My paper on happiness

[jilola]

Pretty good.
I think the following quote sums up the problem with happiness.

quote:For a lot of people life is an endless quest in search of happiness. Even when happiness is found, it appears to be very fragile and can disappear in an instant.

We are conditioned from birth to seek out happiness at all costs. We live our lives in our memories of yesterday and in fear of tomorrow.

Instead we should stop and live in the now because it's the only real moment. When one stops running after happiness it'll come naturally.

2cents & L&L
Jouni

[lullabi]

I think it's really good []

[MAYATNIK]

Hello Everyone,

I came to this this thread, by invitation of TONY M, who asked me in the Prophecy and Divination section: You seem like a smart and educated person and that's why I'd like you to read my paper on happiness and comment about it. so here I am, and I've just read your paper Tony.

First of all, may I comment that the phrse "smart and educatied" person is a matter of individual perception and often based on conditioning.  Perception, on the one hand, determines how a person sees things in the world, and this 'insight' is derived from our intuition.  Sadly, there is often a 'filter', a colouration, that is between the person and what they are viewing – and that 'filter' is the imposed conditioning of our present day society, as well as the influence exerted by family, friends and colleagues/teachers in the environmental 'soup' we swim in called societal norms.  Thus, our perception of 'Happiness' is also a factor of this, and desires to be part of that society make people prey to the onslaught of subltle media exhortations for us to conform to the latest trend of thought, whether it be scientific, soial activity or just in how we view our homes and even ourselves.  There is the ever pervasive implication that we are not achieving, not part of, unless we do this or that – and the end-result is a onstant striving beyond our means to acquire knowledge, possessions and status in society..... to the extent that the individual cannot express himself in his uniueness unless he uses that whih the mainstream of society extols; and that is a paradox, but the reality of the present situation in the glabal environment of economics where people are driven like sheep to feed the machine.  And, of course, discontent and unhappiness are not just a phenomena of modern times – although today's technological race has exponentiated the quest for more of what is seen to be lacking in a person's life.  As long as there have been leaders who, for their own ends, have used  their subjects as part of their power-play the seeds of discontent have been sown and happiness has often seemed elusive with the carrot of comparison being dangled by leaders and the 'establishment', as to where the grass may be greener in one's aspirations and struggle.

Struggle and hard work do not in themselves diminish happiness – in fact, in Chinese Philosophy (and in my own experience also) these these two things bring longevity and great happiness just in the doing, just in the being of oneself, without thought of status or recompense.  It is those external notions of 'society' about status and recompense that introduce the discontentment factor by the subtle programming that says one should strive to ahieve in competition against others to secure your own little bit of heaven – but, sadly, when you 'get there' you find that money cannot buy happiness at any price, nor can status.

Happiness comes, therefore, from within and is not dependent on external factors.  It is not just a state of mind,  it is a state of being.  And the poorest person in the remotest outback can (and often is) the happiest when compared with those in our First World economic society with all its glitz and apparent prosperity and amenities.   I quote here from Tony's Paper in the above post on this: "research done by psychologist Martin Seligman: "external factors only have an 8 to 15% influence on our experience of happiness"  I would go further than that, and say that for most people – if they have the perception to discern their true individuality – then there is only a tiny percentage influence in how we experience happiness   For a few, I would even say that there is zero influence in the state of happiness that can be achieved by a person.   Happiness is a state of contentment and vision.  Even a person deprived of freedom, suh as Nelson Mandela, for many years can be happy and contented just in 'being' for that while in the greater scheme of things spiritually.   For each the time will come for what they are meant to do and to experience.  There are lessons  for each person and for those who interact with them – lessons in unselfishness, lack of prejudgement or prejudice, not seeking vengeance or retribution, and other things that are part of the attribute called happiness.

Can this state of happiness be really constant?   Again, I quote from Tony, who states the normal perception: "When you don't experience a feeling of happiness every day, doesn't this mean that you are unhappy? This because you know you are missing something and you don't know   how to obtain it"   This begs the question – What is a 'feeling of happiness' to an individual?  It is clearly subjective, and also covers a great range... from 'quietly happy' to eurphoria, and also depends on the person's 'threshold' of happiness perception, in the same way as the threshold of pain, in which paradoxically there can also be great happiness, as in child-birth and many other things that come into our experience.  As for "missing something", here again is something that can awaken the discontentment factor.... But the "not knowing how to obtain it" can also be a negative beause it can cause impatience and therefore discontent can rear its head increasing the feeling of unhappiness.

