Silk Road forums

Discussion => Philosophy, Economics and Justice => Topic started by: Savlon on June 18, 2013, 07:47 am

Title: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: Savlon on June 18, 2013, 07:47 am
What makes you happy?
I think it's important to differentiate between what one enjoys and what makes one happy. For example. I enjoy LSD. LSD does not however make me feel happy. I think it opens up the way for reflection that brings happiness but other than the Euphoria/ God head I get from it I don't actually feel that happy when I'm on it.

That's just an example though which seemed fitting given the nature of this site. Also my views and experiences are unique to me as are yours to you. Either way I was just wondering what makes you guys happy if you can say so whilst remaining anonynmous
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: Rastaman Vibration on June 18, 2013, 08:09 am
Fullfilling relations with other people make me happy. Sharing good times or interesting conversations with close friends, respect from my peers and co-workers, closeness with a partner or family

Also, reggae music ;D
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: varakann on June 18, 2013, 09:09 pm
Things that help me - helping my grandmother with house repairs, talking to a strangers (girls, kids, elderly people, dogs, cats), buying gifts to those in need, working out (even when feeling super-lazy), sun, getting better at your martial arts.  Feeling when you realize you want to grow old with your girlfriend together. Interestingly only drugs that gave me real happiness (I've done them all) were alcohol and GHB on moderate doses and shrooms, others just fake it or hide bad feelings or give you much else to think about. 8)
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: bestalignment on June 19, 2013, 03:07 am
MDMA I hope but I don't really know.(masterbation is the best time and o well if you think its wrong or awkward I got sex toys ya!)
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: zookaa on June 19, 2013, 01:20 pm
Drugs may give you short-term happiness, but as you all know, they don't last forever...

Is it possible to achieve REAL happiness, without the use of drugs? Oh yes, it is... but it's a very long and hard path.
A universal, non-religious way to achieve real happiness is meditation. And if you meditate long (many years) and hard enough, you might even achieve enlightenment, no kidding, but only very very few people achieve this stage.

But even if you don't achieve enlightenment, meditation has sooo many benefits for your life quality. For example, you will learn how to not react to strong emotions like hate, anger, instead you will be able to observe this emotion objectively, without reacting to it like you normally would. Once you observe all your emotions objectively, then they won't be that strong anymore and they will fade away quickly... which means that YOU, the I in your body, will keep full control. But otherwise you will get driven by your own emotions, do stupid things that you will forever regret, because you simply reacted instead of observing and thinking first. You will never have control of your own body, you get driven by simple biochemical reactions in your brain.... but the real YOU (not your brain) is much more powerful than you think, you just have to train and sharpen your mind.

Same applies to the positive, beatiful emotions and moments that happen your life. Humans always seek pleasure, which causes craving, but want to avoid bad experiences at all cost, which causes aversion. Craving and aversion are very powerful, it controls most humans.
Once your mind is sharp enough, you will see all things with equanimity, the good and the bad things. They won't control YOU anymore, YOU stay in control.

So one of the ultimate goals of meditation is equanimity. Does that mean that people that meditate are "careless", or "indifferent"? Hell no! People that meditate can enjoy the beatiful moments in life much much better than normal people, because they know exactly how beatiful and rare such moments are, but they still stay equanimous, without craving for more and more pleasure. Same for the bad moments in life. You know they happen, and will always happen, and you know there is nothing you can do about it. You just have to stay equanimous.

All this leads to another wonderful thing.... compassion and love! Trust me, life is all about love, compassion and the unity of everything and everybody. Life = love

If anyone is interested in meditation, then I must tell you the truth... you might think that sitting and meditating for hours must be boring as hell? Well, YES it is, at first at least. It is painful, boring, and very hard. But once you understand the benefits, and once you learn to quiet down your chatty mind, it is just wonderful. 1 hour passes by like 10 minutes and you will really enjoy the deep meditation.

