What is the happy life?

dysert said:

I suspect your view of eternity is quite different. Nevertheless, I'd take a forced happiness over an unforced unhappiness any day.

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Why would god have to strip you of your humanity for you to enjoy heaven (as per the bible) if heaven was truly paradise?

My view of course is that there is no eternity, not exactly pleasant either I agree and also I would prefer the forced happiness as well, but then again I would also prefer eternal hell than nonexistence

dysert said:

I suspect your view of eternity is quite different. Nevertheless, I'd take a forced happiness over an unforced unhappiness any day.

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Wow.


eudaimonia,

Mark

Tree of Life said:

Blessing is God's favorable presence that causes man to be joyful in all circumstances. It is contingent on nothing else other than the favorable presence of God. I say "favorable" to distinguish it from cursing, which is God's wrathful presence.

We can also speak of "blessings" in terms of gifts that God gives to promote man's happiness by bringing him into a deeper awareness of God's favor and presence. But "blessing" plain and simple is a relationship, not a material object.

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Okay, the blessings you mean are joy and happiness through awareness of God. That's an answer.


eudaimonia,

Mark

Eudaimonist said:

Okay, the blessings you mean are joy and happiness through awareness of God. That's an answer.


eudaimonia,

Mark

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To be honest I would be overjoyed if I was presented with actual proof of an afterlife. Or even just something I perceived as proof.

PsychoSarah said:

Why would god have to strip you of your humanity for you to enjoy heaven (as per the bible) if heaven was truly paradise?

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He wouldn't. I don't know how you got that impression, but I apologize if that's the impression I gave you. I expect to be enjoying heaven. What God does to me for that to happen is ok with me.

dysert said:

He wouldn't. I don't know how you got that impression, but I apologize if that's the impression I gave you. I expect to be enjoying heaven. What God does to me for that to happen is ok with me.

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Does not the bible say there is no unhappiness in heaven, no sadness, no pain, no anger...? How would you know if it was even pleasant to be there when you can't experience any of the emotions that would tell you it wasn't?

Eudaimonist said:

Okay, the blessings you mean are joy and happiness through awareness of God. That's an answer.


eudaimonia,

Mark

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Yes sir. And it's not just an awareness of God. It's an intimate loving awareness of God. It's an awareness of his loving and favorable presence. As James says, even the demons are aware of God but they are not for this reason blessed.

Tree of Life said:

Yes sir. And it's not just an awareness of God. It's an intimate loving awareness of God. It's an awareness of his loving and favorable presence. As James says, even the demons are aware of God but they are not for this reason blessed.

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Except I highly doubt that any of the things you feel connected you to said deity were direct interactions.

mark kennedy said:

I have had a lot of fun with this one, this is my first time doing this in a discussion forum so bear with me. The question is in two parts, What is the happy life? This should be reduced to a single word if possible but any serious answer is usually adequate. The second part is based on the first answer, how then ought men to life.

I have gotten some very interesting answers. A 15 year old girl once said that it was having the things you want, if you do you'll be happy. I thought that was a wonderful answer, I told her I hope she never loses that kind of honesty.

There is no right answer here, not really. This is just an interesting exercise. The best answer I've seen came from, not surprisingly, the ancient Greeks.

The exercise of vital powers along lines of excellence in a life affording them scope"​

Your thoughts...

Grace and peace,
Mark

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Very good answer. It just needs a minor modification:
it was always want the same thing you have, if you do you'll be happy.

PsychoSarah said:

Does not the bible say there is no unhappiness in heaven, no sadness, no pain, no anger...? How would you know if it was even pleasant to be there when you can't experience any of the emotions that would tell you it wasn't?

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How would I know if it was even pleasant to be there when I can't experience any of the emotions that would tell you it wasn't? Not quite sure what you're asking, but I'm guessing it's along the lines of, "how do you know if it's pleasant for there to be no sorrow if you can't experience sorrow"? Am I guessing right? If so, that seems like an easy question to answer. For instance, I know what sorrow is quite well. I'll also know that I'll experience the lack of sorrow in heaven. Even with my current imperfect knowledge I know I would prefer the lack of sorrow.

I've cried buckets on earth. In heaven there will be no crying. I know already that I'll prefer not feeling those emotions that drive me to crying.

Maybe I don't really follow what you're saying. The bottom line is, if there's a good emotion I want it. I don't need its opposite to tell me that I'll find the good emotion pleasant. (You don't have to eat dog food in order to enjoy a steak.)

mark kennedy said:

Oh I don't think that atheists are evil, just wrong about some things.

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Fair enough.

They are famous for being really passionate about things. Socrates in Phaedrus had to ask his friend what he said during an oration because, he said, he was in an ecstasy. It's like Germans are famous for metal and math, it's not a stereotype, they really have some kind of natural inclination toward it.

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Well I don't trust such stereotypes. What Socrates did is irrelevant... Socrates isn't all Greek people.

Dear mark kennedy. To accept life in whatever form it treats you, makes for a contented life, change what can be done without hurt to yourself or anybody else, and make the best of it. Then ask Jesus to lead you, and remember what God wants from us: Love God with all your being, and love your neighbour as you love yourself/treat all you know or meet as you would love to be treated.
If you stumble, get up and ask God to forgive you, and carry on loving and caring. With God by our side, what or who can be against us?
I say this with love, mark. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

It's an interesting and simple question, but it doesn't have a simple answer imo.

I'ld say the road to hapiness is bumpy and conditional, and most likely also unique to most individuals. So I feel like I can only answer it from my own perspective.

First, to be truelly happy, I think I require 2 societal things: peace and stability (at least in my immediate environment). And I mean that in the broadest possible way, so including things like respect for human rights, tolerance, etc.

Next, I require money. Money doesn't buy hapiness though and it's perfectly possible to be filthy rich and be unhappy. However, I think achieving true hapiness while having to worry every month how you will feed your family is a difficult task.

Next, I require friends and family. I could not be happy while lonely.

Next, I require some activity that I deem fullfilling. This can be a job or a hobby or both. I'm a software engineer and love my job. My job is to make the job of others easier, to help them become more productive. Or in the words of microsoft: "the help them achieve / maximize their potential". I'm not in it for the money. I'm in it to offer solutions for other people's problems.
I also play the drums, which I consider the best way to express myself emotionally. I also enjoy very much to play at events like fundraisers and stuff, which gives me again that feeling of being helpfull.

I think that's about it for me.
I consider myself to be happy - eventhough I also have my own problems (who doesn't?).

To sum up:
I love the place and country I live in.
I love my job.
I love my friends and family.
I love playing the drums.
I have enough money to not have to worry about it.

Could I be even happier? Sure. But I have no right to complain, considering how many people are living in misery.

DogmaHunter said:

peace and stability [...] money [...] friends and family [...] some activity that I deem fullfilling

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That's a good list. Well done!


eudaimonia,

Mark