Tony writes:
in our society we are brought up with the idea that we should ignore our feelings and should only listen to our reasoning mind. This when our subconscious made us happy when we were a baby. And isn't this the same with a lot of mentally challenged people who seem to enjoy life much more than normal people, as long as they are not confronted with their fears? Fear is the biggest enemy of happiness
The cult of the Rational is endemic in modern society.  It is what I refer to in my channeled article in the Communications section as 'linear' thinking – that state where the 'reasoning mind' is applied step-by-step to eah thing encountered, and ways then sought to 'get round' problems.  It is a narrow-vision process, not far removed from how a blind man might tap with his cane what lies immediately ahead.   Except that a blind man rarely just taps ahead in such a linear fashion.  I am Registered Blind, fully trained in Braille reading and long-cane technique, so I know.   When external distracting influences are removed, then a person can use their 'inner vision' with clarity; it is as if that inner vision is blinded in the sighted person by the dazzle of what is around him.  So, all my life I have been 'missing' (?) the vision that sighted people have, but have been able to use and gain added perception with my inner-vision.  At no time have I felt I was missing something – in fact, on the contrary, I have gained so very much by this.   I was not able to read and study what others ould do so easily, so I became clairvoyant... seeing what they could not see in their inner-blindness.

I was always poor, and my childhood memories are of presents at Christmas that comprised an apple, an orange, a block of chocolate and one simple toy (often home-made) for me.  Even when I got married the next thirty years of our marriage was devoted to ensuring that our two boys had the necessary basics of heat in the house, warm bedding and good basic home-made food to sustain them – along with Love from us that was not mollycoddling or limiting their free-expression.  So, we were always happy every day, even in times of trouble.  And trouble was a frequent visitor.

In 1969, just four years after we had got married, my career in Management was splattered to the winds of Fate, and the rest of my working life was spent trying to get small jobs in Management positions or anything that would pay the mortgage and feed the children.  Because in 1969 my hip was smashed by a speeding driver as I was crossing the road, and I was to spend the rest of my working days and beyond on two crutches in often intense pain that the strongest pain killers could not relieve.  Yet, I was happy – because I had found the meaning of life... which was to experience things and learn.  And in that learning I discovered humility, and much wisdom came along that road as I observed those around me.  I learned compassion and great patience.  Ten years before my wife died I had a dream which foretold in great detail that she would die ten years hence.  We had always been soul-mates and I had that cross to bear, to know that this would happen and not be able to tell her.  So, instead, I made plans to take her to the countryside and she spent then the last 8 years of her life there in the beautiful and simple-living natural surroundings of what was called 'Gods County' amid the sheep bedecked fields and hills that had a magnetism that we never wanted to leave.  "This is my Heaven.  I shall stay here until I die", she said.   And she did, in 1995, just as foretold in that dream in every detail as it unfolded to my eyes.  Yes, I was heartbroken.  But, I was happy because we had lived our lives to be individual.  We had lived through all those rich experiences that so many do not have, and what all those things had taught us was the lessons we had to learn.   So, with every pain and every hardship came increasing joy for us that we were given those things by God in His Wisdom.  I thank God for all those precioius gifts that money cannot buy, the rich experiences of life as they unfolded.   And, more was to come, in those gifts.....

