Aug 15 2012: More so, the ego desires its own destruction as a part of its own nature to allow the separation between it and the outside world to become in separate. The ego craves and therefore it suffers. Each physical remedy is the result of this craving. Yet, nothing can satisfy the ego, so it only wants more. The ego is so accepting because it is searching for that connection between the inner world that it resides and the outside world it desires to be apart of. The paradox is that only in moments when one works to satisfy the needs of someone else or focus on the outside universe , rather than the inner one, do we satisfy our own craving.
Aug 15 2012: To point number one. There is a phrase in french, le petite de morte. It means the little death, This refers to climax of love between two people. Isn't it interesting that they call it this? I believe that they explain it this way because in this action two separate individuals , lose that thing that says "I". There is a break down of what is "I" and what exists outside. Love is the destruction of ego, if only temporarily. When something is accepted into your mind, there is a blurring between the universe that lies within and the universe that lies without. Love removes the world between these two separate universes. And the line in between, is the ego. The ego suffers to keep itself alive. It must attend to the worries. Think of not "I" , but some one else and the result is happiness. In each good deed this happens, is but a few moments. In these moments we feel pleasure because empathy and action allowed the inner universe of different beings to merge but for a little while, in kindness. This is why " a purpose that is greater", a group, a religion, a team, a family that is together experiences the feeling of happiness, of pleasure. It is the happiness that arises out of expanding the mind. This is one of the main , consequences of meditation and the supposed feelings of serenity and peace; or should I say happiness?
And at times people are born into this world, which circumstances that are stacked up against them. But, it possible to overcome them. Even wealth, and luxury can be obstacles to happiness. Happiness is not the same for everyone, but everyone has to find their path to happiness. This is the challenge of life. It is the happiness of pursuit, the pursuit of happiness.
Aug 3 2012: This Juxtaposition between self and self image is a construct of a person's environment. People are programmed with memes such as " I am not pretty enough" or " perfection is the goal of my life." These compete for the interests of a person. Society, environment, parenting : i.e. nurturing creates the self image of a person. A person can shatter a false self image by realizing the memes that rule his or her life. The reason why we are so easily programmed by deceptive memes is that we want the acceptance of others. It is a basic human need, to be cared about. Is a need of the ego. So we accept these deceptive memes , consciously or unconsciously, get subverted from our true passions and models of reality. When people help one another they receive a rush of positive emotion in the very same part of the brain that deals with drug addiction. In turn, all humans want connection with others. And the value of that connection defines a self image. If the value of that connection is powerful and positive, the needs of the ego will be fulfilled. Therefore, the only way to satisfy the ego is by destruction of the ego. People know this and so they get this powerful feeling when praying with people, being at a concert, a sporting event, a party , a fraternity, a club, charity or any other ego minimizing event. Love is where two individual people, two "I"s ,become a "we". It is the destruction of ego to satisfy the ego. That is why we strive for a cause, a religion, a purpose. We need something that diminishes the importance of self, and this creates happiness.
Jul 31 2012: My passion is to innovate. My passion is to think like no other. My passion is to be a little less selfish. My passion is .....YOU can finish the rest of that sentence.
Jul 31 2012: In my essay , I mentioned that there is no one way to happiness, nor is it the same for everyone. And I am one the same page as you on the fact that too much of anything is not a good thing. I know from experience. Maybe I didn't convey my message well enough. There's a reason why I called it sustainable happiness. I don't believe in utopia. I don't want a utopia. There's a reason why I tagged Buddhism in this conversation. The middle way makes sense to me. I try not stick to any idea , with too much conviction. Most of the time, I try to challenge what ever seems true. Where there is doubt; there is possibility. Where there is possibility, there is an open mind. So why is my concept called sustainable happiness? It because I feel that people will begin to make peace with themselves when they fiind what they are so good at, and makes them happy to do it. It is not always evident, what that talent is or where it will take you. Just because one found his or her talent, does not mean that they will not feel sadness or anger, or any other emotion. But, they will began to understand how to cope with it , without hurting themselves or others in pursuit of something else. I am not always a happy person. But, I know what makes me happy, what is passion. My passion to help others find others passions. And my idea is, if one another came together to help find the other's passions ; to support one another, when no one else will. When we stop thinking about the I, and the we, or he, or she , or they; I think any thing is possible. In turn , a man could find his sustainable happiness, by helping to find the sustainable happiness of another. Its a volunteer effort, just like the make a wish foundation. They make dreams come true for the sick and dieing. Why can't we make dreams come true for the healthy, and sick; the weak and the strong; the poor and the rick; the selfish and the selfless; the sad and the angry; the minority and the majority. The list goes on.
Jul 31 2012: If I’m going to be a leader, what is going be my cause? Is it easy to say this or that is the most important thing in my life? Well, let’s explore this. How about I start by listing things, which I feel are problems. Okay here I go: Bullying, overeating, under eating, health, the idea of beauty, polarization, malnutrition, violence, war, clean water, melting ice caps, global warming, trophy hunting, poaching, endangered species, using oil and other fossil fuels, gangs, closed minds, intolerance, equal rights for everyone, greed, the divorce rate, pollution of all types, the over use of fertilizers and pesticides, murder, rape, theft, superficiality, just getting by through life, the unexamined life, lack of a good education, disconnection with the planet, lack of curiosity , alcoholism, drug addiction, over taxing resources, infectious and chronic diseases, underpay and workers’ rights, smoking cigarettes, abusing prescription medications, TYRANY, advocacy for birth control, treating problems rather than dealing with the symptoms, access to opposing ideas, nuclear proliferation, terrorism, lack of happiness, over use of medications, access to college and post college education, spousal and child abuse, and probably a lot more.
