Happiness

Question: happiness.................? is there such thing as true happiness? or do we delude ourselves in to thinking there is and in our life we only strive for happiness, but never really achieve true happiness?

Answer: True happiness --what I define as contentment-- is not having all we want, but wanting what we have. It is not something we strive for, rather, it's something we achieve without ever really knowing how we got there in the first place. Look around you, at your home, husband, children, career. Would you part with any of this, should the chance present itself? If yes, then you must take the necessary steps to change the things you can. In doing so, there is a better chance that you will achieve happiness. If you said no, then you already have more than many will ever know, so appreciate what you've got. Find pleasure in the small things, such as the way your child's face lights up when he sees you, how your husband scrapes the snow from your car in the winter, how your boss smiles at you when the job has been done well, and before deadline. You can search for happiness all you like, but it's very nature is elusive. Looking for it is one way to guarantee you'll never find it. Allow happiness to come to you. When you stop searching, you'll realize it has been there all along.

Question: What defines happiness in life or how is it one defines it, is happiness related to bliss? I am wondering if happiness is related to bliss, can anyone really achieve true happiness. Or is it how oneself defines happiness?

Answer: Happiness is a sensation that shows up in ones mind and emotions as a reaction when basic survival needs are fulfilled. It causes a state of being that is felt as satisfying and uplifting. This sensation stays for a while and then fades slowly away, leaving the individual in a kind of void that causes discomfort and the longing to repeat the condition of happiness. An example: If someone is very hungry, then will feel happy when getting some food, it doesn't really matter what it is. Then this feeling of happiness stays in ones memory connected with food and every time one feels not good, for whatever reason, then having the urge to start eating. (It is surprising to me that nobody mentions this when answering questions about weight problems...) Apart of having food for ones happiness there are quite a number more of basic needs: The sexual urge is strong and when fulfilled gives a kind of happiness. The need to get attention is also strong and when fulfilled gives satisfaction and happiness. Being confirmed in ones power gives another kind of happiness. Being confirmed in ones concepts and ones self-image gives happiness, what mostly happens in a relationship when ‘falling in love’ with the produced feeling of happiness. The problem is that this kind of happiness never is enough and so people eating more and more, wanting more sex, going for more power and attention or gathering more property and so on. So then after having what they wanted, they are not really happy and so they become spiritual or religious… or even fanatic or obsessed. That might give their life a new sense and makes them happy. But are people really happy? Or are they just occupied with their new beliefs and so they don’t need to deal with their state of not being happy? It seems that the most happiness is gained when ones concepts and self-image are confirmed. Then this gives a certain security and establishes the feeling of existence. So is happiness the preliminary stage of bliss? No, it isn’t, because happiness is bound to the personality with conditions and positions, while bliss goes beyond personality and so is not a reaction, it is a pure state of being, as the result of a growing process and can’t be reached with intention or any kind of manipulation. The next question might be if there is a way to gain permanent happiness or even bliss? Yes there is: It is the way given because we are alive and we are not alone. We need to interact with each other and with all kind of situations and happenings. If we relate and respond with responsibility, we will free ourselves from dependencies. We will be able to appreciate what is given in any moment and see it as an opportunity to learn and to grow, having the trust that this situation is the best what can be and if it is difficult, then we can see it as a challenge. Out of this attitude there will come the constant condition of happiness. BeiYin

Question: What is happiness, where does it come from and how do we achieve happiness? I am doing a research paper on happiness and I need people's input on: 1. What happiness is? 2. Where does happiness come from? 3. Is happiness always with you or does it come and go? 4. How do you obtain happiness? Thank you for answering these questions. If you have any questions please e-mail me.

