Have you been told that you cannot buy happiness? Did you believe that? If you did you were scammed.
The truth of the matter is, happiness like everything else is PAID for, yes it can be bought. Like everything else, it is not always paid in FIAT.
When was the last time you remember being so happy? A family gathering? A friend's gig? Perhaps a winning moment? It does not matter what reason you were happy. You paid something to be able to be there to experience that. Those kinds of happiness are the fleeting ones too.
The pursuit of happiness is one of the universal activity of humanity. We all want to be happy. So why are so many people is in a state exactly opposite of that? Why are so many sad instead of being happy? The simple reason is that although they have the ability to pay for happiness, many people don't really know where to shop.
Why is that? Is happiness that hard to find? The answer is both yes and no. You see happiness like everything else nowadays have so many imitations. Happiness-have so many counterfeits. These fake happiness makes buying and finally enjoying REAL happiness complicated.
Another reason why there is so much unhappy people beside the presence of counterfeit happiness' is due to the fact that the realization of having been conned with fake happiness takes time and effort. Resulting in so many people to lose valuable time before they know they have been duped. Even to the point when there's no hope to regain what they have "paid" for in "buying" happiness.
This is a very serious situation, one that you should do all that you can do, to avoid getting into. Why?! For you to appreciate the seriousness of this, let me cite a simpler example:
The life insurance.
Let us say a family received an offer for a life insurance. The provisions were; they would pay 300$ monthly for 60 months and receive 1 million dollars either on the 65th birthday of the insured or when he dies within the contract coverage period. Seems like a very good arrangements. They would allocate a reasonably small amount(compared to 1 million) to pay the premium and after 60 payments, they can look forward to a million dollar payday. They have agreed that they can consider the premium as a form of "savings" for the future, it is only 18,000$ anyway and they only have to wait till the insured reach 65 years of age and they will get the bonanza. So they faithfully paid the premiums monthly and on the fifth year, just several months before they have fully paid all the premiums, the unforeseen misfortune happened, the insured got into an accident and died on the spot. The family is clearly entitled to the insured amount of 1 million $. Upon their claim...all kinds of delay happened and the reasons for those delays for the release of the insurance money has been given except for the money itself. They sued the insurance company to make them pay. But unfortunately, the company is insolvent and the promise of coverage of insurance is just an elaborate con. At this point it is too late in several levels to have discovered they have been duped. Would you agree that they lost something substantial because of this?? They were promised MONEY if they can fulfill some agreement. At the end even when they have fulfilled their part of the contract, THERE IS NO MONEY TO BE HAD. Sad right? It always result in sadness when we are scammed, no matter how insignificant our loss is.
How is this connected with our pursuit of happiness? Everything. You see, in all our life we try to get happiness. We actually pay for the MERE PROMISE OF HAPPINESS, expecting that we will really get that happiness later, like how a scammy insurance policy does. If paying almost 18,000$ to receive nothing at the end is sad. Our payment of greater value to the PROMISE OF HAPPPINESS that never comes is even more DISMAL.
Why?
What do we pay for happiness?
To understand our fee, we must first understand HOW WE TRY TO BUY HAPPINESS. Remember how people usually ask what we want to be when we grow up? It somehow start there. Everytime that question is brought up, children will think about their latest "hero", someone they want to emulate, someone WE WANTED TO BE.
Let us say a child is so impressed with a medical doctor. What are the possible reasons?Maybe because; They look neat, they treat children with kindness when talking to them, they earn much and they help people get well. NICE! The child may blurt out: "I WANT TO BE A DOCTOR WHEN I GROW UP!!"
From the time a reference for that happiness of being what we wanted to be, we start to PAY for that promise , this is regardless of what field that dream belongs. Let us continue with our example about the burning dream of being a medical doctor.
To be a medical doctor, you pay TIME. You will spend your time studying and learning all about becoming a doctor. Time to research, rediscover what others before you have discovered, but you have to learn it yourself now. Time to complete the requirements. Time to pass all the tests. Lots of time. How much time? Five to 10 years and more, depending of what field in medicine you chose. At the same time while paying with time, you also pay effort-- a lot of effort too is required. Don't forget the money involved to become the doctor you want to be. And the dreamer whispers to himself, "it is all worth it." I WILL PAY WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO BECOME THE DREAM I DREAM. So you pay.
