People continuously search for happiness. Some try to earn a lot of money, some try to meet a good partner and get married, and some try hard to get promoted for fame, or all of the above. Our human life is not infinite. People are born, age, get sick, and someday die. The period which one can search for happiness is during the life span of the body. Edison, who invented the light bulb, Napoleon, the hero of the French revolution, and the legendary king of pop, Michael Jackson, all left the world after having spent their lives. There are times we find instant happiness, but one day, we will have to leave the world alone.
Then how can one find the everlasting happiness that he dreams of? Would there really be never-changing, unconditional happiness in the world? Let me ask you this. The sense of happiness we feel is not absolute but relative, from a psychological perspective. For example, you study hard and get into Harvard University. Then, you will have an extreme sense of happiness and accomplishment. However, as time goes by, that sense of happiness and accomplishment vanishes and anther worry or challenge awaits you. Moreover, if you are a woman, the happiness and satisfaction that you get to have by buying good clothes or accessories cannot be everlasting. When a new product is out or you find something you like more, you will buy it to feel happier. When we attain happiness, we will still need to try to accomplish or possess more to create that sense of happiness, just as you eat when you feel hungry. And when it is digested, you need to eat more. But if you could not achieve something more, frustration or sadness sets in, which only exists in the human mind. You would see that everlasting happiness does not dwell in possession.
When we read books of Asian philosophies or thinkers, such phrases often appear, “One who does not possess is a real happy one” and “You are happy when emptying the mind.” There is also a famous song, Let It Be, by a legendary rock band Beatles. However, human mind has no limit to greed, and so we keep yearning for and trying to possess more. If you could become happy by possession, all of the rich people, celebrities and successful people in the world must all be happy. But the reality is not so. It has been already reported that the happiness index of a poor country in Africa is much higher than that of developed countries, such as the US or Britain.
Happiness does not dwell in materials and does not stay when accomplishing or possessing something. Rather, when you empty out the mind of yearning, inferiority and lacking and find the true mind of the true self, you will truly find serenity of mind and have satisfaction. Let’s learn from nature. Nature does not try to decorate itself but lives as it is. Doesn’t it look perfectly peaceful and complete? Only humans have delusions and inferior minds, with endless greed of trying to possess more. We take up all kinds of minds. Consequently, the mind is filled with useless thoughts which force us to live in pain and stress. It seems that now is the generation of subtracting the mind and the generation that you can actually subtract it. Let’s empty out our mind completely and admit the true self as it is. Let’s live wisely with acceptance and love.
