Man's Search for Happiness

Most people (99.9 %) are walking around in a hypnotized state. They have convinced themselves or been convinced by others that the world is a certain way. People have decided to feel the way they feel based on their interpretation of external circumstances. I know religious people that are miserable and religious people that are very happy or joy filled. The main difference with these people is that one person has made the decision to be happy and the other is waiting for external circumstances to make them happy.

I talk to some people about their ailments and most, if not all of their chronic conditions seem to have a psychological basis. If I try to tell them this they insist that their ailment has a physical basis and not a psychological one. It is very difficult to help people that don't want to be helped or cannot see it is their thoughts that are causing their illness.

This is also reflected in their external experiences. People who see the world as a survival game and that hard work is the necessity to survive are doing their daily drudgery—with an occasional bright spot that doesn't involve work. Granted there are legitimate stresses in the world, but they come and go pretty quickly most of the time. The real problem is people are walking around in a constant state of apprehension or anxiety because of what might happen or what has happened in the past. Eckhart Tolle illustrates this very well in his books that describe the ego identity.

Chronic anxiety seems to be the main problem. I understand this because I too have gone through this chronic anxiety phase. I didn't know it at the time because everyone I knew was also in this chronic anxiety. It is hard to recognize an illness when everyone has it. It becomes normal.

This chronic anxiety creates health problems and creates an external reality that is less than what is wished for by most individuals. We are constrained by "what is possible" constantly being told to grow up and face the reality of the hardness of life. Yes, life can be hard, but “hard” is relative. My life is pretty damn easy compared to someone being in a prison camp. But, even there you can be happy or at least have some semblance of joy. Viktor Frankl writes about this in his popular book “Man’s Search for Meaning”. I highly recommend this book if you feel like you are suffering in life.

---

Thanks for up-voting, following and re-steeming.