Let the soul travel - N key questions that life should contemplate and treat kindly: N key questions that life should contemplate and treat kindly

Author: Locke
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Chapter 6 - Live Well, Sow Happiness
Happiness is not innate; it requires active pursuit. Happiness gained through effort is like a "fruit" that is "sown," akin to the saying "plant beans to get beans, plant melons to get melons." If you want a happier life, be patient with yourself! Happiness favors those who are patient with life.
A group of young people went searching for happiness but encountered many troubles, worries, and pains. They asked Socrates where happiness truly lies. Socrates replied, "First, help me build a boat." The young men temporarily set aside their search for happiness and gathered tools to build a boat. After 49 days of felling a tall, large tree, hollowing out its core, and crafting a log canoe, they launched it. They invited Socrates aboard, rowed together, and sang in harmony. Socrates asked, "Children, are you happy?" They all replied, "Extremely happy!" Socrates said, "Happiness is like this—it often arrives suddenly when you are busy pursuing a clear purpose and have no time for anything else."
(Ordinary People) What is happiness? Men say happiness is gathering with close friends, drinking large bowls of wine, eating big pieces of meat, telling loud jokes, and laughing heartily. Women say happiness is spending time with confidante sisters, shopping in constantly discounted malls, sharing stories about their neighbors, and being called "little sister" on the street while their companions are called "auntie." This is happiness. Or, in women's eyes, men's happiness is vulgar, and in men's eyes, women's happiness is utterly baffling. Thus, happiness is subjective. In this world, there is no absolute happiness, nor is there absolute unhappiness. However, one thing is certain: happiness must be created by oneself. It cannot be given by others or bought with money; it is experienced through heartfelt love for life and cherishing life. If happiness depends on others, that is your tragedy.
I once read a book about a naturally happy child and a naturally unhappy child, whose attitudes toward life were vastly different. The naturally happy child saw a pile of horse manure in their bedroom and excitedly ran to their father, saying, "Dad, Dad, great! There's horse manure in my bedroom—there must be foals nearby! Let's catch one to ride!" The naturally unhappy child saw a pile of new toys in their bedroom but frowned, showing no trace of happiness. When their father asked why they were upset, they replied, "There are so many beautiful toys, I worry someone will steal them." Clearly, happiness and unhappiness depend on your attitude toward life. Optimism is maintaining a positive outlook even in the face of difficulties, leading to happiness in everything. Pessimism is imagining problems even when things are going well, resulting in constant unhappiness. This is the fundamental difference between happiness and unhappiness.
There is a philosophical joke...