Aug 11 2012: In my opinion, the ultimate happiness is having trust in yourself as the driver of your life.
For myself, I often struggle with relationships and feeling disconnected from other people. Sometimes this does lead me to be very sad and to forget all of the wonderful things in my life (I try not to show this sadness to others). However, over the past few years I've tried to "put myself out there" more, yielding some very positive (and of course less positive at times) results. Facing this struggle and coming through it has brought me a greater sense of happiness because I trust myself more. I understand my strengths, and I understand that I can't be strong at everything, so while I try to improve some of my weaknesses, some of them I just let go. Striving to be your best self, which will inevitably cause you to go through struggles and times of discomfort, leads to a higher sense of satisfaction and self-trust, which will give you a greater sense of peace, which is very important for happiness.
Mar 19 2012: I actually stumbled onto this topic as I was going to post a topic that's very similar. My excuse for not pursuing my passion is my age. I'm scared that since I'm so young everything I do will be awful and I won't even know it. I feel as though it's impossible for me to be successful at my passion and do it justice now, so why even try? That being said, I'm trying anyways because I think that I can do it, but the self-doubt that creeps up every time I think about how old I am and whether or not the ideas I have are childish is enough to cause me to make tons of excuses as to why I'm not trying harder.
Nov 14 2011: One of my favorite TEDTalks. Sarah Kay is amazing.
1. A kind or helpful word/action that is done without superiority or ulterior motives will never go unappreciated.
2. Confidence is at its best when people have become the best versions of themselves, or are working tirelessly at getting there.
3. Ideas only come to those who first listen to the ideas of others.
4. All goals that are worth achieving are not goals that can be acquired by the faint of heart.
5. Fun and relaxation are just as important as working and studying.
6. The world is bigger than me.
7. There are times when it is great to be connected - relationships are extremely important. However, everyone needs to be alone sometimes.
8. Excitement and passion should never be hidden.
9. It is not a bad thing to feel as though you're "out of place," but you should never stop looking for your place.
10. Education holds the key to inspired minds who are willing to stand up and fight for what they believe in.
Aug 31 2011: In a way, both. The way I look at it is similar to arranged marriages. You can arrange a marriage between people and, through exposure to each other for years, they can learn to love each other. I was introduced to piano at age 4 (something I would consider a "passion" today), and I hated it for years, but through practice and gaining skill, I love it and still play competitively, but moreso for fun. I know that it is something I will carry out for the rest of my life. That passion is something that my parents guided me to, not an individual discovery. The "individual discovery" would be more like finding your own spouse, without much extra guidance. You meet them and, if all goes well, you will fall in love and get married and live happily ever after. However, since you're not forced into it, there is a chance that this love won't last. I feel it's the same with individual discoveries. For me, every couple weeks I go through a new phase of thinking I'm going to learn this or do this. I think that if it's possible to find the passions that stick via individual discovery, we'll end up with an even greater passion for them than we would by one that's introduced. However, it's more challenging and takes years just to FIND that passion, let alone develop it. The "passions" that I have found through guidance of others are piano, reading and cooking/baking. The passions I've found for myself are writing, physics, TV (don't judge - it can be a passion), and my latest whim is Japanese - which I'm hoping will last. So, to sum up this whole thing, either can work, I feel individual may give a greater sense of satisfaction, but guided can also spark something great.
Aug 30 2011: I agree with you that our duty is to discover not only just the answers to the questions you listed but thousands more. I think more importantly than that our duty is to inspire future generations and our peers to have the same passion for discovery. I think that discovering the "Ultimate Truth" is not a task one would be able to accomplish alone, so the best thing to do would be to convince others to join in a crazy journey of discovery with you, and to continue it after you're gone. Spreading your ideas and your person as much as you can so that your legacy is one that will help the future is the duty that I will attempt to accomplish.