Finally, you are now a licensed medical doctor, dressed neatly, you are now earning big too. What's more wonderful is you can now help to cure people of the diseases they suffer. HUH HAPPINESS!!!
Then you slowly realize something. Now, after you have paid the TIME, EFFORT AND MONEY. The system is rigged! A lot of your activities are controlled by people who do not have the best welfare of the sick people! Your hospital do not accept patients who cannot show their ability to pay. No matter how immediate their need for medical help. They have to be refused and you don't have a say in that policy. You just don't read the newspaper the day after, reporting how a man died after being refused to be admitted by hospitals like yours. You have to close your eyes. You realize too that much of the medicine you have to prescribe is not because they are the most effective, but because a powerful pharma do control the market. Most of all, you found out that you don't really cure any disease. That on the things you have the ability to really do some difference, even on these, some people will have to die under your watch-- no matter how hard you try, that you yourself, maybe a renowned medical doctor is suffering an illness and will soon die. You slowly realize YOU ARE CONNED and you will realize too late.
The dreamer about the happiness that will come when one attains that point in time, will finally realize there is no happiness there. But there is no chance to get the fees back. Youth, money, effort they are all gone.
The main actor of this example can be us. The dream can be anything. Most of them will eventually lead to the same realization...We are trying to buy happiness from the wrong place.
So if we can really buy happiness, where SHOULD WE BUY??
Wait. Do you know why people are being victimized by counterfeits? Fake products, money, etc... It is because most people DO NOT KNOW the qualities or the characteristics of the GENUINE. The same applies to happiness. To be able to buy the correct and REAL HAPPINESS, we must know the signs of the genuine one.
What would real happiness be?
Again we are faced with our VALUES. When we consider what will makes us happy, we are influenced by the values we acquired over the years. Therefore our answer to the question will vary, it may even happen that something that will make somebody happy will actually make another person sad. Tricky..tricky.. tricky.
Let us leave the things that can vary, instead let us focus on what we can all agree upon.
For me a family that are happily living together is a part of happiness.
Peace of mind? Yes.
Health? Ok
Money,
Sex,
Creative powers,
and Life.
Whatever you may think of as a part of real happiness will not do without one of the above.
Now how do we buy those?
Pay with the same things you pay for the fake source of happiness. That is time, effort and money.
FAMILY - Take care of your family, help in keeping it together. Take the effort to create a happy atmosphere within your household. You have to realize this early, that if you can't be happy with your own family, there's no hope that you can make any happy relationships anywhere else. Remember your family will always be your family and they love you despite all your SHORTCOMINGS.
PEACE OF MIND - This one is a bit elusive. Loss of peace of mind is usually because of fear, uncertainty, doubt. ;D. And greed. Hehe. There is only one sure way to get this one. I will make a separate post for peace of mind.
HEALTH - Health is wealth. so cliche'. Maybe you are healthy today, so this may not have so much weight in your happiness considerations...but will you really be happy if you cannot enjoy what you got, because you are bedridden? That is the reason why those who are sick and have the money to spend does not mind spending big amount of money in search of coming back to health. So be healthy, it would mean for you to lead a healthy lifestyle and keep it when you have it.
MONEY - No explanation needed. In this system of things, we definitely need money to be happy. PLUS the other 6 on this list.
SEX - This is a BUILT IN need in humanity to be happy. It is also the reason for "love". Best done combined. Learn how to properly do sex and do it properly.
CREATIVE POWERS - Create something. If you don't know, Learn to create. There is immense happiness in being creative. The feeling when you finished something, when you have done something beautiful or useful is a kind of happiness that no other people can do for you.
and finally you have to have...
LIFE- Most of all BUY LIFE. If you haven't realized it yet, all mankind's dream and pursuit turns to sadness because of the loss of life. THIS ONE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO GET. Do everything to get this one. Because as long as you are alive, you have the chance to get all the others. RIGHT? Right. I hope you understand.
Therefore, to be genuinely happy we should get ALL of the above. It is our right to be happy. Don't be a victim of false promises. -east
WARNING: DO NOT READ MY POSTS. THEY ARE SO TWISTED COMPARED TO THE NORMAL VIEWS.