Crosspost "Why Every Philosophy Chooses Meaning Over Happiness" from /r/FriendlyTitan:

The pursuit of happiness is an inalienable right.

If you’re not smiling people ask “are you okay?”

People don’t want “sad vibes” when you hang out.

There is almost a cultural fear of sadness. People run from it, they try to drown it with sugar or alcohol, or watch Netflix until it goes away. From birth we have almost been instilled with the notion that sadness is “bad” and we should always try to be happy.

But it’s undeniable that you need sadness in order to be happy. Happiness is a relative indicator of the emotions you were feeling before. If you were sad and no longer feel sad, you feel happier. If you are “happy” then you need even more happiness in order to stay happy. And biologically, it’s just not sustainable for even an hour. Think about the last time you’ve been ecstatic for a full hour. Not common at all right? Maybe it involved drugs or other superstimuli. Of course you can have an extreme state of happiness without drugs, but undoubtedly they “synthesize happiness.”

But your baseline level of happiness cannot be changed. We cited the study of paraplegics and lottery winners before, where two months after they measured to be the same level of happiness as each other.

Doesn’t that make chasing happiness futile? A waste of our life? Take for example consumerism. Buying a nice car and house seems to be the “formula of what makes a good life” but technically we will be just as happy then as we are now.

So why do we doggedly chase money? Is it to tell ourselves that we have improved in status over our career? How meaningful is that when we hate working? This feels no different that people who play video games not because they enjoy it (it’s the same old repetitive button presses over and over again) but because they enjoy “hitting milestones” in terms of levels or “rare items.”

But what if we could actually enjoy “working?” What if we could enjoy every moment of pursuing a goal?

There has been a much ignored biological mechanic in modern times. It’s focus. When we are pursuing a task that is challenging enough and for a bigger, meaningful purpose, we are able to savor the moment. We can ignore the uncertainties of the future as well as the failures of the past.

Not until long ago, “focus” was easy to achieve and this was how many people lived a meaningful life. But now in today’s world where we preach happiness and distractions over all else, focusing on the present moment has been thrown aside. But when we are in the moment, we can accept the sadness without being consumed by it.

Every person has different circumstances, but I promise that every person could change their lives to include more of this flowing state of focus, and lead a fulfilled life.

-Friendly Titan

Posted by AFriendlyTitan | 6 March 2021 | Link