Is happiness a feeling you pursue?
Life goes by quickly. We have already lost our power to control our thoughts during this process, but we can get it back. If only briefly, can you recall a moment when you were in total control of your thoughts?
Can you choose where and for how long you can concentrate? In fact, when we first begin to practise mindfulness and meditation, they are the first questions that catch our attention.
The odd thing is that everyone in our immediate vicinity suffers from this thinking control issue, but because everyone does, it has become accepted!
We cannot stop the division and multiplication of our thoughts. Separated thoughts based on 'what I have done' and 'what I shall do' on the axis of the past and future prevent us from experiencing the joy and reality of the present.
The mind, which is adept at accepting negative ideas and interpreting them as true, concentrates on flaws rather than joy. We consequently always fantasise about different things at work, during supper, and at bed.
Though our minds are constantly searching for something better, we have a tendency to seek to imagined happiness in the future for answers to the problems of the past. We experience issues like tension, worry, anxiety, and sleeplessness as a result.
'Now' is only a step towards the future in this cycle, and bliss comes at some point later.
But life is happening now. This very now is the only true moment. This is the best time there has ever been, and never will be. We can become aware of ourselves and our environment in the present moment by setting aside time for awareness exercises and meditation.
By concentrating on our thoughts, emotions, and sensations, we can cultivate self-awareness.
We learn to build delight from this process, grow into people who appreciate the beauty of the present, and live the future with the correct plans—not dreams—even though the journey might be difficult at times.
The past and the future cease to exist when it comes to the present. Enjoying the moment allows you to let go of regrets from the past and stops thoughts of happiness from the future. Happiness in life is found in the present, not in the future.
So, is it wrong for us to dream at all and to consider the past and future?
Man advances through thought. He observes the past, takes notes, plans the future, and executes it. Without dreaming, we cannot get there, and for most actions, dreaming is the initial step.
However, we run the risk of entering a state of perpetual pain if we begin to search for happiness in fantasies, fail to recognise our current circumstances, and hunt for enjoyment in other actions.
A person who is unaware of his own life, who does not know what he should be content with or what he actually needs to alter, only vacillates between regrets and make-believe notions for the future.