Happiness and Contentment

[Salty Booger]

Happiness and Contentment, are they hard to find?

Are we not free to make of life what we want it to be, finding the above rather than the opposite?

Photo by Stephane Navailles from Pexels

 

[Sunstone]

Curious thing about happiness. If it's the real thing, you cannot become consciously aware of it as happiness without it that very moment ending. It might come back, but for the time being, it's gone.

I'm pretty sure you can be aware that you are content without bringing about an at least temporary end to your contentment, but not happiness.

 

[Nakosis]

Happiness and Contentment, are they hard to find?

Are we not free to make of life what we want it to be, finding the above rather than the opposite?

While we are not free to make life what we want, I find the ability to be happy and content not connected to this.

Happiness and contentment are IMO caused by neurotransmitters. One can learn to trigger these neurotransmitters independent of what is happening in the world.

I think that is what religion and spirituality ultimately offer. Teaching us how to find internal happiness.

 

[Salty Booger]

While we are not free to make life what we want,

But can we be happy and content with life?

 

[anna.]

But can we be happy and content with life?

We may not be able to choose our circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them.

But people are very different in their ability to make those choices, perhaps at times by the very circumstances they can't change. Which reminds me of a couple books, one I've read and one I'm just starting:

Sam Harris' book on determinism, Free Will.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson.

 

[SigurdReginson]

I find that the ****tier one's circumstances are that they escape from, the easier it is to find both contentment and happiness in the simplest of luxuries.

 

[PearlSeeker]

Ask Nick Vujicic.

 

[Salty Booger]

Ask Nick Vujicic

It makes you thankful for what you have.