In the list very few minutes of my wife's life, she had a Near Death Experience.  Normally a person recounts that when they come back and recover.  But this was not to happen in the case of my wife, so I was allowed to witness that NDE, and she relayed everything that was being told to her that I should know as she stoold on the Bridge Of No Return that morning.   I was given a long message, relayed to me by my wife just before she collapsed and never regained consciousness..... and that fateful day was to be the start of a brand new life for me.  A new life in which I suddenly from that time received great psychic ability and Telepathy.   I had always, up to then and even from the age of 7 and younger been able to do effortlessly what is called on this site 'Astral Projection' and Remote Viewing, though until my wife's death I had simply done it (and didn't even have a name for it, since I'd never taken any interest in in whether others might be able to do those things).  Then, in 1995, I gained the gift of Telepathy with a guide I suddenly found I had – and I proceeded to have long conversations with her and learn many many things that I had never known - even things that were not in books or what books had got wrong as I was to discover later when my guide, Karek, directed me to bookshelves that contained the very things she had been telling me about in so much detail prior to me ever seeing it in print or even knowing that people had written about such things.  I did not know even what a 'Channeler' was, but I was soon to become one.  And so, along then starting to bea Healer (A Reiki Master) I also did Metaphysical Counselling giving advice from my guide who was always present at all times when I was awake, and started to channel her words when she asked me to write on various spiritual websites; and so it was, that I arrived here on the Astral Pulse on 15th June last year to channel about the Pendulum which I had been teaching the advanced divination use of before according to her wishes and instructions, and then to teach telepathic communication with guides that were assigned to others who would become channelers – Edi and Fuzziwig, who now have their own regular threads in the Communications section channeling their Pleiadian guides.  My guide is a Pleiadian Being Of Light also, and we are able to contact through our respective guides other Higher Species in the galaxy – the Zeta and the Reptilians, who are currently answering members questions in the Communications section here on the Astral Pulse.

If what I have just said seems incredible to you, not believable, then think how I felt when it happened to me.  My first few months were spent having many conversations with the Zeta, back in 1995.  I didn't know them as the Zeta then, and had never heard of the Zeta Talk website.  I was a practical, down-to-earth person who simply lived a simple life.  But it happened to me.   And, although I approached it with many questions of them and my guide before I understood the Bigger Picture, I kept at all times a positive and open mind to explore the Unknown without fear.  Fear is what holds people back, negativity keeps the door closed to what can be learned, and discontentment festers keeping true happiness and contentment out of reach.  So, I was happy with whatever came along for me to experience.

Experiences bring the potential for change.  And some experiences are dramatic, from which we are never the same again.  Embrace all experiences with an open heart and you will receive their full potential.  It is not in the obvious that we learn, but in many subtle ways that are part of what is provided for us.  There is no such thing as 'random'; all is order and planned.  A person who wins the lottery will do so because it was meant to be, for them to learn something by that.  And some will never win a large amount of money, because they have other lessons to learn.  Look not to the obvious, for nothing is the way it seems.  My wife, the night before she was to die, said these words to me, out of the blue:  "Whatever the future may SEEM to hold, now is all that matters".   Live for today, because for some tomorrow will never come.  And cherish each precious moment for what experience it brings; then you will never be unhappy.

I have lived my life with love in my heart, even when people have tried to hurt me and on several occasions even tried to take my life away.  Now I know Happiness for which there are no words to explain to you how I feel, except to say that I have Utter Contentment with what God has given me and I do what I am asked to do by my guide to help others.  Soon I shall leave you, my job nearly finished at the Astral Pulse, and I go on to the next stage "of what there is yet to do" as my wife relayed to me.

Soon will come the Pole Shift.  No date will be given for this, and there is no need because there will be adequate signs.  Prepare in your own time, and have no fear because all will be made right.  Look with the wide-open eyes of a child, to learn all you can at this time.  Read and discuss.  This is no longer a time for 'blind-belief' in what others have conditioned you to.  Look within, use common sense and intuition regarding what you see – and in that way shed the conditioning and dispel the darkness and shadows of ignorance and go forward into the Light.  Because, in the Light there is True Happiness and Love.   And, in the end, Love is ALL that matters.

These things I have been asked by my guide to write.

With Pleiadian Love and Light,
MAYATNIK

[Tony M.]

Thanks for that reply Mayatnik. Something I do have to mention when it comes to my paper, it had to fit my story on one paper, size A4. This didn't leave much room to really discuss everything I wanted to discuss.

And I liked reading your reply, but keep it short next time.. I don't want you to steal my thunder, hehe.

[MAYATNIK]

TONY M,

You wrote an excellent paper, and espeially so since it had to fit on a single A4 sheet.  But doesn't that point to the inadequacy of expression allowed in the education system, where your view must conform, watered down, to the framework of the corriculum.

