Dancing Solo

Just what are the requirements of Happiness?
Dancing Solo

Just think if the pursuit of happiness was responsible for all the misery in the world.

Happiness is the motivator for every single thing that human beings do. Even things like brushing our teeth are to avoid pain, as toothache would be an obstacle to happiness. We give money to charity because it makes us feel good inside. If it caused intolerable mental anguish every time we wrote a check for Save the Children, then we wouldn't do it.

But this collective pursuit of happiness seems more like a mad scramble, obtaining whatever we can at someone elses expense. Forests are cut down, spouses beaten, children work in sweat shops.

It seems strange that human beings can decide what they want, like going to the moon, breaking the speed of sound, inventing a horseless carriage or curing high blood pressure, then just sit down and objectively look at the situation, find solutions to the obstacles, formulate a plan and achieve the goal. It's strange because we do this with all of the material goals in our lives, but not with happiness itself, yet this is what we really wanted, ultimately.

So what exactly is the objective situation regarding the pursuit of happiness? How are we existing and how do we find it? Surely we can just consider how we exist as human beings, find out where happiness is, how it's experienced, and then all achieve the goal.

Well, we exist. We have a body with a mind inside our head. This mind can perceive a world outside. The world isn't empty, but it has lots of objects in it, all of which are moving in some way and interacting as events and situations. Some of these events make us happy, like going on holiday. Possessing some objects makes us happy, like a new car. Conversely, some objects and events make us unhappy.

So is this it then? Is this the answer? Happiness is a reaction to things in the world, so we have to try and create as many situations as possible and possess as many things as possible which will cause happiness as a reaction to themselves.

This is the way life appears to be on first glance, thus this is the way most people live their lives -- and this is why humanities pursuit of happiness causes so much unhappiness. If you look at the, the assumption that reactive happiness is the goal of life just doesn't hold up. Take an object/events which causes happiness in you, vanilla ice-cream for example. If this was your favourite flavour, then could you say as a fact:

"Vanilla ice-cream causes happiness in me". It seems that way, as though the happiness is indelibly linked to the ice-cream.

But it isn't. What if you had to eat twelve kilograms for a bet? Then it would cause unhappiness.

What about if you won a racing car in a competition? The car makes you happy. But if you crash it into a tree and end up all mashed up inside, then the car causes unhappiness. What if someone gives you a theatre ticket as a gift. You stand there looking at the ticket and it causes happiness. Yet a theatre ticket is just a piece of paper with writing on, just like an eviction notice or a death penalty. No, it's the thought of going to the theatre which causes happiness. So is this the answer then? Forget the world, it's out thoughts that make us happy. That would be lovely because we have only so much limited control and influence over the world, there will always be things we can't change. But we can be the masters of our minds; though it's true that we're usually not. Thoughts always seem to be arising spontaneously, and often in reaction to things that are happening in the world; but we can choose to think anything we want to any time we want to. Try it, even while reading this page and without closing your eyes, you can mentally picture, or visualise, a red rose -- can't you? So how, EXACTLY, do you create a mental picture of a red rose in your mind? EXACTLY HOW? It's weird isn't it? You kind of just blank you mind and expect/will a red rose to appear on your mental screen -- and it simply appears. So is this the answer, ultimately? We have to choose to think thoughts constantly which will cause happiness? It wouldn't work would it? It would be like five kilograms of vanilla ice-cream. You have a happy thought which causes a happy emotion -- for a while -- then you'd get bored and have to think of something else to make you happy. Just think if you tried to have the same thought all day, the effort alone would make you unhappy. No, this isn't going to work either is it? But come to think of it, are we even asking the right question? Just because everyone spends all of their time in the pursuit of happiness doesn't mean they're right. Is the ultimate goal of our life a never ending happiness? What if a neighbour invites you to their child's funeral? You can't stand there smiling while everyone else is sad. What if you notice a child in the road about to get run over -- you can't stand there smiling as happy as pie, feeling noting negative and doing nothing. If the whole world was unmoved by human misery, then there would be no charities or aid programs and noting would ever get better. Oh no! It's a fact, everyone in the whole world spends all their time doing the wrong thing... So what are we supposed to be doing> and, come to think of it, what exactly is happiness, unhappiness, or any emotion for that matter? If you consciously inspire a thought now which causes happiness, then what is 'happiness'. how does it exist in your mind, how does it exist in your body? If you really look at it, REALLY, happiness can't be perceived directly, you only know it's present from the things which radiate from it. like happy thoughts and happy gestures, happy words, a happy face, all shinning out from an elusive nothing which you can't perceive. Yet when it's in your mind, it not only radiates out as everything you say and do, but affects the way people around you feel. It's as though your mind shines into other minds, almost making it a duty to be happy! There's one good thing about all this. We do have total control over our emotions. It's the same as with our thoughts, mostly they're reactions to things in the world, but if we want to we can choose them, by blanking our mind and expecting them as an act of will.

The Proof in the Pudding

The only way to see this is to do it for yourself. Take five minutes for a coffee break, or maybe while you're doing a routine which doesn't require any thought... create a mental picture which makes you happy. just blank your mind and expect a mental picture to be created, perhaps a happy memory, perhaps a mental picture of something nice which is going to happen in the future, like an upcoming celebration or holiday, the thought of which causes happy anticipation. As soon as happiness is inspired, then focus on it, watch this vague and elusive lightness which the whole world is pursuing. Watch this, alone, until it disappears. Then see if you can bring about this emotion without a mental picture. In the same way that you can create mental pictures or thoughts, can the same will/expectation inspire happiness independent of any thought or anything in the world, free happiness. Can will/expectation be focused light sunlight through a magnifying glass, the make the free happiness stronger? How strong can it become? How easy is it to make a little spark amongst the dry leaves a roaring fire? Do the same with negative feelings. Inspire a thought of something you hate, think of it until happiness arises. Then let go of the picture and focus on the unhappiness alone. Exactly what is this vague, wispy emotion which we've spent all our lives running away from? See how subtle it is? See how silly we are? Forget the world. Forget your thoughts. Switch rhythmically between the two feelings. Who is it that feels them? Where is your consciousness? How is awareness aware of the emotions? Who, in fact, are you at all?

Go on a short happiness stroll. Just a short way, maybe to the shops and back. For the whole of the journey, inspire free happiness. Watch your thoughts. Does the happiness come from them, or do they radiate from the emotion? Watch how your emotion shines into other peoples minds as your happiness radiates happy thoughts and makes you say happy things, spreading the joy to the people around you, who likewise brighten their spheres and on and on and on until your smiles have gone right around the world.

Shine.

About the Author

J. Lowet is a full-time writer, specialising in human potential.