Sprintcyclist wrote on Oct 26
th, 2017 at 2:44pm:
There is no 'set formula' to happiness.
I've observed that it's a skill which can be learned, if the spirit is willing
in the same way other skills can be learned
Kids laugh. People say, ' Look to children. They're pure and their happiness is not conditional. We are born happy '
Yes, we're born, most of us at least, as a collection of instincts, initially
Dad bangs his finger with the hammer and turns the air blue. Baby boy next to him chortles at Dad's funny dance around the lawn
Baby boy gets a bit older and is forced to go to school. He's already laughing less. Less spontaneous happiness
By the time baby boy is twenty, he's not spontaneously burbling with happy laughter any more, unless there's something wrong with him. And by then, he's been conditioned to believe happiness for the most part, lies outside himself. A car, sex, drunken laughter, acceptance, money to buy, etc. are now sources of 'happiness'. A genuinely 'happy' state of mind becomes a rare thing: birth of a child, a win on Lotto, seeing an old friend
But we can learn to develop a 'happy' state of mind for varying lengths of time. Gratitude is the key. Gratitude for all those things we take for granted, for example:
access to a nice hot shower
access to food
to shelter in one's own private space
to books, videos, other things of interest
ability to develop new skills such a knitting, carpentry, bricklaying ... thousands of choices
friends and friendship
health
close family
good neighbours
safe neighbourhood
flowers in the one's own or other gardens
lovely weather
bit of money in the bank for a rainy day
Walking down the road and watching the sunset at the end of the day is priceless
Having a home, no matter how humble, to return to at the end of the day
Having a door that locks
Living in a pleasant neighbourhood
A washing machine
An electric jug
Plenty of soap in the bathroom
Money to buy food at the supermarket
thousands of things contribute to our happiness
and most of them, we take for granted
such as living in a safe country
having access to education and medical care, public transport
being physically mobile, able to go for a walk without pain, able to open jars without pain ... these are precious
We can create happiness out of almost nothing, if we've a will to do so -- if we're wise enough
We set the parameters
I'm a dud re: song lyrics, but there are a few bits that stick with me
' If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with' ... I've always thought that's pretty good
and
' Know when to hold them, when to fold them and when to walk away ' .... gold
Happiness, contentment and bliss can be achieved through intent. And they can all rest on what people might consider to be 'small' and 'unimportant' things -- those things we take for granted (until we lose them)
anyway, that's just my take on it. Everyone's different