I can recommend anyone to visit a meditation course. I have visited a 10 day vipassana meditation course in India this year. This was the fucking HARDEST thing I have done in my life, but at the same time the MOST rewarding experience I have had! Vipassana courses are the hardest and alot of people give up after the first few days.

And let me tell you I'm in no way that much equanimous yet, I'm still at the beginning and I have a long way to go. I don't meditate every day, 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening, like I should, and I still smoke weed every day. But that's only because I came back from a wonderful India trip to all the shit here at home... my mood went instantly down to shit the moment I came back home. But even just those 10 days in the meditation camp have helped me to change my mind. I strongly believe in the technique and I will visit at least once a year a 10 day course and also meditate at least 2 hours a day. But first I have to put all my energy into all this shit I have here...

Posting this on a drug forum is quite contradict because drugs are a shortcut to temporary happiness but true happiness that lasts for your whole life can be achieved with hard work through mediation but most people that take drugs unfortunately won't have the discipline to go such a hard path.
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: KintaroBC on June 19, 2013, 08:07 pm
Well human nature requires thought to achieve goals to survive, so keeping in mind we are evolved in our particular way, and have to produce the values of survival to live I believe our happiness is in line with our survival and goal directed action.

So pick an abstract goal, and a concrete goal that leads to it, and when that is done another concrete goal that gets even closer and so on. Then you will know happiness.

:-)
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: SealTeam6 on June 19, 2013, 08:19 pm
Fullfilling relations with other people make me happy. Sharing good times or interesting conversations with close friends, respect from my peers and co-workers, closeness with a partner or family

Also, reggae music ;D

Ditto
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: banginon1808 on June 19, 2013, 10:22 pm
happiness is something i will never achieve!

i will be happy with contentment!
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: SealTeam6 on June 19, 2013, 10:38 pm
happiness is something i will never achieve!

i will be happy with contentment!

You do realize what u just said right?
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: PerPETualMOtion on June 19, 2013, 11:27 pm
Chocolate...

...and charity.

I try to be generous with my knowledge and help those who seek it.

Helping others gives me more stimulation than drugs, but I fucking love drugs. : )
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: therabbithole on June 25, 2013, 12:51 am
I believe when people say that happiness is not a destination, but the way itself. Let's say my destination today is to go to the beach. Along the way to the beach I could stress out because there is so much traffic that it takes me two hours to get to the beach. Or I could relax along the way, seeing an old couple sitting on a bench holding hands, seeing a young kid helping a blind person crossing the street, looking at the blue sky and my favorite music playing in my car, that makes me happy. Enjoying music doesn't give me happiness, but my awareness that I'm listening to my favorite music, and I'm grateful for it, makes me happy.
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: hexokinase on June 25, 2013, 05:35 am
I believe when people say that happiness is not a destination, but the way itself. Let's say my destination today is to go to the beach. Along the way to the beach I could stress out because there is so much traffic that it takes me two hours to get to the beach. Or I could relax along the way, seeing an old couple sitting on a bench holding hands, seeing a young kid helping a blind person crossing the street, looking at the blue sky and my favorite music playing in my car, that makes me happy. Enjoying music doesn't give me happiness, but my awareness that I'm listening to my favorite music, and I'm grateful for it, makes me happy.

Yeah man, it's all about the way you look at the world. We can change the way we see things if we are determined that there must be a better way of seeing it. My best friends make me happy, because they are as lighthearted as me and see the world in a similar loving and fun way.
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: Ron Swanson on June 25, 2013, 12:44 pm
happiness is something i will never achieve!

i will be happy with contentment!

You do realize what u just said right?

lmfao love it
Title: Re: How do we or more specifically you achieve happiness?
Post by: banginon1808 on June 27, 2013, 01:03 am
happiness is something i will never achieve!

i will be happy with contentment!

You do realize what u just said right?

lmfao love it

im confused what the fuck is wrong with what i wrote??? thats how i feel thats how i am!

sooooooo?????? wtf