Choosing to be happy..

[opus10no2]

Is the greatest sign of enlightenment.

Aside from mental illness, I do think in most cases it is perfectly possible for people to be happier simply by choosing to do so.

[quasimodo]

Reality is perception...

[soliloquy]

Stevie, my favorite porn site's server is currently down.  What do you suggest I do to try to stay happy anyway?

[elspeth]

I'm glad you separate this out from mental illness, which can make this choice impossible. But for the rest of the population, I agree - you can always choose to look on the bright side of things, and to make changes in your life that will help make you happier. A lot of people get stuck in ruts just because they're too idle or scared to make a decision to do something differently.

Although, looking at the other side... I think there's a proprensity in society today that people think being unhappy is unnatural and bad. There are circumstances - bereavement, for instance - when feeling miserable is OK and in order to get over what's happened you have to let yourself feel it and acknowledge that you're not happy but you've a good reason not to be and it'll pass when you're ready.

[zheer]

Is the greatest sign of enlightenment.

   Yeah it is, thinking  back a little, i would say that with many people including ( I ), the teenage years pluz the early 20eeezzz pluz mid 20eeezzz, are some what un-happy years.
   Reason to be un-happy in those years are vast, and different for each one of us.
 

[timothy42b]

Don't you think that the happiest people seem to be those who chose a life of service to others, or to some noble cause?  Rather than directly chose to be happy?

Happiness seems easier to acquire accidentally on the way to something else. 

There ought to be a name for that theory.  Just thinking about it makes me feel serene, so i'm going to call it serendipity.  Let me know if that's a copywright violation or something. 

[zheer]

Don't you think that the happiest people seem to be those who chose a life of service to others, or to some noble cause?  Rather than directly chose to be happy?

  Totally true, though true happiness ( i gess) ought to come (first) from within . ( just a gess)

[rc]

Happiness is like misery, they love company.  Emotions are contagious, some people have a good vibe, people want to be around them.

A lot of people get stuck in ruts just because they're too idle or scared to make a decision to do something differently.

A lot of the miserable people I've met also like to rationalize their ruts by placing blame; on family, friends, bankers, society...  Just about anything!  Then of course by relinquishing responsibility for their situation, they've also given up their control over it.  It's a good sign of someone who's irresponsible, they're always pointing the finger.

I've also found hanging around blamers and whiners too much can be contagious.

[thalbergmad]

Everyone has the right to be happy and the right to make changes to make it so.

Not everyone realises or does this.

Thal

[zheer]

 Alcohol  can make people un-happy.

   Since we are all different, different things make us happy and sad.

[counterpoint]

Being happy is much easier, if you are rich.

So, perhaps one should choose to be rich first 

[thalbergmad]

Being happy is much easier, if you are rich.

So, perhaps one should choose to be rich first 

I am not sure if money can bring happiness or alleviate misery. The ability to buy just about anything you want is a novelty that wears off.

The world is full of miserable lottery winners and overworked tycoons that never have time to enjoy the fruits of their labours.

Therefore, i would change your sentence to "being lazy is much easier if you are rich".

Thal

[counterpoint]

Therefore, i would change your sentence to "being lazy is much easier if you are rich".

Thal

Okay, good argument!

Further question would be: is it possible to be lazy and happy at the same time? 

[pianistimo]

to quote thal, 'everyone has the right to be happy and the right to make changes to make it so.'

personally, i think that happiness is just being content with what you have.  a smile is happiness.  that's all.  you can be happy and have nothing.  you can be happy and have a lot.  it's a choice.  i think the change is simply a mental choice.  unless you suffer from depression.  then, it might not be a choice all the time.

i find that when i am depressed -it is best not to do things that will further make me unhappy.  such as paint the house - or do something that might turn out terrible on a bad day.  even writing letters.  cooking a complicated recipie. 

does anyone have any 'lifts' for their day.  i cannot eat chinese food without becoming happy.  pets are very important on these days too.  my cat reads my mind.  if i am not feeling well - she sits beside me until she thinks i'm ok. 

[Bob]

Someone on the Colbert Report (I think) said in U.S. everyone has the right to "pursue" happiness, not the right or expectation of being happy all the time.  I thought that was kind of interesting.

[goldentone]

Happiness requires character.

[ted]

Of the answers so far, Timothy's comes closest to my thoughts on the matter. I can, in fact, make myself happy through very simple things, within quite a wide range of external circumstance. I have always been rather lucky in that way. However, I think in most cases I would rather embrace some stress in order to help somebody who was not happy rather than consciously cultivate a state of bliss as an end in itself. It might be just me, but I find something repulsively self-centred about many adherents to Eastern practices which advocate this and solely this. There is nothing wrong with such practices per se but I feel an imperative to direct the resulting contentment and serenity back outside of myself, to spend it in a wider context. Now where this latter notion comes from and why some people feel it more acutely than others, are very interesting questions whose answers I am not at all sure about.