Here there is no restriction to length, apart from some who would wish it shorter to have less to read; yet, in the end, even for them the thread becomes long as questions are raised to fill in what has been missed out.  So, I presented my reply to cover my perspective - it is then up to members to debate.  I am an individual, so I did it my way.  I look forward to you (and others) writing more on this - but my further replies will be shorter if so, because itis your turn now to add in discussion to what has been written.  Nothing is ever comlete, and what I wrote could have been shorter - but I said what had to be said at this time, and I didn't want it to be misunderstood because misconception is the main problem in the world today and the cause of so much unhappiness.

Let your thunder roll, and in that we shall come to the rainbow and and freshness in the air.

With Pleiadian Love and Light,
MAYATNIK.

[Tayesin]

Hi Tony.
You did very well to simplify the struggle between searching outside versus inside, and to do so on one A4 sheet.  Jilolla added an important factor, the being in the now versus the being in the thoughts/other stuff.   Each is completely relevant to a discussion of happiness.  

I would add that each would seem like steps in the path to knowing happiness.  Another relevant step would be to Flow with life instead of struggle against it, which while it may seem at first like being in the now, it is really something more.   In the now may be more about maintaining awareness in the moment to see what is there, while Flowing is about accepting what is there and going with it as a choice.  If we expand this whole thing we may see that each moment is a choice about being happy or not.   Choosing to arouse the feeling inside us and express it as we move in the moment or not to.  

We each know what happiness feels like, we can each remember it and then re-feel it in the memory, so it must exist within us as a reality.  Perhaps the searching for happiness may come full circle when we realize that we can choose to be happy at any moment.

Love Always, Tayesin[]

[Tony M.]

Yeah, I know Yilola was right. It was something I wanted to mention as well. I think I just scratched the surface on the "living now" part. It's also what I was aiming for by mentioning the mentally disabled. I had liked to discuss it, but he, the school system's a grump sometimes. In fact this A4-thing annoyed me so much, I didn't really put much effort in my second assignment: "what is intelligence".

And when you read what I said about the mentally disabled, I said "a lot of" mentally disabled people. I had to say a lot of because I couldn't explain myself any better with the limited space I had.

In the end I still was pretty happy with the end result of my paper.
I would also like to thank you guys for replying.

Hasta luego.

[Arcane]

well i couldnt be bothered to read all of that, but doesnt it all just depend on your individual thoughts about the concept of hapiness. What makes you happy?

[Tony M.]

Well, to a certain degree I think. In the end, true happiness can only be found inside yourself.

[Thing]

tony m.: and prozac is only a placebo effect?

mayatnik: if you are so powerful, mighty, know so much, can you please tell me what to know, read, see, study? for example books, artists, websites, etc. could you tell me wich one's say the truth and are good? thank you.

[Tony M.]

No, prozac is a material thing and those things won't give you true lasting happiness like I said.

[Thing]

okay, so prozac doesn't work. hehe, my friend... i have everything i want, i do what i want... yes it makes me feel good, maybe not happy. but im a happy person, maybe its an illusion.
there are three things:

happiness
pleasure
well being

maybe i should say something more, but you are the one who has to do the work.

[Tony M.]

The work has already been done my friend. And maybe you disagree with things I said, but you can't deny the fact that I always tell the truth, even when I lie!

[JoWo]

Happiness is a state of joyous harmony with your inner self and with the outer world.  Quantum metaphysics as well as messages from enlightened sources tell us that your inner mindset determines your relationship with the outer world.  Therefore, your happiness depends only on your inner mindset, on how you think and what you believe, because a happy inner state will automatically make you happy with the world around you.  In other words, if you are unhappy, then you can be sure that you have some inner conflict that causes your unhappiness.  The good news is that we all have the power to remove such inner conflicts.  The only problem is that many don't know how to do this.  

An excellent description of how to eliminate inner conflicts can be found in Jane Roberts' channeled Seth book, "The Nature of Personal Reality: Specific Practical Techniques for Solving Everyday Problems and Enriching the Life You Know."  In my book, "Understanding the Grand Design: Spiritual's Inner Logic", I summarized Seth's recipe as follows:

"Seth recommends the following procedure to create a mindset for the reality you want.  It is a four-step process.

