Cartoon Pen & Watercolor © 2011 Jean Burman
I tend to think a lot about happiness. I think most of us do.
It’s a desirable state.
But what actually is happiness?
And can we really expect to be happy all – the – time?
Would we even want to be?
Happiness is temporary. It comes and goes in our minute by minute experience. Someone cracks a joke and we laugh… or says something nice and we smile… or does something funny or great and it makes us happy.
Sometimes we notice. Sometimes we don’t. And other times… the moment comes and goes before we even realise we’ve been there!
Once said of happiness… “what goes up must come down” and as a natural consequence “the bigger they are the harder they fall“ I rest my case [grin]
Contentment on the other hand is a state of being. A generalised feeling of comfort and well-being we can live with for days weeks or months at a time. The stars are aligned and all is right with our world.
So which is better do you think?
[And don't be a smarty pants here and tell me "both" okay? grin]
I’m asking you to choose!
What if we choose to be happy? Will we then be plummeted to the depths of despair when we don’t have it?
And what if we choose to be content? Are we selling out? And what’s more… missing out… on the dynamic highs and disastrous lows that are the hallmarks of the happiness state?
There is an artistic metaphor here for sure. Artists look for the light. It’s the light that falls on the subject that makes the subject jump to life. And the balance of light and dark in a painting that makes the subject appear real.
Is this the same for life?
Do we need the dark to see the light?
Zen Buddhist monks [a huge fan of the Dalai Lama] espouse meditation to achieve tranquility and peace. They see contentment as the desired state.
Adventurers like Sir Richard Branson [a huge fan of him as well] live for the next big high that will give them the adrenalin rush that makes the living of life so worthwhile to them. Life simply makes them happy!
Who is right?
Who is wrong?
And is there a right or wrong way to live your life in the quest for that “feel good” state?
Is contented better than happy? Or is [insanely] happy the only way to go? [grin]
What do YOU reckon?
Say what you think HERE!
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