Answer: 1. What happiness is? Accepting everything as it is. 2. Where does happiness come from? It comes from seeing things clearly without judgment. 3. Is happiness always with you or does it come and go? The potential for happiness is always there, but sometimes I get caught up in my fears. 4. How do you obtain happiness? I like to exercise and listen to music and look at art. I like to be around good people. I try to recognize my thoughts and feelings and be aware of them and my judgments. I try to see things clearly and take action on the things I can change, but try to accept the things I cannot change. For example: Sometimes when I'm walking I am aware that I feel disturbed. I will say to myself, "I'm aware that I feel disturbed" and this allows me to see my disturbance and yet I'm also, at the same time, aware that I am grateful for many things in my life and not just wrapped up in my feeling of disturbance. The problem happens when I say to myself, "I SHOULDN'T FEEL disturbed". If I feel disturbed AND I feel I should feel great, now I have TWO problems.

Question: How do you achieve personal happiness in a marriage? I think that happiness with yourself comes before happiness in a marriage but I have lost my personal happiness b/c of marital problems. How do I become happy again, without worrying about my marital issues? Anyone here do things to make themselves happy?

Answer: Mary, sorry to knnw that happiness is playing the elusive truant in your married life. I sincerely hope the envionment at your home front improved for good. It will. Keep hope. The positive sign is that you are trying to find answers to your issues at hand. You know what? Happiness is an abstract and relative term. Which means,it doesnt have a universal static, definitive meaning. What could be happiness for one person, may be source of discontentment for another. It differs from person to person. This is also not true that persmal happiness comes first to marital happiness. Or, that personal happiness is prerequisite to marital happines. Because, happiness is a perception and it is dependent mostly on external determinants coupled with your willingness to perceive it in a particular way. Happiness is inter-related with various factors, with almost everyone and everything around you. A mother wil be happy if her child passed exams securing bare minimum marks. Another wil be unhappy even if the child passed with 90%. A wife wil be happy if her drunkard husband didnt drink on a day. Another wil be unhappy if a teetotaler husband had a sip of alcohol. A family wil be happy if the mmthly earning just somehow meets the monthly expenses. Another wil be unhappy even when the income is a million per year. It all depends what goals we had set for ourselves. If the resources at hand falls much below than the demands of the goals,and if we are unwilling to accept the fact that it is ok to lose out at times, we wil be unhappy. There are a few basic factors which contributes towards happiness. 1. Adustability 2. Concessions & 3. Mutual aid Never think that you are making compromises. Think concessions. Learn to adjust to the extent it doesnt usurp your identity, but whenever necessary assert yourself too. If required, dissociate. Dissociatition is also a form of adjustment. Mutual aid is important. Try to be understanding, and wherever required extent a helping hand in the relationship. Let the other person feel that you undeqtand, that you are not judgemental, and that you are willing to helpout selflessly if necessary. All the best.

Question: What is the relation between virtue and happiness(why think acquiring virtues will lead to happiness? What mak? What is a virtue? What is the relation between virtue and happiness(why think acquiring virtues will lead to happiness?) What makes happiness a self-sufficient good? Thanks.

Answer: Virtue is moral excellence, being good, and doing the right thing. Its always following moral and ethical principles. One example is having chastity, being a virgin until u get married. Virue is a trait of your personality (it could be). Happiness doesnt come from you, you cant make yourself happy. Happiness is said to come from "above", from god, or from the spirit world somewhere in our universe. Happiness is also the result of being virtuous. It even says it in almost every main religion. The pursuit of happiness comes from the pursuit of virtue. Evil people are sometimes happy but not because they do evil but because they achieved what they wanted/believed in. But later on because they were evil they get what they deserved. in the same way Virtuous people sometimes suffer, but not because they are being virtuous but because there is an obstacle to their virtue. Have a nice day :)

Question: What would things be like if we stopped focusing on happiness? This is a question proposed in Huxley's "Brave New World" and has intriguied me for a good time now. What would our world be like today if people stopped focusing on their happiness and happiness all together? Is happiness something that is required for humans or are we creating a vice for ourself by being so focused on said happiness? What about a world that concentrates on misery instead of happiness?

