Do you agree with Thoreau?

[Artiste]

Merci Front-Ranger!

I am glad that you remind me of this:
      Jack was happy on Brokeback Mountain and he knew it. Late in his life he said, "I did once" meaning that he had a better idea about him and Ennis prolonging their happiness and living a sweet life. But Ennis, even though he was so happy he felt he could paw the white out of the moon, didn't believe he deserved the happiness and impulsively rejected it. Later, he realized what he was missing, and wrote "You bet" to Jack, paving the way for the reunion. Then he slipslid back into self-denial and punishment, which meant Jack had to be dragged into it as well. Jack went to his grave believing that Ennis would wise up and embrace happiness. Ennis was only able to achieve that release in his dreams, to the end of his life.

         
.........

Does this happen to all of us, in one way or another... in life ??


Au revoir,
hugs!

[Artiste]

Very interesting!


Keep care !

Hugs to you and to all too!!  Happiness to all... every day!!

[optom3]

I think one person mentioned bliss.If you have ever really experienced your own personal bliss,which you have then let go,life can get pretty tough.
You either spend it in despair at the foolishness of your actions.Or in a constant search to discover it again.I think it must therefore be dependant on whether you have ever really achieved such happiness/bliss.
17ish years ago I would have said I was pretty content in all areas of my life.Then comes along love, at completely the wrong time,lingers for 15 years and is finally let go.
With that comes the upset.If I had never had that glimpse of how life could be,I probably would still be fairly content now.
So I think it is a case of what you have never had you do not miss, and therefore are reasonably content with life.
It all seems to boil down to comparisons.Either emotionally comparing what you once had with what you now have.Or comparing what you have in terms of wordly goods in comparison to others.
If you have nothing to compare with,I don't think you can be miserable.

[Artiste]

To be miserable or in bliss, both are happiness depending on the person or times ??

[optom3]

To be miserable or in bliss, both are happiness depending on the person or times ??

I would go along partly with that.It is better to be miserable,for whatever reason,with the person you truly love.It is all relative.I would rather be in a tent with the great love of my life,than in a palace with someone else.
So I guess you can be miserable in one way,ie physically uncomfortable and lacking in material things,but blissfully happy,because next to you when you turn is your great love.

I have stayed in some of the best hotels in the world,but nothing and I do mean nothing compares to the night under the stars,with not even a tent,spent with  the person I have loved more than any other.
It is a complex thing,that we call happiness.But then humans are complex beings!!!!!!!

[brokeplex]

Thoreau certainly led a life of desperation, and I agree with him on taxes.

[Front-Ranger]

A new study of nearly 5,000 people finds those who are members of social networks, like BetterMost, are not only happier, but that happiness spreads from friend to friend, and to friends of friends!

[Front-Ranger]

Reviving a 10-year-old poll because. . .well, the subject is evergreen, isn't it? I came across this upward spiral of happiness recently. I think it makes a lot of sense. And, surprisingly, it begins with. . .sleep!

"Upward Spiral of Happiness"

Everything is interconnected. Gratitude improves sleep. Sleep reduces pain. Reduced pain improves mood. Improved mood reduces anxiety, which improves focus and planning. Focus and planning help with decision making. Decision making further reduces anxiety and improves enjoyment. Enjoyment gives us more to be grateful for, which keeps this loop of Upward Spiral of Happiness going. (Enjoyment also makes it more likely that we exercise and be social which makes you happier.)

 

[Front-Ranger]

“According to a study of 5,000 people by psychologists Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert of Harvard University, adults spend only about 50% of their time in the present moment. In other words, we are mentally checked out half of the time. In addition to measuring when people’s minds were wandering, the scientists collected information on happiness levels. They found that when we are in the present moment, we are also at our happiest, no matter what we are doing. In other words, even if you are engaging in an activity you usually find unpleasant, you are happier when you are 100% consumed in that activity than when you are thinking about something else while doing so.

Why does the present makes us happy? Because we fully experience the things going on around us. Instead of getting caught up in a race to accomplish more things faster, we slow down and are actually with the people we are with, immersed in the ideas being discussed and fully engaged in our projects.
By being present, you will enter a state of flow that is highly productive and will become more charismatic, making people around you feel understood and supported. You will have good relationships, which are one of the biggest predictors of success and happiness.”  "6 Secrets to a Happy Life" Time Magazine

[CellarDweller]

I don't agree that  "the mass of men" lead that type of life.

Sure everyone has their bad moments, but I don't believe that the majority is living a life of desperation.