If the big bang
had lasted just a fraction of a second longer than it did; everything would
have exploded in one big fireball.
Instead, the big bang
lasted the exact, precise length of time necessary to form an expanding
universe full of galaxies, stars and planets.
I'm fairly happy about that.
That I am alive upon a planet the perfect distance from a star for life to thrive makes me very happy indeed!
Everything after should be considered a bonus.
We've all known people who seem happy nearly all the time,
regardless of circumstance; and others, who seem to never find so much as an
ounce of happiness no matter how much of it surrounds them.
Happiness is a by-product of life. It does not discriminate between the
deserving and non-deserving; that, is
a purely human trait.
Clearly, happiness
is a valued commodity in today's chaotic world, perhaps more so than ever. As with the concept of love, happiness is often harder to define than we think it should
be. it's not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing; it's way more personal than that;
just like love.
Love and happiness can often travel together, but not
always. Love can bring about happiness,
yet happiness does not guarantee love, in every instance.
What constitutes happiness is different for everyone; what
sends one to the height of ecstasy may not even rate mild interest from others;
and vice versa.
"It
isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you
are doing that makes you happy or un-happy: it's what you think about."
~Dale
Carnegie~
Happiness cannot be commanded, or demanded...it simply is,
and then after a while it goes away or changes form into some other emotion.
Is happiness the opposite or absence of sadness?
Not always, no.
Ones life may be totally devoid of sadness without having a
speck of happiness to show for it.
Likewise, one may find true happiness in many things while still feeling
sadness on other levels. They are not
interchangeable or mutually exclusive energies.
We're more complicated than that.
On the world web there are no shortages of tests and such
one may use to gauge their happiness index on some chart or another. That is fine for those who are happy with
such things; but the simpler approach is to make sure your happiness index
doesn't become your misery index.
As the human condition continues to degrade, finding
happiness becomes more important than ever in the stagnant dystopian landscape
around us. The power elite certainly
seem to rejoice in ever increasing regulations and restrictions of freedom, and
liberty; as if they're trying to see how much repression humanity as a whole
will tolerate.
While some people pursue happiness so intently they totally
miss some obvious opportunities; other people find great happiness in even the
smallest of things.
When happiness catches us unaware and settles in for a while
the first thing we want is more, we want to extend the happiness hoping it will
stay around longer; yet knowing that
it cannot be held prisoner.
We can become happiness junkies if we're not judicious. An awful lot of addictions are started by
trying to recapture the sensation of the first time something made us happy.
We should be smart enough going in to realize we can never
duplicate the first experience of anything.
That is exactly why the first experience of anything is so special!
Stress is a primary happiness antidote and can not only
eradicate happiness, but even prevent it's re-growth as well. Reducing &
managing our stress may not in itself bring about happiness, but what it does
is create the space in which happiness can bloom forth.
Some seek happiness outside of themselves, as a resource from
the material world, while others seem to discover a well spring of happiness
within themselves without looking for it.
There is the kind of happiness you find; then there is the
kind of happiness you create.
There is the kind of happiness when our children make us proud,
or when we exceed our own expectations for ourselves. Still, I think the best we can hope for with
happiness is to acknowledge it when we feel it, without trying to either hunt
or capture it.
Then there is the almost evil kind of happiness some people
find in making those around them as miserable and agitated as possible. Failing to find or create their own happiness
they satisfy themselves in spoiling the happiness of others, as if a sport.
I am all too happy to avoid such folks.
There is the kind of happiness we feel in the successful competition
of a difficult task at the end of the day when our bones are tired.
Each of us has the choice and chance to awaken each day with
a speck of happiness for what the day may bring, and what we might accomplish
with the time. We can monitor our
thoughts to create a fertile environment for hapiness.
We can also try giving happiness a home in our hearts. We can open our hearts to happiness instead
of closing them off trying to make happiness a full time prisoner.
Compromise seems a constant in life, and its no different
with happiness. If we want to either
find or create happiness quite often some compromise is required. The trick is to not compromise that which
makes your happiness possible in the first place.
There are no short cuts to happiness, yet at the same time
it can pop up in front of you when least expected, which makes a good case for
knowing what you want.
Unfortunately, far too often we humans must learn the
lessons involved when we attach our happiness to the emotional affection of
others. Having someone else be responsible for our happiness can be the
slipperiest of slopes; especially when things get very tough.
Sometimes folks get trapped into measuring their happiness
and self-worth in the esteem others hold for them, good or ill.
It gets really interesting when we attempt to balance our
spiritual happiness with physical happiness in this life. While they may seem polar opposites, they really aren't; not if you go about it
the right way. Finding that balance
point is what makes it challenging.
The average worker gets up earlier than they'd like, rushes
thru the rote morning routine to fight
traffic, to get to a job they hate, being around people they dislike, then
grinds home thru still heavier traffic . . . hard to find happiness in that rat
race agenda. That's the whole point!
"A
positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it
will annoy enough people to make
it worth the effort."
~ Herm Albright ~
There is the false happiness of dime-a-dozen-divas, and
other brightly colored fast moving objects which are created by our false
economy and false society to keep us distracted... for a while longer. We see these diversions for what they are,
entertainment for the lower chakras; but we don't mistake them for real happiness.
That ocean side home with the magnificent view certainly brings
happiness...and high maintenance in a never ending battle with salt and
corrosion. Life is compromise.
Most people think of money straight away, when happiness
comes to mind; despite the ages old wisdom that happiness cannot be so cheaply
bought. Indeed some find happiness of a
sort in the possessions money can buy; yet so often in the end they too late
understand the true definition of possession.
Happiness may also be found in the experiences that money can buy.
The accumulation of experience certainly serves us more than the
collection of things...depending entirely of course on the kinds of experiences
one seeks out.
Fulfilling, or destructive?
Top astronomers estimate that nearly 90% of the material
needed to make new stars is gone. After
just 14 billion years and already we're in the grip of entropy. Experts have long held that the rate at which
the universe is expanding from the big bang is slowing down; and that it will
some day eventually collapse back in upon itself, with the entire universe ultimately consumed in one all-consuming black
hole.
One cosmic breath,
an exhale followed by an inhale
with all of creation come and gone between the two.
I figure that leaves us all a few billion more years to let
some happiness find us!
© 2015 full re-post with permission only
May
the Source be with You!
Related Augureye Posts:
hey brother, good to hear from you. happiness ha ha yes it can be and is elusive. i find i am happiest by being fully present. just being in the moment and giving my full attention to it. i have a cell phone but i rarely use it i find it distracting. and why would i want to look at my cell phone when im with other people. so for me simply being present gives me a good feeling and yes sometimes we are present somewhere we dont really want to be ha ha like getting a flat on the way in to work ha ha. but eventually that passes and we move on. may we all find that happiness and that peace within and truly enjoy the time we spend together
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