First of all, why doesn't bigsoccer non topic forums have a philosophy thread? It is crazy it doesn't have one. Anyways, to get to the point, what is the meaning of happiness? What makes you happy? Is there a point where a person switches the on-and-off button of happiness? Is happiness around the corner but yet we are so blinded that we cannot even see it? In a fast paced world, we are shown what "happiness" is through mass media but does it really reflect upon us? I am willing to admit that I sometimes will go through my days like tissue paper, not even noticing what I am doing and forget what really makes me happy anymore and i'm sure you do the same. It just seems that when i'm at work, people are there to make themselves look physically, emotionally, and spiritually better but for the wrong reasons and I always end up asking myself 'What is it with people these days and their need to be happy?' If we were given a one years notice that the world was going to end, what would you do to make yourself happy? Many people will try to do something that will make them happy in the last years of your life but do you want to be old and unhappy until the doctor tells you that you have one year to live and all of the sudden you start doing things that make you happy? People can say that money is just paper but it is also something that keeps some of us alive instead of on the streets but does that make you happy? Define happiness....elaborate... p.s. I demand a philosophy forum....haha please...
Gandhi once said.... "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." If you think about it it does have some truth to it.
I am currently reading "Man's search for meaning" by Viktor Frankl,(fully recommended) a psychologist who survived the holocoust. He argues that happiness, man's emotional and mental survival even, is found in finding meaning be that a relationship, work, a creative art, something that only he/she can do or fulfill. In my opinion to understand happiness one must understand its opposite (depression and sucide) and in the words of Neitzsche "He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how". Just my 0.02$
A few days ago I had to write a 1000 word essay on "what constitutes a good life according to 2 of the philosophers studied." It sucked. But personally, i've found that the majority of society these days has a Nihilistic approach to life. People spend their whole lives pursuing only sensual pleasures. Epicuras' philosophy comes closer to describing how to get true happiness, except he believed that their was no God. Personally, i'm only 17 but from what i've seen in life, the ONLY people i've ever met who seem to have meaning and true happiness are people who have devoted themselvs to God. Take a look at Kaka, for example, the man has everything that anyone could want in life. I've met so many people like him, who are totally committed to God and that seem to have everything they could want. Sure, they all go though hard times, but through their faith they get past it (example is Job). Every time Kaka scores he points his fingers to the sky as a sign of thanks to God. He said in an interview that he is proud that he was a virgin when he married (which would have been v. hard seems how he was a world famous footballer, image how many woman would have thrown themselvs at him). His motto in life is "I belong to Jesus" and "God is faithful", which he has stitched onto his boots. This sort of stuff is ridiculed in today's society (just take a look at the posts that are bound to come under this one), but when you really look at it, it is the best way to live. The problem is the way people see the Bible. They think it's a book with rules to stop them enjoying life or something, but realistically it's the opposite. You should treat it like a manual for life. If your car's manual says "don't change from 4th gear to 1st while your driving at 120kph", you don't do it cos you know it will wreak your gearbox and screw up your car... same goes with this.. Everyone who lives a hedonistic life ends up depressed, with their life in shambles. It brings only temporary happyness, then it screws you up. There is a reason that "thou shalt not commit murder or adultry." ANYWAY, the point is, religeon is really the only way to acheive true happiness. Even if your amazingly sexy and endlessly wealthy, you haven't got true happiness... look at people like Michael Hutchence and others who seemingly had everything, yet ended up killing themselvs. Kaka really is a great role model for today's youth, and I have endless respect for him. PS. If you believe in the evolutionary theory (like I used too), stop. The only reason you do is because scientists and the media make out as if it has actually been proven (it hasn't, it's been disproven). Some evidense disproving the evolutionary theory The evolutionary theory is falling apart at the seems, as one scientist said. I think it will not be long before every science text book gets re-written. And although I used to hate the Bible and think it was a load of made up stuff, there is so much evidense for it, you jsut have to look (like the Bible says "make your the truth your own"). Ill show you two things that shocked me when I first discovered them, and I remember asking why the hell no-one had shown me before. Go grab a Bible and open up to Job 26:7. "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." Also Isiah 40:22 "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth." It told us that the earth was round and hangs upon nothing centrys before we discovered it. This was at a time when everyone though the earth was flat and was sitting on the back of a giant turtle or greek god. You can't just guess stuff like that. If you want more stuff proving the Bible's accuracy, then check this out: http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/science.shtml http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/science.shtml OKay.. so when I clicked "Reply" I intended to write about how you can't achieve happiness through hedonism... now this... ah well.
Oh, please. Although I'd strongly disagree with the assertion that organised religion is the only path to happiness - each to his own, an' all that - I wasn't going to respond until I got to the second part of the post. To take a hugely convincing extract at random, this... ...is supposed to conclusively disprove the theory of evolution? Not even argue against it, but disprove it? There's more where that came from. Oh, one other thing (I can't believe I'm actually debating this point, but it's niggling at me) - in no way are 'flat' and 'round' mututally exclusive descriptions. Think of a coin. To a tiny person standing on one of the flat surfaces, their world would be flat and round. To a real person looking at the horizon, turning in a circle would reveal a circle's worth of horizon. Flat, round. There. I'm out.
If you want to read about the evolution/creationism argument, i really suggest you read Michael Ruse's "But Is It Science?". Michael Ruse is a famous philosopher and he was one of the integral points in the 1981 Arkansas case of NOT allowing Creationism to be taught in schools. All the other books at the moment like Richard Dawkins book only reverberate of what Michael Ruse has said 20 YEARS ago. It's a book that will make you think.
You underestimate how much joy we secularists get from ridiculing posts like this. It makes me a very happy man indeed.
I think your onto something... I got a "D" for the essay lol. lol at the picture of 'hedonism bot' btw.
happiness is unique to each individual. it is the responsibility of each individual to dedicate time to themselves and figure this out for themselves. money and the like definitely contribute, but in the end i think it comes down to being true to oneself, loving oneself, and having loving relationships. exercise, proper diet, and interaction with nature also help.