Reaction Paper 3

In the Fifth Part, the author argues that the main, central and only question that one should ask about his or her own life is: “Do you want to be happy?”. Meaning no matter the circumstances, the external factors and the choices that we have made or not made, none of it should be questionable except the decision to be happy or not. What the author means by wanting to be happy is that you would truly want to be happy no matter what happens, no matter the tragedies and difficulties in your life, because giving happiness certain conditions means that you would never truly be happy. Saying yes to happiness has to be unconditional, and it is the best and most direct path to achievement “Awakening”. Life will happen to you, it cannot be controlled. So the question is whether you would be able to stay happy, regardless of any events, and whether you will be able to enjoy life just because you’re living it. The author says to make it a game, because if you stay happy no matter what life throws you, you’re always winning.
They key to staying happy is to never close your heart, let everything that is negative go, and let the energy flow. Learn to find happiness in everything. Doing this exercise through meditation and discipline will purify your heart as well as your mind, and it would become easier and easier with time. Through this, the author argues that you could even transcend happiness and reach what can be described as the state of ecstasy or Nirvana.
This idea that someone could actually reach unconditional happiness is very beautiful to me. It sounds so idealistic, being able to achieve happiness no matter what happens to you and what can sometimes be susceptible to completely break you apart, but the way the author describes it sounds so simple and achievable. But I have a very realistic approach to life, and my logic is screaming that this is just impossible, that you cannot be expected to remain happy if someone close to you passes away for example, and it’s not for the lack of trying. I know this from experience, as I tried to remain as “happy” as I could after my best friend passed away a few years ago by continuously smiling, going out as much as  did before, and living my life the same it was before. The truth is, I didn’t deal with the grief, and I ended up having a breakdown a few months after it happened. Maybe it was just the way I approached it, but trying to be happy at the time only made things worse in the end., and only after truly dealing with what had happened was I able to move on.

I really did wish I believed that happiness could be achieved no matter what happens. I think it would make everything in life easier, especially the part where you would not be afraid of anything because you would be ready to accept it all. Maybe I should try what the author recommends through meditation anyway, and see what would happen. 

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