My personal happiness - Don't Be A Wage Slave

I am so unique! I exist only inside of me. I should be happy. What precludes this, to many people, is the world outside. It is unfolding much like a movie. From very young, it is obvious that I am not its director. Then comes the existential question, “Why not?” The honest answer is, “I can’t be in charge of the physical world”. Life is fickle, circumstances change, the list goes on and on — and, ultimately, I am not God. That said, I am, nonetheless, the main actor on the perceptual stage of my life — I am, in fact, its only thespian.

With this knowledge, would I not then want to play my part well? Would I not desire to perform my role with vigor and vitality? Yes, of course, I would. Now this analogy takes of a serious tone. Anyone who has done any performing on stage or television knows that you must give your very, very best performance each and every time. The market is so competitive that even those who are doing their ultimate are ranked according to ability. All this, of course, is in the exterior world.

In reality, the only person I am truly competing against is myself. This affords me the opportunity to always improve — to always get better! The great artists and leaders have shown us how to overcome failure and adversity. They possess the capacity to view even the most dire of circumstances in a transcendent or positive light. (1) This is not a unique position only given to the high achievers in society. It is a skill that everyone can adopt and use to lead more contented and dynamic lives. I am in control of my emotional well-being. How I view my situation, creates its reality. It does not exist independently of my perception. This is hard to believe, though.

Try this simple experiment: The next time it is wet and blustery announce, “What a wonderful day!” Some people, most assuredly, will meet your statement with incredulity and derision. You are bound to get some responses in the vein of, “What are you talking about? It is horribly damp and cold!” You can see it clearly presented that my reality is occupied by me and only me — in tandem with God, Gaia, or the Universe.

It is troublesome and a failure to verbalize any positive vision to those who see existence as one big passage of time shrouded in nothing but suffering — the purview of the pained addict or the mentally impoverished. All you can be is “a beacon of light,” an example of a way to live. In this aspect, you are a moral guide to how one could pursue a joyful and happy way of being. The great thinker and scientist Albert Einstein (2) leaves us with a thought: If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.

A closing thought: When I was young, one of my first disappointments was when I realized that I couldn’t change the behavior of anyone else. A person would agree that his behavior was incorrect — exercise for example. “Yes, I agree, I am overweight and should control my eating habits and exercise more,” and then simply continue his old habituation. No amount of prodding or cajoling will change another person’s pattern of living. It is up to that individual to change. This is especially true of the more serious and pernicious dependencies — heroin for example. (3) Change must come from within the self and only the self. But, in a hopeful light, it can. With effort, we all can live happy and meaningful lives.

To sum up: This week, we spoke about controlling our personal happiness.

To be noted: From Mark Twain (4) — By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

Just for fun: