Excerpts

[wao]

For myself and hopefully for others.

We can travel a long way and do many different things, but our deepest happiness is not born from accumulating new experiences. It is born from letting go what is unnecessary and knowing ourselves to be always at home. True happiness may not be at all far away, but it requires a radical change of view as to

Comments

[pacificpikachu]

Nice choices of quotes! They both have a good perspective on happiness--that it is something internal more than external, and that often a traditional happiness coming from one's surroundings (house, nice car, white picket fence!!1111one) is a fragile thing, and even somewhat ignorant in a way. That's how I feel about the happiness of a lot of people, particularly in the US, who are content to live in their happy little suburbs, concern themselves with only the drama of their own lives, and ignore the suffering, sadness, and injustice that goes on outside of their little bubble.

Please do update sometime, though I understand going through times where it just feels unnecessary or meaningless. I'm glad you're (apparently) alive and well to some degree, though!

You should have your Twitter post here, as I would like to read it but frankly am too forgetful to actually go to another site to do so. XD

[wao]

Thank you! I sometimes really feel conflicted when people argue that all of us, especially underprivileged people, must definitely work hard towards the conventional idea of happiness that ultimately I just can't find sustainable... Perhaps it's a perspective borne out of being privileged myself, but I can't say I like it when people substitute innate, internal happiness for something so external. Problem is that's what keeps most advanced consumerist societies going, I guess

[mei_san]

Totally agreed, bloody ridiculous. This is just anal competition with not much consequence. I am tempted to blame Asian Parents for this. The bright kids and their parents should see that life is much bigger than being No. 1 in everything (or just one thing). And parents, by this I mean all parents, should not expect so much out of their children (and if they can't, learn to cope with disappointments!). By this I don't mean they should not challenge them. They should honor their children's success and respect what they've accomplished. I know I'm being over-idealistic and there are loose-ends but just my 2 cents

[evilsensei]

*pops out of nowhere

[mei_san]

Nice excepts. I've come to believe that happiness comes at a price. It's not always a good thing to have, regardless what one believes. Need to get off comp, more later.

[wao]

Haha. Then that's not happiness.

IMO.

[mei_san]

LOL. Perhaps you are right. Maybe I'm mistaken happiness with pleasure. I suppose it means something different for everyone, and in the comment I was referring to the most conventional definition of happiness. IMO it's kinda like a spectrum. Pleasure - Neutralness - Suffering. Most times I'm just fine feeling neutralness, but suffering seems like it's occupying a big trunk of my life, and a tiny bit is occupied by pleasure. I have a pretty sad life, so what can I say.

I pretty much agree with the second except. "happiness" can be a selfish thing. As for the first one, I'm not too keen on the idea of looking for happiness for happiness' sake. But I do believe true happiness (whatever that means for different people) must come from within.