[thalbergmad]

Okay, good argument!

Further question would be: is it possible to be lazy and happy at the same time? 

Indeed, i am the living proof.

I work my nuts off during the week, so that i can be lazy over the weekend.

Sitting on my butt listening to music and reading a good book can take up most of Saturday.

Thal

[prometheus]

I stongly disagree with the idea proposed by the TS.

And since he provided no arguments I will not do that as well.

[Bob]

Reality is perception...

I thought perception ist reality.  Hmmm.....

[nia_kurniati]

I like it, being happy is a choice.
But dont you think that happy is depend on gene? Some people are easily depressed and some people just happy all the time. My family has a driver for about 5 years. And I never see him upset even in a tired condition. And you know what last month we met this driver brother, and they looked the same, just happy, there always spririt it their face. All my family talk about this too, we never see this driver upset. And he's not rich.

[quasimodo]

Indeed, i am the living proof.

I work my nuts off during the week, so that i can be lazy over the weekend.

Sitting on my butt listening to music and reading a good book can take up most of Saturday.

Thal

I second that

[healdie]

One of my old teachers once said that Stupid people are often happier than inteligant people because they never question things and just accept everything as it comes,

I don't want to be happy i can't play my current pieces confincinly without some sense of being completly miserable

[thalbergmad]

One of my old teachers once said that Stupid people are often happier than inteligant people because they never question things and just accept everything as it comes,

Pianistimo was the proof of that.

The Bible explained everything to her, so she never had to question anything.

Thal

[ahinton]

Pianistimo was the proof of that.

The Bible explained everything to her, so she never had to question anything.

OK, but do you think that she was "inteligant" (whatever that may or may not be)?

To be as fair as I think I can be here, I'm not entirely convinced that Susan never questioned anything, but I do agree that her all too apparent reliance not just on the Bible itself (in terms of that book as we have it today, not inconsiderable warts an all) but also on what seemed to me to be a somewhat predetermined set of interpretations of its contents suggested to me (and perhaps also to most of us here) that it purportedly "explained everything" to her (as you put it) - which is surely a sad state of affairs (Susan, if you're reading this, you'll surely know what I mean, no more, no less, no offence intended an' all...)...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

OK, but do you think that she was "inteligant" (whatever that may or may not be)?

To be as fair as I think I can be here, I'm not entirely convincend that Susan never questioned anything

Not sure about inteligant, but i am not convincend either.

Thal

[ahinton]

Not sure about inteligant, but i am not convincend either.

Most of my typos are acksidentle, but that one was put there diliberately to see if you'd fall into the trap of majoring in on it rather than risponding to the post content as such and, on those terms, it obviusly wurked purrfictly!

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

I've heard that excuse before.

Putting in the error on purrpose.

Thal

[ahinton]

Putting in the error on purrpose.

It's "purr, puss", isn't it?...

Best,

Alistair

[pianochick93]

majoring in on [the typo] rather than risponding to the post content

Hmm...gosh, I can't think who that sounds like at all...

[concerto_love]

  ... >> Happyyy!! 

[richard black]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5fA184R6EA

[ahinton]

Hmm...gosh, I can't think who that sounds like at all...

Then may I respectfully suggest that you try thinking a little harder? and, while you do so, you might find it helpful to ponder on the differences between typos and spelling errors...

Best,

Alistair

[pianochick93]

Then may I respectfully suggest that you try thinking a little harder? and, while you do so, you might find it helpful to ponder on the differences between typos and spelling errors...

Best,

Alistair

Maybe I should add Sarcasm tags next time...

Has it occured to you that some of what you correct as spelling errors may, in fact, be typos?

[ahinton]

Maybe I should add Sarcasm tags next time...

That will be up to you, of course, although none will be necessary as far as I am concerned and, in any case, since I never take notice of emoticons, it will not register with me...

Has it occured to you that some of what you correct as spelling errors may, in fact, be typos?

Of course it has but, in the light of that likelihood that at least some of those errors may indeed be typos (and I have already on several occasions admitted to having committed typos myself), I have always endeavoured to distinguish between those that are and those that aren't and (hopefully) only ever drawn attention to the latter, à propos which where does your "occured" stand, just out of interest?...

Best,

Alistair

[rc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5fA184R6EA

The secret of happiness

and punch anyone who disagrees!

[pianochick93]

where does your "occured" stand, just out of interest?...

Typographical error.