacon Act. It'll begin to show why there was such a long period of economic frailty. If we begin to think chronologically, the order of events that led to Black Tuesday came well before 1929. Much of it could be attributed to the events under Woodrow Wilson's presidential term, which exercised a further gain of federal power over the free market.

Though it has often been that war has stimulated the economy towards a more "efficient" state, that does not prove that war or any other state of unrest is the sole source by which Capitalism becomes successful. The relative state of dependency on war and other conflicts is neither a product of the educational system nor Capitalism, but of our own human condition. That's not to say that there are no flaws in these systems, but that the flaws come from our own attempts to process the implementations of these systems. Given the proper skills, motivations, keen perception and understanding of one's actions, these systems are proven to work and have for as long as we've existed.

I hope it isn't too much for me to butt in your space here. I just thought I'd take the opportunity to "get involved in real discussions" as you prescribed.

posted May 01, 2008 04:37 PM         

Please do not think I dislike you, I am always gruff towards people who tend to come off as having more conservative values. This does not mean I hate conservatives, I understand that everyone comes from a different background, and our beliefs are largely an inheritance of our parents beliefs, and of events that happen to us in life. I accept people's beliefs, whatever they are, for I'm sure there is some truth to them. That doesn't mean I agree with them, however.

I was certainly not implying that capitalism, nor the educational system in the US is responsible for misery. I was simply pointing out that acquisition and analytical thought are not necessarily the paths to true happiness. And in many ways may detract from joy.

I have never been able to buy, or think myself happy. Have you?

posted May 01, 2008 10:13 PM         

Yes, I see what you mean. There certainly are pitfalls all around us and I have not been able to avoid them as you believe. I am still trying to learn from the mistakes I have made and it is often a struggle not to repeat certain errors. Nonetheless, I recognize my own role in this game and I am glad to be able to play it.

I have not been able to buy happiness for certain, at least not with money. But have I ever been able to think myself happy? That's a heavenly question, Blue! I suppose I could ring this one out a bit. I know that whenever I feel the down-side of life, thinking of fond memories or people that I love never fails to bring me back up for a bit. "Happy thoughts, Peter! Happy thoughts!"
If it wasn't for my own thinking, I'd profess that I wouldn't be in the happy state that I am in now. Much of the credit goes to luck, of course, but as the quote attributed to Ben Franklin goes, "I am a strong believer in luck and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."

I agree that we should not pull this energy towards discussing capitalism. Though there is much to be said there, I feel that there is a greater topic at hand.

You mentioned thriving on unrest and I couldn't help but spiral on that. Isn't it interesting that we, as humans, seem to be unable to avoid arguing and fighting? You also mentioned that we should connect deeply with people. Isn't it also fascinating that when we connect with people in a deep way, we almost always find ourselves in conflict with them from time to time? There is much more than meets the eye when it comes to the conflict that arises between our relationships. They can often get as heated as the flames of hell and they can also be as graceful as the dance between martial artists. There is a wickedness and a beauty there whenever we come to it.

There is an indubitable presence of evil in the world, both within us and without us. We can do much about the evil within us and, according to some spiritual thought, we indeed also work on the evil without as we work within. There is no guarantee, though, that we will always be ready for the confrontation of the two. Our own readiness depends on our own discipline and what we desire can often be in conflict with what we are experiencing. So what is the solution to all of this? I can hardly give an answer to that save with the proposition that this conflict must be experienced. In some way or another we must come to terms with this aspect of our natural inner and outer worlds, not with thoughts that provide succor from it but with those that provide succor within it.

What do I know, though? I'm not as certain as my writing may seem to portray, but I thought I'd share these thoughts for reflection.

posted May 02, 2008 11:50 AM         

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Life is too short to live one day locked into habit without awareness, life is too short to blame others or our current conditions for our misery. Life is meant to be milked for every ounce of happiness it can provide. So I challenge everyone to break out of the habit of misery and open our eyes to the beauty and joy that is always present. This is your life, right now, passing before your eyes. Make it a good one, waste no time, and connect deeply with as many people as you can.

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Beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing your insights.

Have a wonderful day Blue.
Hugs,
Amanda

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The truth is ... everything counts. Everything. Everything we do and everything we say. Everything helps or hurts; everything adds to or takes away from someone else. ~ Countee Cullen

We are weaving character every day, and the way to weave the best character is to be kind and to be useful. Think right, act right; it is what we think and do that makes us who we are. ~ Elbert Hubbard