Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

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BlueMoutain
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Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by BlueMoutain »

After reading a very interesting essay on happiness and how relative and subjective it is, I started questioning my gist of happiness. That's why before drawing on conclusions, I'd like to ask you:

1. What is happiness for you?
2. How can you achieve it?
3. In scale of 0-10 (where 0 means 'not at all' and 10 'can't be happier'), how happy do you think you are?

Thank you in advance for all constructive answers. :)
Grunth
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Grunth »

1. Happiness is a personal responsibility.

2. By taking personal responsibility for every feeling you experience thereby learning to understand your feelings and thereby learning to become responsible for your person and therefore your personal relationships.

3. 6.5
Boots
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Boots »

BlueMoutain wrote:After reading a very interesting essay on happiness and how relative and subjective it is, I started questioning my gist of happiness. That's why before drawing on conclusions, I'd like to ask you:

1. What is happiness for you?
2. How can you achieve it?
3. In scale of 0-10 (where 0 means 'not at all' and 10 'can't be happier'), how happy do you think you are?

Thank you in advance for all constructive answers. :)
Happiness is a fleeing emotion like all the other emotions that humans experience. No one individual can be happy all of the time, but some individuals appear to experience the emotion of happiness more often than others. Studies indicate that this sort of 'happiness prone person' is genetically wired to experience happiness or be more positive, in general. People who are extroverted are apparently more positive/happy.

It is assumed and indeed pushed on those of us in western societies that happiness should be pursued. I think that some people do like to pursue happiness, but many others are more interested in other pursuits, like knowledge, understanding, creativity.

So, I don't think happiness can be achieved unless it is something a person is already achieving for the most part. I do think that an individual can decrease the amount of negativity they are currently experiencing.

I can be anywhere on the scale of 1 to 10 at any given time. At this very moment I am quite content. Happy? I guess I'm at zero since I'm not feeling overjoyed or particularly up.
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Sy Borg
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Sy Borg »

BlueMoutain wrote:1. What is happiness for you?
2. How can you achieve it?
3. In scale of 0-10 (where 0 means 'not at all' and 10 'can't be happier'), how happy do you think you are?

Thank you in advance for all constructive answers. :)
1. Preferable to the alternative. I think of it as a side product rather than something to be pursued in its own right. This notion did not come from logic but observation; happy people seem to be those whose minds are immersed in larger concepts than their own state of mind. At various times we need to reach out or to reflect. In each case, sincere immersion tends to bring happiness. Note that the the word "immersion" was casually tossed off as if it always came easily; however, there is a letting go process (of the ego) needed to be truly immersed.

2. Oops. See above.

3. Like Boots, anywhere from 1-10, very occasionally 0 (school bullying, midlife crisis) or 11 (peak experiences).
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Mortalsfool »

I agree that its hard to have a happy and contented attitude, by that, I mean happy all the time! Having such a perpetual state of contentedness can only happen when you are looking at things with an entirely ‘different perspective’.

While there may be only one set of observable circumstances that are real, meaning 'reality', there are many possible interpretations. Each person clearly reflects the influence of his particular ‘attitude’. So the big questions are; ‘Do you have a choice?’, ‘Can I change it?’, ‘Are there natural circumstances in which it’s impossible to be Happy?

I refer mainly to what can be called a Philosophical or Religious happiness — something that serves the control of your own emotions! Emotions shouldn't be argued as integral parts of happiness’s needs; emotions are the expressions or symptoms of the way you are feeling, not the reason.

Most people either ‘don’t’ or ‘won’t, or, don’t know how, or don’t believe that it’s possible to achieve perpetual happiness’. The thing about this that amazes me, is those ‘things’ that cause, what I call ‘a lack of contentedness’, are clearly visible, and can easily be corrected. We can't change the world, but we can change our attitude about it.

Since I’m concerning myself with our ability to control attitudes, I ask that we not consider any argument that say, ‘it can’t be done”. I will however plainly declare; that what I’m proposing as a way of controlling attitude, when applied, meaning dedicated to the effort, suffices to allow ‘happiness’ even during the trials of death, pain, and fear; either in yourself or others.

The thing that I question in an unhappy person is, ‘How can you be unhappy when you are not in pain, hunger, duress, or threat of death?

Considering our ability to control our mental responses, I don't think that there are circumstances where The Serenity Prayer's formula won't work.
Agnostic with a great deal of faith
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Aristocles
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Aristocles »

BlueMoutain wrote:After reading a very interesting essay on happiness and how relative and subjective it is, I started questioning my gist of happiness. That's why before drawing on conclusions, I'd like to ask you:

1. What is happiness for you?
2. How can you achieve it?
3. In scale of 0-10 (where 0 means 'not at all' and 10 'can't be happier'), how happy do you think you are?

