Rules for Happiness
Something to do.
Someone to love.
Something to hope for.
Immanuel Kant
What is it that we can’t make, make it stay when it arrives, or make it return once it has passed? Happiness. For us to live with things we like is easy. But to live surrounded by things we don’t, like arrogant people, cruel politicians, nagging mosquitoes and dogs that bark all night, is much more difficult. These things can make life seem intolerable and so we fight and argue in order to make everything more suitable for ourselves. This battle never ends unless we can change our whole perspective.
Does this mean that we have to like all of the things we dislike? No. It means we need to be accepting of ourselves and others as they are without wishing them to be different. Liking and disliking are completely personal. Anyone who performs actions only for himself without any care or consideration for others and for the world around him will suffer. We are equally capable of generating nightmares as well as dreams.This is a law of nature.
The world that we actually experience is the one we create moment by moment with our minds and attachments to our points of view. Our perception of reality is colored by how we want the world to be rather than the way it is. If anger is present we become angry. If fear is present we become afraid. If sadness is present we become depressed. Whatever mental state the mind releases, we embrace.
However, if we can take a step back from the activity of the mind itself, and experience it for what it really is — a series of actions and reactions in an endless dance— we will be able to see what is real and what is illusion and realize that plans, feelings, opinions and ideas can change as quickly as the blink of an eye. To understand this and then be more open to the uncertainties of life creates a special kind of happiness — the happiness of wisdom— the wisdom of focusing on the positive rather than the negative. The way to live in peace in the world, and therefore experience real happiness, is to let go of trying to control everyone and everything and simply be open to the possibilities of life.
The collective consciousness of people has incredible powers. If enough people have a burning desire to change a situation, it will change. This is a law of physics. We need to jump into the sea of co-creation so our individual dreams meet and are strengthened by the dreams of others. Happiness never decreases by being shared.
*With special thanks to David Fletcher.
Photos taken at Tango in Tarbes, a yearly festival in SW France.
