Are you......happy?

[timewerx]

View attachment 163039

Maybe I'm insane after all! Who wants to be sane in times like that anyway.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

Thats right sanity is a mental block half of the time, depending on which state youre in.

 

[Armoured]

With all the troubles here and around the world it would seem that people should be stressed, anxious, or unhappy. Without regard to the conditions of the country or the world, are you generally happy, and satisfied with your life?

Until I start to think about it too much.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

The happiness dilemma.

Looks into the mirror... "I want to be more happy than you. But,.... cant you just love yourself for what you are?"

Happiness cannot be increased infinitely. Therefore, the search for happiness must come to an end.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Happiness cannot be increased infinitely. Therefore, the search for happiness must come to an end.

This is true, especially as one gets older (take it from me).

 

[quatona]

Happiness cannot be increased infinitely. Therefore, the search for happiness must come to an end.

At what point?

 

[joshua 1 9]

With all the troubles here and around the world it would seem that people should be stressed, anxious, or unhappy. Without regard to the conditions of the country or the world, are you generally happy, and satisfied with your life?

I was happy until someone left the door open and let this stupid fly in the house.

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. (SOS2:15)

 

[joshua 1 9]

Happiness cannot be increased infinitely.

God is infinite so for the redeemed life just keeps getting better and better. For the sinner they continue to go from bad to worse. This is almost a litmus test for me.

 

[kkcarter215]

Happiness for me is the deep peace and contentment I have in Christ. It's what I have before I start adding to my life the things of this world that cause stress, those things I have to deal with a.k.a. work, shelter, food, etc. These things are transient; Christ is eternal. I love Jesus and everyday I find new reasons to love Him. In Him I find happiness and that gives me the foundation I need to deal with the things of the world. This is the happiness in which we live that others see and desire. For me, this happiness flows underneath everything else in my life. Jesus is my happiness and my peace.

 

[beaverpond]

Now if I had found this thread a week or so ago I would have said yes, without a doubt. Now not so much. Whenever, family issues arise there is a lot of stress involved and no matter how many times you cast your cares upon the Lord, we keep taking them back thinking there must be something else we can do to try and fix things.

I know there is nothing that can be done, I need to just leave it in the Lord's hands and let Him do the work on all of us. It is a very long complicated story which I will not get into here, but neither my wife or I are very happy right now. We are struggling at the moment.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

At what point?

Psychotic mania? Its not fun.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

How come i like Christian online, but in the RW find them either snooty or cheesy?

 

[quatona]

Happiness cannot be increased infinitely. Therefore, the search for happiness must come to an end.

At what point?

Psychotic mania? Its not fun.

...because that´s the point when happiness can no more be increased?

 

[GrowingSmaller]

Well it depends people often regard elevated mood (like joy) as a sign of happiness, but too high a mood is dysfunctional.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

I doubt that more and more happiness is possible, we are machines and only capable of so much, or we are souls and God put limits on them.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

Christians are usually too "intelligent" to mix with me I found. I trawled churches and theres not much hope.

 

[Eudaimonist]

It's interesting that people are associating happiness with the intensity of some sort of mental pleasure. I don't think of it that way. Happiness is not fundamentally some sort of energetic mania, its fullest expression is fairly peaceful and calm.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[quatona]

I doubt that more and more happiness is possible, we are machines and only capable of so much,

That´s why I asked at which point you think people should stop striving for more happiness.
How much is "only so much", and how do you tell?

 

[kkcarter215]

It's interesting that people are associating happiness with the intensity of some sort of mental pleasure. I don't think of it that way. Happiness is not fundamentally some sort of energetic mania, its fullest expression is fairly peaceful and calm.


eudaimonia,

Mark

I agree with you whole heartedly. That's what Jesus meant when He said we receive peace that passes understanding. Overall, I am happy. I know life is just going to keep dealing me temporal pleasures and pain. So I need something that stays and stays with me and can't be taken from me by the various circumstances I go through day to day. There is an undercurrent of calm that flows through my day to day life that I can retreat to when I need it or just relax in and enjoy. And because it is always there, I can always count on it. This happiness and peace gives me strength.

But! This is a happiness I received - it isn't one I worked for. It came with the Holy Spirit when I chose Jesus as my Savior. It's both a gift and a tool I use to get through life.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

It's interesting that people are associating happiness with the intensity of some sort of mental pleasure. I don't think of it that way. Happiness is not fundamentally some sort of energetic mania, its fullest expression is fairly peaceful and calm.


eudaimonia,

Mark

Well for me it is down to upbringing "happy = smiling, cheer up".