Step 1:  Write down all your beliefs.  A belief is simply an opinion about what is true or not.  It may or may not have anything to do with religion.  For instance, what is your opinion of yourself?  Do you believe that you are inferior, equal, or superior to others?  Do you believe that life is complicated or a joyful experience?  Do you worry about the future or about what you should have done differently in the past?  The more you write down, the more easily you'll remember other beliefs that dwell in your mind.  This method applies not only to beliefs that may have an undesirable effect on your life.  The object is to become conscious of all personal beliefs, positive and negative.  You should not make this a labored effort, rather be relaxed but persistent.  Hold any thoughts that arise to the surface of your mind.  Also write down thoughts that you may consider objectionable.  They could block access to other ideas that are perfectly legitimate and are waiting to be addressed.  
Notice that some beliefs belong together, they are variations on a main theme.  Try to formulate this underlying theme in one concise sentence.  Seth calls such main themes "core beliefs."  They are significant beliefs that spawn secondary sub-beliefs, like parts of a holon.  For example, you may believe that you do not look good, are too fat, have no friends, are not intelligent enough, etc.  The core belief in this case is that you are inferior to others.  In other words you have low self-esteem.  Self-deprecation is a false belief, because your true immanent nature is glamorous indeed, since you are an aspect of All-Entity.  

"Identifying core beliefs is important.  If these beliefs don't serve you and are then corrected, all their sub-beliefs come tumbling down, freeing you in one fell swoop from a host of limitations.  Make sure, however, that you do not pursue a campaign of finding out "what is wrong with you."  If you presume that something is wrong with you, then you will create exactly that: something wrong with you.  We create what we believe.  The more we search for problems, the more we will find them.  I did this, and it wasn't much fun.  The correct approach is to be relaxed, neutral and forgiving.  It works like brainstorming.  First you create a list of beliefs without judging them.  After that you examine them.

"Some beliefs may seem so self-evident that you do not even think of them.  You consider them as obvious truths and do not realize that they are only your beliefs about truths.  For instance, you may be habitually worried about something going wrong, believing that this is just how life is.  Yes, things will go wrong for you, so you will feel justified in your habit of worrying.  However this is not because life is intrinsically worrisome, but because your belief creates those worrisome occasions.  Most of them are probably harmless events that you consider worrisome because of your bias.  It's a vicious cycle.  Seth calls such beliefs "invisible beliefs."  You might think that they are so deeply seated that you cannot reach them.  Actually, these invisible beliefs are on the surface and so pervasive that you do not notice them.  They are too obvious to register.  It's like searching for your eyeglasses while you are wearing them.
In another case, you might take it for granted that people cannot be trusted.  You will find countless episodes that substantiate your belief and you will ignore or not recognize those that demonstrate trustworthiness.  Your distrust will be continually justified and reinforced.  It never occurs to you that it is your belief that causes you to experience mistrust.  You mistake your belief for truth, and this renders your belief invisible to you.

"Step 2:  Once you have developed your list of beliefs, examine each one to see whether it is still correct.  Ask yourself: would I agree with someone who expressed such a belief?  Usually, some beliefs will need to be corrected.  Either they are outright incorrect, or more often, they do not apply to all circumstances.  For instance, if you believe that it is always right to be nice to others, your belief will work quite well, except when you are physically or emotionally attacked.  You may want to modify your belief for such situations.  Many beliefs are carried over from childhood.  You accepted them because you had to.  Now, as a mature person, you must make up your own mind.  Some people may be surprised at how many conflicting ideas they carry with them, causing unnecessarily suffering.  Our feelings and emotions are products of our beliefs, and we control them through the beliefs we choose.

"Step 3:  After having identified the false beliefs, you are now able to correct them as appropriate, one by one.  This takes some thought, but it is well worth the effort.  It's helpful to talk about this with a trusted friend.  Write down the new, corrected belief in one single, concise sentence, as clearly as possible, without ambiguity.  This statement must be positive.  For instance, you should say, "I am perfectly healthy" instead of, "I am not sick any more."   Another important point to remember is to speak in the present tense.  Do not say, "I will be healthy," instead say, "I am healthy."  Only the present is real.  If you say, "I will be healthy," you imply that you are not healthy now and that you do not believe that you are healthy.  This belief then creates your reality.  The driving thought behind your statement is what counts.  This example given to promote health is effective only if you first remove any beliefs, opinions or attitudes that may upset your mental and spiritual harmony.  In other words, eliminate the beliefs that caused the illness to begin with, such as self-recrimination, resentment, or conflicting goals.