Answer: I believe focusing on happiness is a fruitless effort. Happiness is not something that can be found... it is something that will simply come to you once you understand the following... Happiness... To appreciate what is, To create what is not, To provide for what is yet to be. The Creator of Happiness (Book I'm currently writing) The focus on happiness leads to looking to material possessions, money, relationships, and/or drugs. All of those things are dependencies that will come to an end.. once they do end... happiness ends as well. Once people truly know how to appreciate... once they truly understand that they can create whatever they want... and once they provide for something greater than just themselves... They will know happiness. Create, Inspire, Enjoy, -OutsideTheBox

Question: What is the ultimate source of human happiness ? Aristotle stated 'Happiness is the only pleasure we seek for its own sake'. Through all actions, tasks and daily routines; we are seeking happiness. It is the sole emotion which tops all others, and drives us in so many different ways to achieve it. Everyone has their own unique temporary solution to the problem of how to achieve happiness. Whether it's eating choclate or talking with a loved one. However true happiness must surely be from an internal source, rather than external factors. What is it you do to temporarily solve the problem of happiness? How do you manage your mind to achieve that state? MOST IMPORTANTLY; Is there a united way in which all humans seek happiness? Is there an ultimate source? Is there an ideal economic or social system, or way of living? Is the ultimate way to constantly develop? Do we develop not for the end result, as wants are infinite - but simply to feel content? Structure your answer, and take your time to solve the problem of human happiness.

Answer: The ultimate source of human happiness is the experience of happiness itself. Everything has something different that makes them happy, therefore everyone has a different source for the happiness that they seek. However, it is the fact that they know happiness in whatever it is that they did to make them happy to begin with that leads them back to that original activity or idea. Therefore, happiness is only even sought because it is known. Its source depends on the individual, however its "Ultimate" source is itself.

Question: How important is your personal happiness? It seems that each person's individual happiness is of primary importance to the individual, especially these days when everyone is "out for number one". I'm curious how people answer this question: how important is your happiness to you, what are you willing to sacrifice for your happiness and why? Is your happiness your main priority? Why or why not? If something else is more important than your happiness what is it and why?

Answer: I often sacrifice my own happiness for the happiness of others I love. (Of course one could argue that when they are happy, I am happy!) I think that the goal of life is growth, not happiness. If you are happy, you are static. You do not need anything more or anything different. I think people need to stretch in physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual ways.

Question: What is the link between happiness and metaphysics? How do you manifest your own happiness? Do you state that you have and deserve your own true happiness and then allow the Universe to bring to you, the things which make you truly happy? or Do you pay attention to what you already have, and cultivate a feeling of inner happiness in the present? Then you attract your true happiness because you are giving out a happiness vibration, without any resistant energies, and because you are in a state of gratitude.

Answer: Pardon the cut/n/paste, but this says it all so neatly. "Metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy. Without an explanation or an interpretation of the world around us, we would be helpless to deal with reality. We could not feed ourselves, or act to preserve our lives. The degree to which our metaphysical worldview is correct is the degree to which we are able to comprehend the world, and act accordingly. Without this firm foundation, all knowledge becomes suspect. Any flaw in our view of reality will make it more difficult to live." http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Metaphysics_Main.html If your metaphysics is flawed, and life becomes hard to live, you will find it hard to be happy. The more first the foundation, the less time you have to work at correcting your mistakes, and the happier you become--or at least, the more time you have to try to be happy.

Question: How do you define "Happiness to yourself and to others"? Happiness has abstrct and multi-definition to all of us. But how do we define happiness to ourself and to others. Is giving-up on material (expensive or cheap) ,giving to gratification others? Happiness is elusive that cannot be grabbed always. We always search for it.

Answer: Happiness is being with the ones you love and them being with you.

Question: What is your definition of true happiness? There are innumerable definitions of "happiness." Certainly the word is very subjective. While we all have variations of what we believe happiness is, it is certain that riches, fame, prestige, and so many wonderful personal resources in life to not make us happy. While we are affected by them, and those type things are greatly beneficial, having them does not in any way constitute happiness. What do you believe defines true happiness? Does love have anything to do with this? While happiness is connected with emotions and feelings of well-being, enjoyment and satisfaction, are there perhaps deeper things that cause true enjoyment to manifest in our lives? What are your thoughts?

