Is happiness just up to you or you need to plug in?

I differ from most of you in that happiness is just not a state of mind alone. Happiness necessitates external stimuli also. You just on your own cannot be happy if your wife is unsupportable or if you are seclusion you cannot be happy though theoretically or spiritually you think you can be happy independent of any external environments. Happiness is a shared value and when it is shared we will redouble it. If I for instance get promoted I will be in a hurry to share it with my wife.

This is just a theoretical proposition that happiness needs no other attributes. It is a social activity too if you think unbiasedly and objectively. We in unison share cultural programs, festivals or rituals. Most of our happiest moments are when we are in company not in isolation. If it is a sheer state of mind we can be happy independently of associations.

We in congregations, speaking spiritually, when the priests sermonize at the church.

[Falling Star]

I see that as sharing the love to create happiness for others. Love creates happiness within and that radiates out to others. I do see and understand your point though.

think of things that make you happy and apply them to reality. see if they really make you truly happy or just in your mind

Every word has its meaning defined by the individual. But personally, I apply the word happiness to an emotion. It is not attached to anything outside, inside or source. Its a moment to be experienced, but no more or less than sadness, love, anger, pity....etc

Perception requires duality; to perceive, the perceiving must experience a duality of some sort. To perceive "happiness", the perceiving must conceive "sadness" whether it is due to what supernova referred to as "external stimuli" or not. I'm not certain whether or not the external exists, but I do not see how perception could exist separate of duality.

Whether or not we consider ourselves "happy" is dependent upon our pre-conceived notions of what "happy" is to be. For example, if i conceptualize that having money is "good", then whenever I am without money I will suffer. Ultimately having money is not objectively "good", but in so giving it this title there becomes happiness or the lack of it. In this way, we are in full control of our happiness and once we understand that duality is what is, then we will be forever happy.

[jorddy]

Is happiness just up to you or you need to plug in?

I feel that happiness is brought upon through perspectives and their effects on you. So - I think its all about how you view things and if you accept them/try to understand them

As well, some obstacles given to a person creates persepctives that cause sadness / emotions which oppose happiness, The trick is to find out how to turn these moment, these ways into happiness.

I believe every obstacle is given to us to help us grow, but our perspectives can be chosen by us, the viewer and you'll still end up at the same conclusion / growth.
What I'm trying to get at is, you can magnify everything in your life under any light you wish - Sadness, Happiness, Anger - They are all emotions which stem from your perspective and your perspective is inter-changable for, you are the one perseiving, which means you may percieve under whatever light you'd like to.
The world is handing us obstacles every second of every day to ensure us growth - the lessons we have not yet learned.. But you can learn them the same way through any perspective / light you wish to look through..


- Everything is just what i think (I dont mean to sound like im pressing my thoughts or anything, just trying to shed some light on the topic)


Zjorddy

Ultimately, we are the ones who decide whether or not we are happy, and we have a great deal of control over whether or not we're happy and how happy we are. If what is required is "plugging" something in to get to happy, we are the ones who have the plug in our own hands. We can decide when to insert the happiness plug into the socket, but that's a decision we get to make.

Or, we can decide that we have no control over any part of it and hope that somebody or something will come along and make it happen for us. If we assume that happiness (or anything else) is out of our control, then it might happen and it might not.

I've noticed that people who are positive and already happy have a way of having even more happy things appear in their lives. So it goes...

[Moonglow]

Hello,

I will present my view on happiness.

What is happy for one is not necessarily what is happy for another.
For me it is what gives me a feeling of contentment. Does not mean that the challenges in life goes away, but I feel more confident/secure that I can handle them or that things eventually will balance out.

It takes a sort of trust in oneself and ones abilities/gifts. So for me it is found with in. Other can inspire the feeling of happiness through support and love, but it is up to me whether I accept their gift and bring it with in.

Mostly it is finding the love within and of oneself. Find that when I am in the place with in that I feel all right, happiness follows. It is as though resistance fades. Yes I would agree happiness follows happy happenings and visa versa.

At times it is letting go of taking things on that are not mine to take on. Lightening the load.

Again happiness is found with in and can be stimulated by that which is with out.

Peace

[Xan]

Supernova: I differ from most of you in that happiness is just not a state of mind alone. Happiness necessitates external stimuli also. You just on your own cannot be happy if your wife is unsupportable or if you are seclusion you cannot be happy though theoretically or spiritually you think you can be happy independent of any external environments. Happiness is a shared value and when it is shared we will redouble it. If I for instance get promoted I will be in a hurry to share it with my wife.

My friend, you are talking about relative happiness, whereas the people here describe their discovery of happiness that is not dependent on the state of our relationships or circumstances or values.

In essence in we are already and always happy... we are happiness itself.

BUT nearly every person in our world has lost awareness of our true nature.

So, supernova, you are right on both counts: Is happiness just up to you or you need to plug in?.

We are naturally happy AND we need to find ways to re-discover it within ourselves beyond our involvement with the ever-changing world around us.


Xan