Happiness, Furthermore

May 5th, 2008

A man is born to serve what purpose? My guess is as good as yours. Is it to populate, shape and define the world? Maybe. What I am sure of is that a man is born waiting to die. A man’s life is finite. He lives and after a span of time, he dies – forever decayed; no soul, no afterlife. During the time the man lives, he undergoes several transformations toward his ending. He suffers through time to reach that end. Life is a process of dying.

So why do we value life so much? Life is not precious because sooner or later it is gone. It causes all kinds of pain. So why do we protect something that is worthless and destructive? What is so good about the world that we thrive to live in it longer. These questions are yet to be answered; not here, but hopefully a hint appears.

I’ve lived twenty-six worthless years and spent a decade of those years in a quest to answer these questions. I have no answer, but I realized a tiny bit of it – happiness. There is no stopping the birth of man no matter what laws, medications, family planning we implement. Time and time again, man will be born save annihilation. Even so, man will evolve one way or another. So I thought, what would man do if he has no control over his birth? He has to live life and goes in a journey where he avoids suffering that is brought by living. Only in the absence of suffering happiness is reached.

What is suffering? Suffering is a feeling of destruction. Something that will cause physical and mental aspect of man to break down. These things we know as grief, jealousy, envy, hunger, pain, torment, and many more which your imagination can define. By that definition, we can deduce that man suffers because of another. Man does not grieve because of himself, he grieves because of another. Man loves (a form of attachment) another and will do everything to keep the attachment intact. Once the attachment is lost, man undergoes a series of states of suffering - grief, loneliness, depression, etc.

Since the cause of suffering is not oneself, society gets the blame. Social attachment torments a man. Being social do bring happiness, but only until a point. In society man acquaints himself with another who would bring happiness in a moment, but would later on bring lifelong suffering. Once a man attaches himself to another, he will protect both the relationship and the other entity as if it is a treasure.

A treasure is defined as an entity which – naturally – cannot be lost. It is only lost if hidden (i.e. kept or stolen), but it still exists. Life cannot be a treasure because it is lost no matter how careful the caretaker is. What is left behind when a man dies is a pseudo-self which is also known as memory.

Protecting a treasure is already cumbersome and takes so much out of a person. That act in itself contributes to a person’s suffering. How else would the feeling be if the treasure is lost? Naturally, anger, grief, disbelief, etc arise. As previously stated these are sufferings. It is true that having that treasure makes a man happy, but it’s troublesome taking care of that treasure.

In conclusion, eternal bliss cannot be attained by sharing with others. Eternal bliss is for an individual, not a group that’s why it is so difficult to achieve. The happiness we enjoy now is only temporary and we should enjoy that as much as possible. Think not of the future nor the past, enjoy the moment because it is now that will shape the future. Be happy if you’re happy.

Entry Filed under: Philosophy

20 Comments Add your own

I like the word relative - if you have not experienced pain or torment how do you really know happiness? How do you appreciate your hand, just as it is, until you get a bad cut and the simplest activities, say washing your hand, is affected.

I’ve come to terms with the idea of we live then we die. I think the right idea is not to try to preserve life but to try to preserve your health so when the end comes you don’t suffer as much. Nothing philosophical about this statement, just practical :) I guess I say this because of the things I’ve seen lately.

If a person makes it his/her life goal to find eternal bliss then the person should expect and be ready for disappointments. When we put all our time and energy into trying to figure out what will make us happy, or, if something will make us happy, then we miss the little things, the experience, that actually makes the time or moment a happy one.

I never mentioned that we should be happy from day-1. What I am emphasizing is that unless we come into terms with detachment, we will never reach the state of eternal bliss.

Physical pain is a choice. It is very difficult to preserve one’s health espcially the current world we live in. If you don’t want to suffer, you know the drill :D

I saw The God’s Must Be Crazy yesterday, syempre ikaw naalala ko hahaha. The life of the Kalahari bushmen would be one of your ‘perfect existences’ - they have everything they need in the desert and they were contented…until it was ruined by a Coca-Cola bottle. I’m sure you’ve already seen the movie so you know the rest…

life is not just itself, it means a lot, nabubuhay ka di dahil mamamatay ka paglaon, kundi nabubuhay ka dahil may obligasyon ka para sa sarili mo na dapat mong matutunan bago ka mamatay. nabubuhay ka di dahil sa buhay ka kundi dahil sa nabubuhay ka dahil may buhay ka. simple lang ang mamatay, pero napakakomplekado kung panu tayo nabubuhay. maraming tanong, yet there are still questions left to be unaswered, and that is for us to find out, and that is life. life could trigger us to be weak nor strong,…life is just like solving ribiks cube, sometimes you have to cheat.

