I know what you are trying to say, that depending on different periods of our life we can be happy or unhappy. But what makes us happy? Maybe being unhappy for some time makes us realize that?
more like - what makes us happy is a momentary realization of contempt vs. our constant state of pursuit and/or movement to/from. best example is the rollercoaster...that's the moment when you've just reached the top and right before you plunge down...the split-second feeling you get up there is breathtaking and beautiful... so, the happiness occurs right after the feeling of accomplishment ends and before the feeling of anticipation comes. :)
An agreeable feeling or condition of the soul arising from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind; the possession of those circumstances or that state of being which is attended enjoyment; the state of being happy; contentment; joyful satisfaction; felicity; blessedness.
I was gonna be a smartass and leave it at that, but I'll add one more point: each person perceives it very differently. One example of it for me is waking up early and looking outside on a sunny day to see a sunrise light the sky in a reddish color... when i see that, it really makes me happy. From what I know about you, you are not a morning person so I assume it probably irritates you instead :)
I bet you copied/pasted the first paragraph from some dictionary;) So I guess enjoyment leads to happiness, but what makes us enjoy certain things? Why one person enjoys yellow color, while another person likes black?
yes I did, that's the point :) And Valera's answer seems to be mostly it :) Things like color preferences or our personalities are all shaped by hormones and body chemistry...
as far as enjoyment of colours goes, i think it's most a nurture thing, but there is some nature wired into it. but 90% of it is probably from associations.
Lately I've come to think of happiness as a process and not an end-result (the journey and not the destination, a verb and not a noun... pick your favourite metaphor). But happiness can't be a static thing, because if it is, then once you get it, won't you become bored with it? People want the flavour of the month, they want change. If nothing changes, then won't you get bored rather quickly? You might think "okay, I've got happiness... now what?"
This is why I've always been suspicious of the concepts of "heaven" or "nirvana", because they seem like unchanging things that get boring very quickly. Or maybe not - perhaps they're ineffable concepts and I'm simply underestimating them.
Comments 18
Reply
Reply
best example is the rollercoaster...that's the moment when you've just reached the top and right before you plunge down...the split-second feeling you get up there is breathtaking and beautiful...
so, the happiness occurs right after the feeling of accomplishment ends and before the feeling of anticipation comes. :)
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
Reply
I was gonna be a smartass and leave it at that, but I'll add one more point: each person perceives it very differently. One example of it for me is waking up early and looking outside on a sunny day to see a sunrise light the sky in a reddish color... when i see that, it really makes me happy. From what I know about you, you are not a morning person so I assume it probably irritates you instead :)
Reply
So I guess enjoyment leads to happiness, but what makes us enjoy certain things? Why one person enjoys yellow color, while another person likes black?
Reply
And Valera's answer seems to be mostly it :) Things like color preferences or our personalities are all shaped by hormones and body chemistry...
Reply
irka, wuzzup nigga, menopause? ;)
Reply
This is why I've always been suspicious of the concepts of "heaven" or "nirvana", because they seem like unchanging things that get boring very quickly. Or maybe not - perhaps they're ineffable concepts and I'm simply underestimating them.
Reply
Leave a comment