Why should one work to be happy later or be happy in the process of working?
Neither.
Work can be boring, interesting, exciting, enduring, satisfying, focusing etc. But it does not produce happiness. Happiness is a response to an event, through release of dopamine and serotonin and not a prolonged state of body or mind, as is philosophically stated. Most since Aristotle, then Nietzsche and many more went at length to define happiness as life satisfaction or other such prolonged positive emotional states, because scientific understanding of the phenomena was absent. Some event in the process of working - a success, a funny recall etc. could make one happy, but not the work itself.
If happiness (or joy, a state of positive elation) is a momentary mental response to a circumstance, it is useless planning. One can therefore, work to be rich or self-sufficient or an expert, but not to be happy. Training for happiness still could be an option (one might train his brain to release dopamine at will or on consumption of medication), but not planning. Planning or working hard for happiness is man's greatest folly!
Those naturally attuned to happiness, seek high density experiences (larger no. of varied experiences per unit time). The probability of positive experiences (commonly positive, or aesthetically positive, or positive for most) in specific type of ambience is pre-defined. Therefore, to raise the absolute number of happy moments, happiness seeking people compact large (higher) number of experiences within a unit of time, than those who are not happiness seekers. Yes! That all people are happiness seekers is a wrong assumption all together. People seek tickling of those parts of brains that excite them and these are not essentially the happiness ones. There is a huge number of people, who are happy being unhappy!
Back to happiness seekers - High density of experiences (large no. of experiences per unit time duration) requires very quick switch over from one experience to another. Therefore, such people are often felt to be inordinate, moody, fast-flipping, whimsical, emotionally intense and often - happy for small things that might not provide any happiness to others with similar experience. Such 'bubbly' female characters are often showcased in movies.
Indeed, greatest works of mankind (done by geniuses) are painful at the least and tragic or even fatal at the most. Think of Van Gogh, Espinoza, Sachin Tendulkar etc. they paid themselves for their works in pain, loss & sometimes in tragedy. Such works of geniuses are modes of self-expression. They are as natural as bearing a child - which irrespective of the pain in the process, happens nonetheless.
Neither.
Work can be boring, interesting, exciting, enduring, satisfying, focusing etc. But it does not produce happiness. Happiness is a response to an event, through release of dopamine and serotonin and not a prolonged state of body or mind, as is philosophically stated. Most since Aristotle, then Nietzsche and many more went at length to define happiness as life satisfaction or other such prolonged positive emotional states, because scientific understanding of the phenomena was absent. Some event in the process of working - a success, a funny recall etc. could make one happy, but not the work itself.
If happiness (or joy, a state of positive elation) is a momentary mental response to a circumstance, it is useless planning. One can therefore, work to be rich or self-sufficient or an expert, but not to be happy. Training for happiness still could be an option (one might train his brain to release dopamine at will or on consumption of medication), but not planning. Planning or working hard for happiness is man's greatest folly!
Those naturally attuned to happiness, seek high density experiences (larger no. of varied experiences per unit time). The probability of positive experiences (commonly positive, or aesthetically positive, or positive for most) in specific type of ambience is pre-defined. Therefore, to raise the absolute number of happy moments, happiness seeking people compact large (higher) number of experiences within a unit of time, than those who are not happiness seekers. Yes! That all people are happiness seekers is a wrong assumption all together. People seek tickling of those parts of brains that excite them and these are not essentially the happiness ones. There is a huge number of people, who are happy being unhappy!
Back to happiness seekers - High density of experiences (large no. of experiences per unit time duration) requires very quick switch over from one experience to another. Therefore, such people are often felt to be inordinate, moody, fast-flipping, whimsical, emotionally intense and often - happy for small things that might not provide any happiness to others with similar experience. Such 'bubbly' female characters are often showcased in movies.
Indeed, greatest works of mankind (done by geniuses) are painful at the least and tragic or even fatal at the most. Think of Van Gogh, Espinoza, Sachin Tendulkar etc. they paid themselves for their works in pain, loss & sometimes in tragedy. Such works of geniuses are modes of self-expression. They are as natural as bearing a child - which irrespective of the pain in the process, happens nonetheless.
Happiness means being FULLY aware of the positive nature of a situation. It requires OPENNESS to all creatures and phenomena great and small.
ReplyDeleteTom, I endorse your view at large. But the awareness of positivity - what comprises positivity is subjective and ruled by how a human is congenially made. The moot point I wabted to make is happiness is in the process, it isn't a result that one can plan and achieve.
ReplyDelete