I love this entry because I get to answer a lot of reactions…I reached a peak in my views because of it also. Anyways…

TGMBC is a good series. Even so, they still are in a community (society) — I’m obviously not Marxist — and still does not satisfy my ideals. However, they’ve come close :D

Life is not at all complex. We are making it seem complicated when in reality it’s too simple. You mentioned that you have an obligation to yourself, but isn’t that rendered to be useless because in the end all is lost. I’m only speaking logic here because why would one work for something that in the end becomes nothing. Work by definition is an act to achieve a goal - meaning gain something. But you see in the end there is nothing. You gain temporarily, maybe, but shouldn’t you be focusing on the absolutely permanent advantage.

Anyway, I’m opening a whole can of worms that I will eventually (currently as a matter of fact) write on: afterlife, governance, chaos, values, morality, and hopefully have the courage to take a shot on religion.

Thanks for the reactions, keep ‘em coming so that I can write more. I’m conversely inspired that’s why I’m telling you all my dark secrets. Be open minded when reading me. Don’t follow my path because I’m no preacher. I’m only materializing my thoughts because I can see the end coming closer and closer. This site will serve as my pseudo-self. Hehehe.

For me, it is basically we live because we are alive, and ultimately we die wahahaha. But that’s no reason to not make the most of our time on earth. I find it easier to accept the prospect of my own death than …

Sa nabasa kong children’s book na Gathering Blue, I don’t really remember the details, but I remember thinking that in the grand scheme of things humans are just another kind of species. Of course with this statement comes a complete disregard of religious beliefs. Baaddd…hehehe. I’m going off topic pero pag life and death ganito na naiisip ko.

I’d love to say more but my notes (and TV) are calling :)

I’m not denying the fact that we have to live to the fullest because that is exactly the goal. The question is can you really live to the fullest?

You mentioned that your statement completely disregarded religion and that’s a bad thing. Who decided that agnosticism is a bad thing? SOCIETY!!! And what gave society that right to decide that it is bad not having a religion. You already are not living to the fullest because your are constraining yourself.

Finish your thought on the book you read because we really are a species of some kind… I can’t really find my philosophy in books because they all rationalize or justify their thoughts in the end according to the well wishes of society.

hay naku basta ang sa akin…. ENJOY MAKING “LIFE”.

Making life is another story. mahilig ka ba dyan kuya mhar?

I don’t know about you guys but I’m deciding for myself that complete disregard for religion is “bad” or semi-”bad” hehehe. I don’t have a logical reason for this but religion is a belief that I grew up with and it is not something you just shake off. Example lang, cursing, I know they’re just words and everyone is saying them, but I still won’t curse because I was taught that it’s not a “good” thing.

And as for society - I actually like society. The people around us contributes to our happiness. I expect a few people to butt in my business from time to time. Constraining yourself is forcing yourself to do something that you don’t want to do. Kunwari, associating with people you don’t like just because society dictates it is the polite thing to do is what I’d consider a constraint.

We will all have different definitions of “living life to the fullest” and mind you sir I’m still not buying the complete detachment = eternal bliss idea. Gayahin ko lang professor ko, semantics. I said “make the most of…” meaning you’re in the process, as opposed to living which would mean you are already in it :)

So you are contented of being “in the process” always. What happened to “end justify the means” business? If you’re always in a process, there is no end to justify the means hehe. Maybe I should rephrase “you wouldn’t be able to live life to its fullest.” I think that’ll take care of the semantics :D

Now when you say you “were taught” that way is a problem of convention. I’m sorry, but I hate convention. Convention prevents you from thinking outside the box. Don’t you want to venture what’s outside the box?

