Do you ever have to force yourself to be happy?
Just a philosophical question, not in regard to myself.
HUGS
Thanks for answering! ~:0)
2007-12-09 22:02:43 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
The love of my family makes me happy but I don't think we are supposed to be happy all the time or we wouldn't grow as people. You need suffering to grow and to be able to experience happiness. Kind of like in the way you can't know youre warm if you've never been cold. So I guess im happy when im not busy suffering...?
2007-12-10 05:59:49 · answer #1 · answered by clowny clown clown 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Happiness is an agreeable feeling or condition arising
from good fortune or propitious happening of any kind.
It is the possession of those circumstances or that
state of being which is attended with enjoyment. It is
associated with good luck, good fortune, prosperity,
well-being, delight, health, safety, and love.
Happiness is generic, and is applied to almost every
kind of enjoyment except that of the animal appetites.
It ia a state of well-being characterized by emotions
ranging from contentment to intense joy. These include:
bliss, joy, joyous, carefree, jubilant, exultant,
cheerful, playful, amused, fun, glad, gay, gleeful,
jolly, jovial, delighted, euphoric, ecstatic, thrilled,
elated, enraptured, comfortable, harmonious, and
triumphant. Societies, religions, and individuals have
various views on the nature of happiness and how to
pursue it.
Only saint-like persons, who feel that they are no
longer interested in the external world, think that
happiness is within. For many persons, nothing can make
them happy. Our minds are as different as our finger
prints - no two are alike. Listening to loud music
makes one happy and makes another unhappy. Hence, there
can be no single definition for happiness. It is
probably impossible to objectively define happiness as
humans know and understand it, as internal experiences
are subjective by nature. Because of this, explaining
happiness as experienced by one individual is as
pointless as trying to define the color green such that
a completely color blind person could understand the
experience of seeing green.
As a state and a subject, it has been pursued and
commented on extensively throughout world history.
"Call no man happy till he is dead." - Aeschylus
"Happiness is a positive cash flow." - Fred Adler
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes
true happiness. It is not attained through
self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy
purpose." - Joseph Addison
"True happiness arises, in the first place, from the
enjoyment of one's self, and in the next, from the
friendship and conversation of a few select
companions." - Joseph Addison
Happiness is often associated with the presence of
favourable circumstances such as a supportive family
life, a loving marriage, and economic stability. Kali
Yuga, the age of darkness, is the time when these
favourables are difficult to find.
Unfavorable circumstances - such as abusive
relationships, accidents, loss of employment, and
conflicts - diminish the amount of happiness a person
experiences. In all nations, factors such as hunger,
disease, crime, corruption, and warfare can decrease
happiness. However, according to several ancient and
modern thinkers, happiness is influenced by the
attitude and perspective taken on such circumstances.
From the observation that fish must become happy by
swimming, and birds must become happy by flying.
Aristotle points to the unique abilities of man as the
route to happiness. Of all the animals only man can sit
and contemplate reality. Of all the animals only man
can develop social relations to the political level.
Thus the contemplative life of a monk or professor, or
the political life of a military commander or
politician will be the happiest according to their own
psyche.
The following is the self-reported positive affect
(i.e. positive emotion) during the day by 909 employed
women in USA:
Activities and their positive effect index:
Intimate relations 5.10
Socializing 4.59
Relaxing 4.42
Pray/Worship/Meditate 4.35
Eating 4.34
Exercising 4.31
Watching TV 4.19
Shopping 3.95
Preparing food 3.93
On the phone 3.92
Napping 3.87
Taking care of
my children 3.86
Computer/Email/
Internet 3.81
Housework 3.73
Working 3.62
Commuting 3.45
Interaction with partners:
w/ friends 4.36
w/ relatives 4.17
w/ spouse/Significant
other 4.11
w/ children 4.04
w/ clients/customers 3.79
w/ co-workers 3.76
w/ boss 3.52
alone 3.41
Further, happiness is not entirely psychological in
nature - it has got a biological basis too. The
neurotransmitter dopamine is involved in desire and
seems often related to pleasure. Pleasure can be
induced artificially with drugs. Use of drugs is not
some thing new, it has been used by many including
Sanyasis since millenia.
2007-12-09 22:51:21 · answer #2 · answered by d_r_siva 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Getting off the rollercoaster of love-hate. The search for happiness is the basis for feeling without it.
2007-12-10 00:20:47 · answer #3 · answered by Premaholic 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Learned to accet thing the way it comes.
Not choosy,
No choice,
Real open minded,
No tension,
No worries
and I am happy always. (OK 80% of the time)
Rest 20% is eaten by my customers and wife.
2007-12-09 22:15:40 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The love of my children, knowing that I can care for them and protect them, and that they are happy. I remain focussed on that when I have a bad day and then it isn't so bad.
2007-12-09 22:10:46 · answer #5 · answered by Fanny Blood 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
knowing that i am loved by the one who has touched my heart and soul in some godly ways and mysterious ways to help us both in the long run. god has put us together to help us both see the light and help us one day to become one. peace. p
2007-12-10 05:52:11 · answer #6 · answered by sweetnstubbornsensitive 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
God/Jesus, Family and friends, Church,My dogs( Jazzmin and Simba) and my boyfriend
2007-12-09 22:51:57 · answer #7 · answered by Lia 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
all the time I work with the public, so I don't get to be cranky.
2007-12-09 22:10:53 · answer #8 · answered by Ray S 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
drugs
2007-12-09 22:12:32 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