Answer: My definition of true happiness is a feeling of complete satisfaction with your life and where you are going in your life. I guess what it comes down to is knowing that you yourself are "whole" and "complete" and love can definitely play a part in achieving that feeling.

Question: What is happiness and why is it important? what is the definition of happiness? what are the different types of happiness? what are the factors that make it important?

Answer: Different philosophers have had different definitions of happiness. For example, Aristotle defined happiness as living the virtuous life. That is certainly true, and I would say the necessary basis for happiness, but I would define happiness as a feeling of pleasure and harmony in the emotional self, based upon a perception that one is secure and loved, as I would distinguish it from pleasure which is merely good feelings in the senses, or joy which is a more rarefied spiritual type of good feeling (which incidentally, can co-exist with suffering on the physical or even the emotional level). .

Question: What is happiness to you might not be happiness to others. What do you think ? There are many who think that happiness is derived from having wealth and materials. There are some who think that having good health matters more than anything else. But I would think that by giving and forgiving to others are most importance with unconditional love. Wealth and materials can be taken away easily. Good health can go too if ones neglected it. But giving and forgiving are from deep within the heart which are easily said but not many can easily practise. Which categories are you in ?

Answer: Oh man. I love this question. It doesn't seem like it's controversial but it is.. oh god it is. Anyways, happiness is my successes. My successes will be reflected in my money. So, thus, my money is my happiness. I'm a very selfish person, because why else should we be here other than for ourselves? Selfish is not a negative thing, as many people connote it as. If every person took care of them self, we wouldn't need people sacrificing themselves for others. I make myself happy, and I depend on no one else to do so. That is not to say that I'm not capable of caring, but I do not care about people who don't care about themselves. "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute" - Ayn Rand ^ This is what I believe, to the highest capacity of believing.

Question: Is your happiness dependent on your good health and comfortable surrondings? If you were stripped of everything, how long would it take you to be happy again. If you had nothing would you be happy. If you were gravely ill or lost some/all physical functions would you still be happy? Is your happiness a slave or completely dependent on your haves and can do? What if your happiness came from yourself, from within?

Answer: It does come from within but it takes a lot of practice to ignore externals. Love and blessings Don

Question: What is the difference between happiness and joy? This is a possible paper topic. My belief is that joy is a step up from happiness. Please provide sources if possible. By the way, no dictionary references. I'm looking for intelligent responses and personal experiences. Please give me your personal philosophies if possible.

Answer: happiness is a fleeting state of being. for example, let's think of happiness vs. sadness.. these feelings can change quite quickly depending outer circumstances. someone is usually happy when there outer circumstances coincide with their inner beliefs on what their reality should be, what they want. for example: it makes sam happy to get a new shirt or a new puppy. however, happiness is fleeting because next week sam's shirt went missing and her puppy ran away.. joy on the other hand involves a deeper level of fulfillment. it can pertain to physical or outercirumstances but it usually does not. joy is related to "elation" which is an elevation of your spirit or overall well being. for example: sam feels joyful when she sees her newborn baby, or when she feels love for someone. joy is usually the revelation of a blessing.. something that you experience which you could not have created.

Question: What do you believe is the true meaning of happiness? I believe that the meaning of happiness portrayed here in America is empty. In America, happiness largely depends on money, beauty, status, etc. It's about making lots of money and having a successful occupation. It's about having High-Definition televisions and the newest phone or mp3 player. These things, though, are all material. I do not believe they will bring me true happiness. If what my culture has told me will bring me happiness (material goods and occupational success) will not, what is the true bringer of happiness?

Answer: I think it has something to do with acceptance. When you accept that happiness is a part of life that comes and goes, you'll no longer have to struggle with it. When something is imposed on you, like socially-defined standards of happiness, you resist (don't accept) it because it doesn't make sense for you. I think this means you have to define happiness for yourself, and recognize (accept) that even self-evaluated happiness comes and goes. The true bringer of happiness? Multiple things. The true recipient of happiness? You.