las montanas' post about being as happy as your dog got me thinking on the subject of happiness.
i have a friend. and i consider him the luckiest person in the world.
he has all the things that people everywhere spend so much time searching for.
a family who loves and acknowledges him,
a beautiful girlfriend in a stable relationship,
a nice car (er...i don't know much about cars, but as long as it looks decent and it moves without hiccups, it's a nice car to me)
a nice place to make a home,
a business to call his own,
a passion in his work,
a nice social life to balance out the stress of work
and not having to worry about where the next meal will come from.
those are things that many people spend most of their lives looking for, isn't it? for most of us, one or more of the above remains elusive and therein, lies the restlessness and dissatisfaction i see so often around me.
i don't know whether the problem lies in me or those encompassing me. everybody that i know seems to be unhappy. discontented, disillusioned and disappointed. with exactly what in life, not all of them may know. all they know is that they are searching. looking for the missing link that makes them happy.
it seems a little sad to me. to be searching for something that is intangible, invisible and in all probability, does not exist. perhaps they already have what they are looking for all along, staring at them in the face. they just don't know to realise it.
therein lies the luck of my friend. not in the material things that he has. not in the fancy office, name card or car. but rather in the contentment and the satisfaction he derives from his life. for those cynical souls, not contentment to the extreme that you do not pursue for greater things in your life. but contentment knowing that you will slowly and surely make your way there. contentment knowing that you are already getting so much from life. and the appreciation to acknowledge it.
as an irony, another friend of mine has always regarded me as the luckiest person in the world. perhaps i am too. we never see ourselves as the luckiest one, for by comparison another pasture always seem to be greener. perhaps i may not have the same exact list of possessions that he has and i am still searching for a satisfaction that will complete my life, but i have my own list of things to be grateful for.and so, i do believe that i am the luckiest person in the world.
how about looking introspectively? perhaps you will discover that you are also one of the luckiest person in the world.
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14 comments:
Aiyah, the list is not exhaustive enough leh.. still got!
R you happy with the country? the way it is run?
R you happy with the ILs? (Your friend haben tied the knot yet leh)
I need to stop myself before I explode with cynicism! lets re-read the writings about being a happy dog!
As I always say, a simple life can make people happy. How to make a life to become simple is a great knowledge. People should think on that way can finally find their eden. It is not to compare what you have or have not. It is not to growl about everything that it is not under your control. It should be think of how lucky you are because you have already possessed such and such. Then you will find the path of happiness. One more thing, try to forget those unhappy thing asap is also the best way to be a happy person.
I'm lucky, definitely lucky! but as greedy as the next person, I guess it's the wanting of more things and more fulfilment that sometimes cloud our vision of simple contentment. we need to count our blessings a little more than forever searching for temporary highs, yea?
I can't tell if I'm lucky or not, but I guess I can work on being content with what I have right now. Yet being overly content can deplete our drive for ambitions, don't you think?
dear lm: so greedy lah. the list can be non-exhaustive if you want it to be. how country run also your business ah? you very patriotic meh? or very political? can earn your keeps, sudah lah. as for the ILs, nevermind lah. not like you are marrying them. if don't like, see them less often loh. cynical you *kicks your bottom*
dear why: sometimes i think you look for unhappiness. things that shouldn't be a problem, but to your unenlightened mind becomes one. i also don't understand why sometimes your face so black. perhaps you have become too complicated.
dear may: yes, but easier said than done, don't you think?
dear ian: haha! i think my phrase "cynical souls" was meant for you. as i said, not contentment until you don't have the drive to strive for more but rather strive in a pace that suits you more. and not to be too agitated if it doesn't come soo n enuf. i see my friend working his butt off but he still strikes the nice balance with contention. he is in no hurry to achieve the goals, just the fact that he knows he will reach it surely. maybe therein lies his confidence.
Contentment is exactly the right word! If you are not content, you will never be happy. I love cars, but I gave it up and am now taking the bus, is it convenient? no. Am I content yes. Why? cos I know I'm saving a whole lot more that I can use for other stuff :o)
Thank for wake me up. That is why I am now learning how to simpliy my life but it is not a easy job. Something for you may easy but for me may not. We are different person.
dear why: you think it's easy for me. but if you look closely, these articles that i write about appreciation, contention and being grateful for what you have comes around quite often. besides reminding everybody that they should be happy with their life, more often than not it's also a reminder to myself. the grass just look greener when you look over here.
you are trying to simplify the physical things in your life but you have forgotten your mind. your mind has become very complicated. that, perhaps, is the core of it all. no matter how simple things are around you, if your mind chooses to make it into a complicated tangle, you have no way out.
I am not just try to simply my physical thing but my mind as well. I always be a simple person but the environment starts to taint my mind. I can find my way out. Don't worry.
Yeah. Counting our blessings sure beats grumbling and complaining over what we have not :) The cup is half-full. It's not half-empty :)
One person may seem to have everything, but where does it end? Is it ever enough?
we r all lucky in 1 form or another, always good to see the good side of life than the bad side.
dear mickell: *counting my blessings*..erm..there's one....two...three...no, strike that....oh yes, then there's this other one that makes three....the list goes on and on :-)
dear kw: only when you finally convince yourself that you already have plenty....hmmmm, sounds a bit like us when we go for sales, huh? haha.
dear wuching: unfortunately, it is soooo easy to see the bad side leh.
i very unlucky. today never strike 4d.
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