Thank you in advance for all constructive answers. :)
1. Psychological ease coupled with intellectual stimulation.

2. Philosophy

3. Hard to quantify, but with critiques of others... 7.125, steadily plateauing after rebounding from 1.963, August of 2011.
Grunth
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Grunth »

If you will continue to observe it, you will discover that you are not merely chronically limited in feeling, or un-Happy, but you are doing that. You do not have to be limited in your feeling, but you are just doing that. If you don't want to be un-Happy, then don't do that anymore! Don't appeal to the universe to cure you, or say the universe is evil, or get involved in all kinds of counter-efforts in psyche and mind and emotion and body and socially to make yourself Happy. If you are already un-Happy, you cannot get Happy by any of that. And if you really do not want to be un-Happy anymore, you must observe yourself and stop being un-Happy, stop doing what is un-Happiness. And what is un-Happiness, fundamentally, but the limitation on Feeling?

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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by LuckyR »

1- Happiness is one end of a linear scale that has sadness on the other end. Thus it could be described as an absence of sadness but most would find such a definition uncompelling, even if technically accurate.

2- Personally, having security within the group is a bare minimum ie the absence of insecurity. Pertinent positive inputs would be helping those I care about (gratification and accomplishment), triumphing over adversity (competition) and sensory stimulation.

3- 9.7
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Robert66
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Robert66 »

Follow the link below to the University of Pennsylvania's website devoted to Positive Psychology. From here you can click your way to many questionnaires about happiness:

https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/
Boots
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Boots »

Grunth wrote:1. Happiness is a personal responsibility.

2. By taking personal responsibility for every feeling you experience thereby learning to understand your feelings and thereby learning to become responsible for your person and therefore your personal relationships.

3. 6.5
Happiness is a fleeting emotion.

People cannot consciously control their emotions.

We cannot take responsibility for how we feel.
Grunth
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Grunth »

Boots wrote:
Grunth wrote:1. Happiness is a personal responsibility.

2. By taking personal responsibility for every feeling you experience thereby learning to understand your feelings and thereby learning to become responsible for your person and therefore your personal relationships.

3. 6.5
Happiness is a fleeting emotion.

People cannot consciously control their emotions.

We cannot take responsibility for how we feel.

Happiness as an emotion may be fleeting but I wasn't speaking of the emotion. In terms of this, "People cannot CONSCIOUSLY control their emotions", we can become more conscious (more aware).
Boots
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Boots »

Grunth wrote:
Boots wrote: (Nested quote removed.)


Happiness is a fleeting emotion.

People cannot consciously control their emotions.

We cannot take responsibility for how we feel.

Happiness as an emotion may be fleeting but I wasn't speaking of the emotion. In terms of this, "People cannot CONSCIOUSLY control their emotions", we can become more conscious (more aware).
Then what were you speaking of?

To be aware does not allow for control.
Grunth
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Grunth »

Boots wrote:
Grunth wrote: (Nested quote removed.)


Happiness as an emotion may be fleeting but I wasn't speaking of the emotion. In terms of this, "People cannot CONSCIOUSLY control their emotions", we can become more conscious (more aware).
Then what were you speaking of?

To be aware does not allow for control.
Self inquiry results in awareness whereby control is a consequence. 'Control' as in stability. Mental stability, equilibrium, which is a 'happy' state rather than the fleeting emotional variety.
Boots
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Boots »

Grunth wrote:
Boots wrote: (Nested quote removed.)


Then what were you speaking of?

To be aware does not allow for control.
Self inquiry results in awareness whereby control is a consequence. 'Control' as in stability. Mental stability, equilibrium, which is a 'happy' state rather than the fleeting emotional variety.
Self inquiry may lead to something and it may not.

Control is an illusion.

Mental stability is subjective.

There is no such thing as a happy state. Although some people experience the emotion of happiness more often than others.
Grunth
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Re: Insight into construction of a concept of being happy

Post by Grunth »

Boots wrote:
Grunth wrote: (Nested quote removed.)


Self inquiry results in awareness whereby control is a consequence. 'Control' as in stability. Mental stability, equilibrium, which is a 'happy' state rather than the fleeting emotional variety.
Self inquiry may lead to something and it may not.

Control is an illusion.

Mental stability is subjective.

There is no such thing as a happy state. Although some people experience the emotion of happiness more often than others.
One can, using subjectivity, subjectively know the difference between mental stability and mental instability from one's own personal experience of one's own life and reactions as recorded in one's memory. 'Control', in the way I use the term, means that with self inquiry one merely notices emotional fluctuations as sensations within one's own body but one does not identify with them - does not presume sensations as one's identity, thereby allowing one more and better choice as to whether one acts upon them. This is 'Control'.

With regard to 'illusion'. Well everything is an illusion, but that is a different discussion.
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