2006-4-29 02:13:00
What do we as humans want out of existence? If you had full power what would be your choice as to the emotion you would feel? How you would spend your time, your end, your new beginnings, etc.? What position would you choose, what type of relationship, what type of possessions, physical or spiritual?
Many believe that our desired end is a perpetual state of happiness. The Buddhists believe that happiness is always temporary and nirvanic bliss is much more desirable. The Mormons teach that "man is that he might have joy." Other teachers have said we should seek the "peace that passes all understanding." Then we have those who believe that enjoyable pleasure is the best we can hope for and spend their lives pursuing it.
People express different ideas as to the optimum method of livingness, but the question we need to ask is what is the core principle we are looking for here and how do we apply it?
It would help to do this exercise. Look back over your life and reflect on your state of mind, your happiness, your joy or good feeling over the various situations and events during your years on this earth. Reflect on your state of consciousness and how you felt and then pick the three that would be the most desirable to experience again. What are they?
Here are some answers that may come from a group:
The day and, or the hour I fell in love.
The day I got married.
The day our first child was born.
The day I won the big race.
The day I caught the winning touchdown pass.
The day my friend told me I changed his life for the better.
The day my friends threw me a surprise party.
The day I graduated from college.
The day I started my business.
The day I got the big promotion.
The day I discovered God.
The day I found my purpose.
The day I made a tough decision that changed my life for the better.
The day just let loose and had a good time.
Pick three things and then go back in your consciousness and briefly relive them. What was special about them? What was the key ingredient that made you feel good? What principle can you apply to repeat your enjoyment on perhaps an even grander or at least a more consistent basis?
When this concept is contemplated the answer will come. It is contained in the principle of freedom and can be expressed thus: "The freedom to make a decision, to transmute that decision to a goal and the goal to reality."
Usually it is not an hour or a day that comes where you note your happiness, but it is the process of deciding and moving toward that decision that just enhances your overall enjoyment and state of mind.
Happiness is not a state than can be achieved by pursuing it, but is a byproduct of progression toward a goal.
If happiness is progression toward a goal then what is unhappiness?
It is movement away from the goal.
Freedom is essential to happiness because without freedom there can be no movement forward. With loss of freedom comes movement away from the goals established accompanied by a negative state of mind.
Happiness is temporary because once a goal is met a person ceases to move forward and the happiness dissipates. To cause happiness to return a new decision must be made and a new goal set. As he then moves toward the new goal he then has the byproduct of happiness again should he choose to attach himself to it.
Some may consider that last statement odd, but we must realize that we came here more for the journey than for the emotional state of being happy.
If someone were to ask me if I am happy I would say that I am not much bothered as to whether I am happy or not. As I said, happiness is a byproduct. Like the aroma of good wine you take it in when you are relaxed with some extra time to sit back and enjoy, but if you have a big workload you may just drink the wine with your meal without taking the time to sense the aroma. Happiness is like the aroma. The person living a balanced life can take it in when he wants to, but he doesn't need it all the time.
Life is like a journey in a car to a desirable destination. As long as you are moving toward your desire the air will be blowing past you. Normally, you are content to just drive forward and not feel the wind, but on a nice day you might have a companion drive and then you can open the sunroof and feel the moving air and enjoy the scenery.
The moving air is like happiness. It is available as long as you move toward the goal, but you do not bask in it at all times. Instead, it is available to enhance your trip. It is not the end product of your trip for when the destination is reached the wind or the happiness is stilled and a new goal must be sought.
Pleasure is like happiness in that it is always available to one who controls his destiny, but he is not always basking in it. He partakes of it from time to time to increase his enjoyment, but if he were to seek pleasure in every moment it would cease to be enjoyable.
Peace is a different matter. Internal peace through the soul can be with us always, twenty-four hours a day if we follow the highest we know and move along the path of life with harmlessness and a clear conscience.
An internal sense of joyousness can also be with the disciple at all times. To achieve this he must tune into the will of God and then do his part in bringing that will into manifestation. This sense of moving forward toward the divine will is joy and it is his forever so long as he moves in the direction of Spirit.
"Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action."
-- Benjamin Disraeli
Copyright © 2006 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved