This morning I was flipping through radio stations, and came across a talk show (not sure which one) and one of the guests (not sure who) was discussing happiness. This woman (the guest) holds the opinion that happiness is a state of being just like generousity or caring.

What do you think? Is this woman on to something? Can we just decide to be happy, and then be happy?

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"Philosophy is a walk on a slippery rock
Religion is a smile on a dog."

I think that real happiness is a byproduct of the kind of life that you live. If you try to grab it, it will just recede into the distance.

I for one to a large degree think yes...it takes time to develop the habit of taking a breath when not happy and remind oneself to be happy...even in daily life with ups and downs we can I think be happy....

We create our life and our state of mind. We choose to be happy. I have a new thing I started this year. I don't tell people happy new year...I tell them I wish them a peaceful new year..people tend to think happiness has to do with things outside of us but in truth it has to do with inside us. If you do not have peace inside you under any and all circumstances you will not have peace.

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RevKathyV

http://www.myspace.com/divinelightinterfaith



www.divinelightinterfaithministry.com

I agree with Albert Einstein that Happiness is a state of MIND, not a state of being.

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May your awareness be perfection

We all have moments when happiness seems the furthest thing from us. But I have learned over time that, if I dwell on the things that cause unhappiness, those things will colour the rest of my life and I will be unhappy.

Another thing that I have learned is that, while the interior mind continues to work away at a lot of things at once, we can only really keep one thing in the center of our conscious mind at any time. And thus, if we make a conscious choice to do something that will divert us, or interest or please us (in other words, keep at least the conscious part of the mind in a state resembling happiness), then whatever it is that is causing unhappy feelings must of necessity fade into the background -- where it will continue to be worked on and possibly even resolved (or at least put away).

And so, yes, we can indeed bring ourselves into a happier state.

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evangelicalhumanist: Greek "eu"=good and "angelos"=messenger. Spreading the good news of Humanism.

Without a doubt its our choice

Sometimes it can seems a harder choice but all the same its ours to make.

Films like the Secret are quite good at getting that idea over to people


After all its our mind isnt it ?

I see a difference between Happiness (which is of the mind) and Joy which we are in essence.

Everyone seeks to be happy, but most people seek this happiness outside of themselves: If I had this or if I had that, If I were this or if I had that, if I were her or there and so on. Only to find themselves happy for a short time. Happiness of this world does not last. It comes and goes. There is no freedom from it and it actually sets us up for suffering, because your happiness depends on it.

If it were so easy to simply change your mind, we would have a happy world, but we are living through the mind. Mind changes and can not be held in a state for long.

Now Joy on the other hand has nothing to do with anything outside of us. You can be joyful, even when Ill, or without a partner, or money. Joy is a state of being, which is found within you being aware of BEING. This is somehting that noone can ever take away from you nor give you, because it is YOU.

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May your awareness be perfection

Most of you seem to agree that we need to decide to be happy.

But if most of us want to be happy, then why aren't more of us happy? Are we expecting too much from life? Do we think we deserve it all?

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"Philosophy is a walk on a slippery rock
Religion is a smile on a dog."

I may be reading this wrong, but this sounds kinda like splitting hairs. Like the difference between tomato and tomatoe. Both are a yummy fruit and are names of the same thing, but are spelled slighly differently.

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"Philosophy is a walk on a slippery rock
Religion is a smile on a dog."