How to be happy

[Shemp]

Interesting article that should be of especial interest here at HA. In fact, many at HA appear to be already practicing the techniques described. Author probably didn't know about HA or she could have interviewed some of our prominent posters for advice on how to be happy by embracing rather than trying to "cure" insanity, psychosis, delusions of grandeur, etc:

https://nautil.us/the-happiest-man-in-the-world-430288

[WanderingProtagonist]

Happiness is quite difficult to achieve in todays current environment...Especially for people stuck or caught in declining Western countries. I know for a fact a great deal of people in America and even Europe are extremely ticked off, especially with their shit governments. War, Mass invasions, inflation, etc. Add on top of the fact here in the U.S. I heard Biden wants to bring back the Draft...Yeah nobody is about to be leaping with joy if that shits for real.

I use to be semi happy in the early 2000s, even more so in the 90s...Happiness for me got harder as the years went by. And I don't even think it would be all that bad if I died from natural causes today because to be fair. I hate living in this time. I'm not saying people can't achieve happiness if they really wanted to. I'm saying that its very difficult for a large percentage of people today because of how shitty everything is right now. Besides there aren't that many of us on Happier abroad anyway, so I think for the people who left or aren't active they probably found some peace of mind. The only people on Happier abroad that seem to struggle with happiness other than me, is some of the usual's but I don't think it's even half of the fellas here that post every now and then who have a hard time with being happy.

[yick]

It's an excellent article on how to be happy because what the mentalists in the article have done is changed how they percieve things and the world around them to fit their inner narrative - so instead of going 'I am mentally ill and nobody understands me' they have gone, 'well I am a great person doing these great things and I am happy to do them'.

The schizophrenic woman at the end of the article, instead of fighting the voices, she spoke to them and listened to what they had to say and she complied with them and now she can live with them - this is a really important lesson, the only thing in this life you can change is how YOU REACT to things - you can't change most if not all of what is going around you - if you hate what's going on somewhere in a place you don't live in or how women like tall men but you're 4ft 9ins - you can either wait until the situation changes - which more than likely it won't - or you can change how you deal with it by changing how you think and how it makes you feel and then you have a pathway to dealing with your life better.

My life is pretty good and I am happy to the extent of someone being happy in this world can be, there are people who are rich and famous who are publicly depressed but they seem to have 'more' than me - beautiful girlfriends, wealth, fame, famous parents etc but they're not happy and I am for the most part - of course, I have crap moments in the day like we all do but I am not depressed, I can get up in the morning and go to work, I am healthy, I do my exercises and I am on an even keel for the most part but it took a lot to get here, I was unhappy in my home country so I changed it, I hated my job in the factories and warehouses where I lived so I went to university and got an education, I was very overweight and unhealthy so I lost weight and got fitter and stronger - there were a lot of things I did which changed but the thing I changed only was myself, how I saw the world and how I saw my place in it - the world hasn't actually changed and in fact has got worse but I don't have a stake in changing it, none of us do, we are just helpless bystanders for the most part.

These schizophrenics are living in their own reality, it doesn't matter if it doesn't align with the reality of the wider world around them and they're happy - there's a lot that can be learned from it.

[yick]

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog ... aning-life

A great article, closely related to the one in the link @Shemp provided.

[galii]

Life is basically meaningless and is more suffering than fun. So in one sense everybody is delusional. Of course there are levels to it. If you are in a weak position delusion is much needed to survive. Religions are delusions. Specially the weak can motivate themselves with it but to some level they have to be real or life will hurt too much.

There are also 'luxury beliefs' mostly with rich people with f**k you money who can believe crazy stuff without fast punishment.

Even when I play the 'take responsibility' game I also think there is no free will. So it is what it is.

I am an Epicurean. It seems to make the most sense but I also think it is not for everybody. Everybody has a different mental wiring so their destiny is different. They will have other Philosophers with whom they vibe better.

[Shemp]

The big problems with delusions (of grandeur or otherwise) is when you deviate too far from physical reality and then collide with it. For example, no, humans cannot fly so don't jump out of 5 story windows (10 stories is okay because then you go straight to the next life, whereas 5 you might end up alive but crippled). Also bad is thinking you are smarter than the collective of professional investors: this isca formula for doing poorly with stock market investing.

But many delusions are fine and probably boost happiness versus not being deluded. Lots of people (including several in this forum) think they are extraordinarily sexually attractive and everyone wants to have sex with them. This is a harmless delusion. Other believe they are unappreciated geniuses, also harmless if they stick to scribbling on the internet.

Maybe Mercer should start to think of himself as a very important person and dangerous threat to the powers that be and that is why they are persecuting him. This might be the cure for his depression, by making him feel important.

[galii]

The big problems with delusions (of grandeur or otherwise) is when you deviate too far from physical reality and then collide with it. For example, no, humans cannot fly so don't jump out of 5 story windows (10 stories is okay because then you go straight to the next life, whereas 5 you might end up alive but crippled). Also bad is thinking you are smarter than the collective of professional investors: this isca formula for doing poorly with stock market investing.

But many delusions are fine and probably boost happiness versus not being deluded. Lots of people (including several in this forum) think they are extraordinarily sexually attractive and everyone wants to have sex with them. This is a harmless delusion. Other believe they are unappreciated geniuses, also harmless if they stick to scribbling on the internet.

Maybe Mercer should start to think of himself as a very important person and dangerous threat to the powers that be and that is why they are persecuting him. This might be the cure for his depression, by making him feel important.

It seems to be delusion choses you not the other way.

This all reminds me of some ideas like in the movie 'fight club' where Pitt stops a random guy and threatens to kill him if he does not follow his dreams.

People tried to figure out how to motivate people. One was with electric shocks. I am not shure it might work.

[mahayana]

I'm not going to read some boring article about this topic when happiness is already covered by the second part of the S.W.E.A.T Pledge:

2. I believe that I am entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Nothing more. I also understand that “happiness” and the “pursuit of happiness” are not the same thing.