Jul 31 2012: So which am I going to chose? Which one of these calamities deserves my valuable attention? Or which group of them? It’s very hard to choose. And I want to cause more than just awareness or the spread of the idea; I want to cause a change of ideas, of ways, of thinking, of life itself.
Okay let’s look for a common denominator, something that all of these problems have in common. Some of these problems are natural and already have solutions. But, these solutions need further improvement to stamp the problem out altogether. And some natural and man-made problems coincide. Okay let us look at man-made problems; what do they have in common? As a human, I will make the assumption that all human beings want to be happy. What makes people happy can differ. All attempts of things are done in some way to satisfy happiness: either short term or long term. In the quest of happiness, most people will sacrifice anything to receive it. There are two types of pitfalls. The first approach creates temporary happiness. Because the happiness is temporary, the actions are repeated to recreate the feeling. Soon people may sacrifice anything to attain that temporary happiness. This can lead to problems. The second pitfall comes from the pursuit of promised happiness: for example the idea of pursuing money to attain absolute happiness. Two things may occur while this approach is undertaken; temporary happiness may be suspended for the perceived long term happiness, or people may sacrifice anything to attain the happiness sometime in the future.
Jul 31 2012: So if the pursuit of happiness determines our behavior directly or indirectly, it also produces the man-made problems that people have. If this is the case, how can people be guaranteed happiness without negative or harmful sacrifice? I think my cause will be to find ways to make people “sustainably happy”.
One of the biggest problems that people have when pursuing happiness is that they are not completely aware of what exactly produces sustainable and healthy happiness for them in the present and future. Sometimes people follow the other people around them because they may think other people are happier than the viewer. It could be a false deduction. Finding what makes you happy is a hard challenge. It is the challenge of life.
So how could I or anyone else guarantee that an entire planet achieves their respective happiness; that everyone achieves “sustainable happiness” ? In one’s own self-interest in happiness, it might make sense to ensure the happiness of the people around them. If the people around one are happy, it might be easier to pursue your own happiness. They may even return the favor, and help you attain your own personal happiness.
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A reply on Conversation: The ego creates suffering? Does suppression of the ego lead to " sustainable happiness?"Is love the suppression of ego?What does charity do?
A reply on Conversation: The ego creates suffering? Does suppression of the ego lead to " sustainable happiness?"Is love the suppression of ego?What does charity do?
And at times people are born into this world, which circumstances that are stacked up against them. But, it possible to overcome them. Even wealth, and luxury can be obstacles to happiness. Happiness is not the same for everyone, but everyone has to find their path to happiness. This is the challenge of life. It is the happiness of pursuit, the pursuit of happiness.
A comment on Conversation: The ego creates suffering? Does suppression of the ego lead to " sustainable happiness?"Is love the suppression of ego?What does charity do?
A comment on Conversation: Laws are just sad attempts to stop regularly occurring problems in society but they don't fix the problems.
A comment on Conversation: The ego creates suffering? Does suppression of the ego lead to " sustainable happiness?"Is love the suppression of ego?What does charity do?
A comment on Conversation: The ego creates suffering? Does suppression of the ego lead to " sustainable happiness?"Is love the suppression of ego?What does charity do?
A comment on Conversation: The ego creates suffering? Does suppression of the ego lead to " sustainable happiness?"Is love the suppression of ego?What does charity do?
A comment on Conversation: The ego creates suffering? Does suppression of the ego lead to " sustainable happiness?"Is love the suppression of ego?What does charity do?
A comment on Conversation: The ego creates suffering? Does suppression of the ego lead to " sustainable happiness?"Is love the suppression of ego?What does charity do?
Okay let’s look for a common denominator, something that all of these problems have in common. Some of these problems are natural and already have solutions. But, these solutions need further improvement to stamp the problem out altogether. And some natural and man-made problems coincide. Okay let us look at man-made problems; what do they have in common? As a human, I will make the assumption that all human beings want to be happy. What makes people happy can differ. All attempts of things are done in some way to satisfy happiness: either short term or long term. In the quest of happiness, most people will sacrifice anything to receive it. There are two types of pitfalls. The first approach creates temporary happiness. Because the happiness is temporary, the actions are repeated to recreate the feeling. Soon people may sacrifice anything to attain that temporary happiness. This can lead to problems. The second pitfall comes from the pursuit of promised happiness: for example the idea of pursuing money to attain absolute happiness. Two things may occur while this approach is undertaken; temporary happiness may be suspended for the perceived long term happiness, or people may sacrifice anything to attain the happiness sometime in the future.
A comment on Conversation: The ego creates suffering? Does suppression of the ego lead to " sustainable happiness?"Is love the suppression of ego?What does charity do?
One of the biggest problems that people have when pursuing happiness is that they are not completely aware of what exactly produces sustainable and healthy happiness for them in the present and future. Sometimes people follow the other people around them because they may think other people are happier than the viewer. It could be a false deduction. Finding what makes you happy is a hard challenge. It is the challenge of life.
So how could I or anyone else guarantee that an entire planet achieves their respective happiness; that everyone achieves “sustainable happiness” ? In one’s own self-interest in happiness, it might make sense to ensure the happiness of the people around them. If the people around one are happy, it might be easier to pursue your own happiness. They may even return the favor, and help you attain your own personal happiness.