hehe! i dont know, my mind is swirling. these musings remind of the buddhists, cuz, have you been reading easter stuff lately? anyway…

1. im thrilled that you provoked people into thinking and reacting, hehe!
2. the existentialists said that a human being does not possess freedom ,we ourselves are freedom. we are condemned to be free. so you, I and the rest of humanity do have a choice and to make things worse, we also do not have control over our time here on earth, everyday is a movement towards death. the moment that a person is born, he is already moving towards death. its probably the reason why we are anxious and despairing and why we feel forlorn
3. “Man does not grieve because of himself, he grieves because of another.”—-i agree, sartre also says HELL IS OTHER PEOPLE. of course you know this. hehe

with regards to happiness? i think one’s idea of happiness is relative…what makes me happy, may not be waht makes you happy. anyway, times have changed, this world is no longer the world we knew a decade ago, the ONE UNIVERSAL TRUTH is lost, we already have a plurality of truths. cge sulat ka pa…isa ako sa masugid na mambabasa.

Exactly, I find happiness to be “in the process”. When I finish something I feel satisfaction/relief but after a while I get the “What now?” feeling. I accept the human condition of always wanting (or doing :) more.

“End justify the means” - I was merely contemplating the idea, I actually disagree with this. I find ideas fascinating but I don’t necessarily believe in them.

I venture outside from time to time but a person cannot live outside all the time.

I can see that this is going to be a never ending debate huh?

Actually I’m trying tu build up a high comment count hahaha j/k.

reading comments…
@lorie, i like how the way you express you though medyo may pagkaconventional pero parang ang dating eh rational sa akin, @si aovaron wala ako masabi sa kanaya. highfalutin kung magbigay ng opinyon. lakas din mangasar. @kay daks ok din dating nito sa akin ah “i think one’s idea of happiness is relative…what makes me happy, may not be what makes you happy.”… oo nga kanya kanya lang yan ng trip.

Happiness is definitely relative, but my point has been “will you be lifelong happy with others around?” My answer is NO.

Thank you Mhar for seeing that my conventional reasoning is also rational hehehe. Just because you’re siding with the majority eh di ibig sabihin na you’re limiting yourself. Pero syempre si aovaron mahirap kumbinsihin. And Mr. V I’m getting the impression that you like absolutes, and absolutes are almost impossible to attain. Yay new blog to read :) Ms. Daks.

Daks, sorry I can’t comment on your blog. I don’t intend to join Multiply.

Ate Lors, get moving with WP already hehe. Mahirap lang naman akong ikumbinse kasi hindi ako nagpapakumbinse :D

Jessie, este Mar, ayaw gumana ng wordpress account ko kapag nagiiwan ako ng puna sa blog mo.

hmmm..interesting ang topic nyo..well life…..well when i was not married i enjoy being alone…no problems around…i can decide what to do and do the things i want, but it’s kinda boring at the end….that gives me contentment , satisfaction or i can say happiness for a while..but those things are really temporary but i get to enjoy the moment though. now i fell in love, got married, have kid :D the question there is ..am i still happy? of course i am….we may say that happiness is relative, yeah i guess so, depending sa attachment mo sa tao…or your love ones…but that doesn’t mean that if you are attached you will have suffering, depression etc. etc. yes problems are there and always there…small or big nanjan lang yan, but come to think of it…..will you be able to say that you are happy if you have not suffered loneliness or sufferings? the thing is, you can’t say that you are happy if you haven’t felt those negative emotions.

lorie bilisan mo pag migrate sa WP :D

Thanks Salve for visiting. Salamat po ate Loreta sa pag invite hehe.

I was expecting that response. Salve, it’s safe to say that you were greatly influenced by society because you changed your perspective. Yes having a family your priorities will definitely change. I have pointed that out in my other post that inspired this entry. I guess I must finally say that the goal of this post is ideal.

Ideal it maybe, but I’m living by this ideal inside my head. It’s my other self. hehe

Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Apr				Jun »
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

Happiness, Furthermore

Related Posts

20 Comments Add your own

Leave a Comment

Popular Tags

Calendar

Recent Comments

Associated Web Stop

Blogroll

Miscellaneous Hyperlinks

Shirtshop

Feed On

Live Traffic

Visitors Online

Advertisement