Aug 30 2011: I'm a high school student, and to me, the problem of the education system doesn't lie so much in the system itself as it does in how the system is being carried out. At my Canadian public school, there is no spirit, there is no class participation, there is basically no effort. I think that an easier solution than revamping the entire current system is to keep the one we have but get students more involved and responsible for their own learning, because no matter how you change the system, it won't be perfect. That being said, each individual can chase their own learning in a way that suits their particular needs if they feel inclined to do so. So, back to my original point, I don't think the system needs to be changed, but I feel that the system could be carried out in a better way. Some examples:
1. Building a sense of "school community" by weekly assemblies where the only agenda is to keep kids updated on how the school is doing and how its students are doing.
2. Having excellent role models be the leaders at schools - If kids have someone to look up to and someone who they don't want to disappoint, it will make them think more about trying to please the person at the front.
3. PRAISE when it's good, PUNISHMENT when it's bad - There are too many empty threats that go around. If the school's rule is "Three lates = detention" then three lates should equal a detention, regardless of the teacher or the student. Being a good student, I could probably strategically place 5 late walk ins in the strictest teachers class and walk away with nothing, and that looks unfair to my fellow students. That being said, in some teachers' classes the worst kids can come in halfway through class every day and get no punishment. Teachers need to present a united front in their discipline so that kids gain respect for their school. Not only that, but if kids are doing something well, special time should be taken to praise them.
Those are my suggestions.
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A comment on Conversation: Why do people who have many advantages in life struggle with ongoing happiness whilst others with far less to be happy about are happier?
For myself, I often struggle with relationships and feeling disconnected from other people. Sometimes this does lead me to be very sad and to forget all of the wonderful things in my life (I try not to show this sadness to others). However, over the past few years I've tried to "put myself out there" more, yielding some very positive (and of course less positive at times) results. Facing this struggle and coming through it has brought me a greater sense of happiness because I trust myself more. I understand my strengths, and I understand that I can't be strong at everything, so while I try to improve some of my weaknesses, some of them I just let go. Striving to be your best self, which will inevitably cause you to go through struggles and times of discomfort, leads to a higher sense of satisfaction and self-trust, which will give you a greater sense of peace, which is very important for happiness.
A comment on Conversation: What's your excuse for not pursuing your passion?
A comment on Conversation: We can learn by exchanging and discussing our own lists of "10 Things I Know to be True."
1. A kind or helpful word/action that is done without superiority or ulterior motives will never go unappreciated.
2. Confidence is at its best when people have become the best versions of themselves, or are working tirelessly at getting there.
3. Ideas only come to those who first listen to the ideas of others.
4. All goals that are worth achieving are not goals that can be acquired by the faint of heart.
5. Fun and relaxation are just as important as working and studying.
6. The world is bigger than me.
7. There are times when it is great to be connected - relationships are extremely important. However, everyone needs to be alone sometimes.
8. Excitement and passion should never be hidden.
9. It is not a bad thing to feel as though you're "out of place," but you should never stop looking for your place.
10. Education holds the key to inspired minds who are willing to stand up and fight for what they believe in.
A reply on Conversation: What is your greatest passion and how have you been able to develop and sustain it?
A comment on Conversation: What is the most prominent duty of every human being?
A comment on Conversation: Your life in a Haiku.
A dream or two or plenty
Wait to be fulfilled
A comment on Conversation: How do we reform education?
1. Building a sense of "school community" by weekly assemblies where the only agenda is to keep kids updated on how the school is doing and how its students are doing.
2. Having excellent role models be the leaders at schools - If kids have someone to look up to and someone who they don't want to disappoint, it will make them think more about trying to please the person at the front.
3. PRAISE when it's good, PUNISHMENT when it's bad - There are too many empty threats that go around. If the school's rule is "Three lates = detention" then three lates should equal a detention, regardless of the teacher or the student. Being a good student, I could probably strategically place 5 late walk ins in the strictest teachers class and walk away with nothing, and that looks unfair to my fellow students. That being said, in some teachers' classes the worst kids can come in halfway through class every day and get no punishment. Teachers need to present a united front in their discipline so that kids gain respect for their school. Not only that, but if kids are doing something well, special time should be taken to praise them.
Those are my suggestions.