Here is the biggest reason why happiness cannot be the goal of life...
Happiness is a mental construct, its a state of the mind, it does not exist outside me. I can decide to be happy and actually be happy, no matter what my external realities are. I actually believe and practice that. I have lived through situations that to an outside observer would have looked blissful, but I can testify that I was miserable back then, and I have had to live through not so comfortable times but I assure you, I was perfectly happy.
I can wake up in the morning and decide the kind of day I am going to have, and nine out of ten times, I fulfill my own prophecies. Then to the extent that I control my happiness, it is useless as a goal, because I can have it whenever I choose to. And any goal achieved without much effort can hardly be an object of desire, leave alone the work of a life time. In my head, happiness is the same as that pessimism optimism nonsense, I prefer realism, thank you very much.
Am I saying I am not happy? No. Only a fool would admit that ;) which I am on some days :)
As I said in part 1, being happy makes life easy. People don't ask too many questions, don't give you useless advice, and generally don't get in your way too much. So being happy is ergonomic. It is an efficient tool you use to coast through life in order to pursue your real goal(s) whatever that might be.
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