Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Wednesday, April 08, 2009 - , 7 comments

The Great Thing about Happiness

Nessa has inspired me again, not with the content and form of her poem (which, of course, is inspirational for other reasons) but with its theme. In “The Problem with Happiness,” she characterizes happiness as a fleeting sensation. The thought of that is quite depressing for me and generates feelings of empathy. Perhaps, it’s a difference in the definition of the word. I associate it with a state of being, and therefore it is able to last for a protracted period of time. Can it be constant and continual? But I’m not always happy. Can I still be in a state of happiness?

Today, is an excellent day (and maybe yesterday too) to consider this. Let’s just say that I was a bit “emotionally distraught” after a tête-à-tête with an associate. At a stray thought, I could spontaneously burst into tears. Clearly, I was sad, disappointed, angry, but had I lost my state of happiness? I would have to say no because in-between these episodes I rebounded into a feeling of contentment, an emotion with decidedly positive connotations.

The Bible says, “Be joyful always” (1 Thes 5:16). I’ll be honest. I’m not there yet, but making the choice to have a more positive state of mind does make life a lot more pleasant. It can improve almost every interaction with another person. It allows one to be more open to see the wonder and beauty in the world because one is astounded by the variety in people, cultures, and ideas. Then, it’s the “negative” emotions that are the transitory experience. They certainly aren’t “normal,” and I know that I want to do whatever I can to identify the cause and deal with it. It is at that point that I can resume my “state of happiness.”

7 comments:

I agree. I am a perpetually happy person. Sometimes my happiness is ruffled a bit by transitory thoughts and emotions, but deep down inside, I am still content and I will find something positive in a bad experience, or I will just let it go.

Being happy and being able to hit the problems that take that away head on always solve them and your happiness will continue. Happiness never leaves us...it might stray a little but it's always there. And always remember "Dont Worry, Be Happy"

I read somewhere that we spend most of time in a simple state of being (I'm paraphrasing) and that happiness and unhappiness pass in and out of us

I think I buy that

Very thoughtful, Cherie. To me, happiness is a high that I can't maintain but we just maybe tussling over semantics. I am, consistently content. At times I am happy and even joyful. Sometimes I am sad or even depressed. But through all of that, I am bascially content.

The joy of walking with Jesus is always ours. The world can't take that away from us. It can do things that make us feel sad for a moment but then God's joy breaks through.

Quilly: It sure makes life a lot easier.

Thom: I love that song (and the video-fantastic). I might have to go look for it. :)

Dianne: I guess I bought into that "power of positive thinking" thing a little bit.

Nessa: Well, that makes me feel a lot better. It did come down to a difference in definitions. :)

Fandango: Amen! And it's gonna break through like nobody's business in a few days. ;)

I've been able to train myself to see the positive in a situation, even when I think the situation is the suckiest. I don't know if that means I've found my perpetual state of happiness, but I guess I'm reasonably content.

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