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Oftencold explains it all for you: Happiness

A better measure to attain a state of feeling good, is to accept a state of being content. Specifically, a state of emptiness is most beneficial to attain a state of being content. Empty of desire, empty of emotion, empty of excess possessions (stuff if you will).
Being content, that makes sense. But a state of emptiness seems like being dead. At least to me personally, I used to seek emptiness but now its more like, seek contentment and fulfillment in simple things. Desire is normal for human beings, it leads us to taking action. But keeping it limited, mind you. Find joy in simplicity. Plenty of time to be empty of desire and emotion, in the grave. That's just my view, of course!
 
Being content, that makes sense. But a state of emptiness seems like being dead. At least to me personally, I used to seek emptiness but now its more like, seek contentment and fulfillment in simple things. Desire is normal for human beings, it leads us to taking action. But keeping it limited, mind you. Find joy in simplicity. Plenty of time to be empty of desire and emotion, in the grave. That's just my view, of course!

ThTs one of those things about Buddhism that turned me off. What's the point of living if you can't live? I want experience, passion, gain, loss, lessons, and joy. If that's what binds me to this mortal coil, then good!
 
Being content, that makes sense. But a state of emptiness seems like being dead. At least to me personally, I used to seek emptiness but now its more like, seek contentment and fulfillment in simple things. Desire is normal for human beings, it leads us to taking action. But keeping it limited, mind you. Find joy in simplicity. Plenty of time to be empty of desire and emotion, in the grave. That's just my view, of course!

I believe the Daoist would describe this emptiness not as an absolute suppression of these things, but rather striving to experience life on par with that of a baby which is to say instead of experiencing life with all of the baggage we have fill ourselves up with throughout the years, we need to empty that which we have filled and experience life in an ever empty (or perhaps new) state.
 
ThTs one of those things about Buddhism that turned me off. What's the point of living if you can't live? I want experience, passion, gain, loss, lessons, and joy. If that's what binds me to this mortal coil, then good!

Please see my response. I believe it may shine some light on it.
 
Please see my response. I believe it may shine some light on it.

Oh I can appreciate that then. I have had to lose more baggage than a major airline in my lifetime
 
Oh I can appreciate that then. I have had to lose more baggage than a major airline in my lifetime
I understand it, but I can't let it go. In fact it's all part of what makes me who I am today. I'll take my baggage as carry-on
 
I understand it, but I can't let it go. in fact it's all part of what makes me who I am today. I'll take my baggage as carry-on.

My baggage reduced my quality of life so I resolved it. It took me a few years to get over some of it.

But now that I did, it's great because I still retain the lessons but in resolving them I learned new lessons and now I am better at life and am a happy dude

But nothing was lost. I gained the benefit of learning at both sides of the various issues
 
I understand it, but I can't let it go. In fact it's all part of what makes me who I am today. I'll take my baggage as carry-on

That's similar to the way I see it. The baggage serves a good purpose, if you don't make it the entirety of what you are. I used to have some serious regrets for decisions I had made at various times in my life, and I struggled with them pretty fiercely, until I realized that without them, I would not be who I am today.
 
Life becomes more bearable and one typically becomes more productive in proportion to how much one devalues person happiness and accepts unhappiness as a natural and harmless state.

(This sad, but natural, and a mindset that our ancestors from the Colonial Period through the Mid Nineteenth Century would have taken for granted.)
Not that they were happy, mind you. Merely resigned.

Productivity stems from a synergistic process of acknowledgement, feedback and attainment of objectives. Feudal peasants were doubtless productive, though I'd wager there was precious little happiness in their lives.
 
I disagree strongly with this simplistic deconstruction of what is a legitimate field of inquiry, the philosophy of happiness.

I tend to agree with Socrates' advice to find truth; find your own way of truth. If that means living in accordance with the cardinal values, or living as a stoic, or whatever you feel is appropriate.

Happiness is about being.
That's fine and dandy right up to the point where it allows for happiness at the expense of others.
 
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