"Step 4:  After you are satisfied with your new belief statement, implant it in your mind so that it becomes second nature.  Just settling on a new belief statement is not enough.  It must be firmly imbedded in the psyche to wipe out the old belief.  Only then will you live by the new belief intuitively.  Only then has your mindset changed enough to attract the new reality.  This is similar to learning a poem that you remember for the rest of your life.  Seth describes how to do this with autosuggestion.  Reserve a quiet period every day, preferably in the morning, when your mind is rested and clear.  During this time, focus on your new belief and repeat your new statement for five to ten minutes, aloud if possible.  Picture yourself acting according to your new belief.
Eventually you will sense that "you got it," and you can proceed in assimilating  another revised belief.  Experiment with how many of these autosuggestions you can handle comfortably in one session.   With time, you will act according to the new belief, first by reminding yourself, later intuitively.  You have changed your mindset by holding different beliefs.  As a result, you attract events that correspond to your intentions.  They will fall into place naturally."

[Thing]

huh, i hope that works...

[JoWo]

It works.  I have done it for about 10 years.  Now I don't need it any more because I am happy now [].

[Tony M.]

Had to choose a subject to write about for a school assignment and I like to know what you guys think of it.

Happiness

Being happy is the most universal goal in life. Everyone wants to be happy. The goal of mankind can not be to feel unhappy because then extinction would be the solution. Still there are people in the world that are not happy, even in the western world, where for most of the people primary living conditions are at a high standard. For a lot of people life is an endless quest in search of happiness. Even when happiness is found, it appears to be very fragile and can disappear in an instant.

I myself have also always searched for happiness. Not that I was unhappy, but when you don't experience a feeling of happiness every day, doesn't this mean that you are unhappy? This because you know you are missing something and you don't know how to obtain it. Often people think they know how to become happy. Happiness is then linked with material things like money or a partner. We have all been raised in a consumer-society in which the material has obtained a high status. We are inclined to think "when I have this and this and that, then I'll be happy". This also was my point of view, but still I've always known that something wasn't right about this.

Now I'm at the point at which I was influenced by other people, concerning the term "happiness". The people who I've been influenced by are Anthony Robbins, Joseph Murphy and Carolina Bont. They've shown me that it is not that hard to be (intensely) happy. Happiness is a feeling, just as pain is. Pain is easy to experience so why shouldn't happiness be? Happiness is, what I think, a feeling that is always present in us from the day we were born. When we are a baby, aren't we constantly happy as long as we have food, sleep, clean dipers, toys and attention (primary living conditions)? The problem appears when we obtain the skill to think. It's not the thinking itself that makes us unhappy, but the way we think which can be divided in two parts: positive and negative. Positive thinking will bring happiness and negative thinking the opposite. In almost every human both ways of thinking exist, so my thought is that the relation between those to can have an effect on the level of happiness of a person.
What is written above is acknowledged by a research done by psychologist Martin Seligman: "external factors only have an 8 to 15% influence on our experience of happiness". Whether these numbers are correct, it points out to me that the internal factors are the most important.

Then also, in our society we are brought up with the idea that we should ignore our feelings and should only listen to our reasoning mind. This when our subconscious made us happy when we were a baby. And isn't this the same with a lot of mentally challenged people who seem to enjoy life much more than normal people, as long as they are not confronted with their fears? Fear is the biggest enemy of happiness. People have so many fears that don't really serve a purpose. We were born with only a few fears which support our selfpreservation, like the fear of falling of the fear of loud noises. All other fears do not support us and lead us of the track of happiness. That's why positive thinking should be normal in all situations. Further, I do have to say that there are a lot of different views on what happiness is and this is just mine (for now).

In the end I think you can say: A situation of unhappiness comes forth out of missing happiness. It is a situation that is derived (hope I translated that right) from happiness.  While happiness is the original structure of a human, unhappiness is one of the ways to experience that.