We're not put in the world to suffer
A good friend of mine has told me we're not put in the world to suffer. I believe that. This friend of mine certainly practices what he preaches. He hasn't "worked" in over a year. But he lives a normal life, nothing extravagant, but no denial of anything either. He worked hard through college, did a bit of traveling, and spent the few years after college working his butt off. And now he just doesn't work. He must do something for money, I just haven't fully figured it out yet.
Life isn't bad. But people in our American society seem to make it that way. For how much things have advanced, both in comparison to our society 50 or 100 years ago, and to other societies, things don't seem to be getting better. People are still getting sick and dying, people live lives of depression and uselessness. And most of us have the nerve to look at other countries and say how those people live such sad lives. They would be considered financially poor, but they are happy. Doesn't really make sense does it? I watch those National Geographic shows featuring different tribes, and those people are happy as can be. Their lives have meaning.
The thing that eludes me is how to live a life of complete and total happiness. Even though they say money doesn't buy happiness, to an extent it does. You couldn't live in our America without any money. I guess you could, but then you are denying yourself of some of the few and basic human needs. I don't think being homeless is a viable option. So the fact remains, you need at least some sort of minimal income to sustain any level of happiness. And I don't see our society regressing back to farmers and traders who have no concern for monetary gain, and only make consumable goods and trade for what they need.
I've said before, I'm not against working. Working is good for the soul. But for it to be good for the soul, you must enjoy what it is that you do. I've also said that I like what I do, which really means that I like using utilizing my talents. It makes me feel good, and it's satisfying to be productive. But sitting in a cubicle having superiors checking the clock to make sure I'm putting in my time makes all those good feelings go away. I need to find a new job where I feel like I'm doing something, and when there's a day where I just want to relax, they will let me, knowing that I'll make up for it later. That's what it should be about. People need to feel fulfilled, not used.
Life isn't bad. But people in our American society seem to make it that way. For how much things have advanced, both in comparison to our society 50 or 100 years ago, and to other societies, things don't seem to be getting better. People are still getting sick and dying, people live lives of depression and uselessness. And most of us have the nerve to look at other countries and say how those people live such sad lives. They would be considered financially poor, but they are happy. Doesn't really make sense does it? I watch those National Geographic shows featuring different tribes, and those people are happy as can be. Their lives have meaning.
The thing that eludes me is how to live a life of complete and total happiness. Even though they say money doesn't buy happiness, to an extent it does. You couldn't live in our America without any money. I guess you could, but then you are denying yourself of some of the few and basic human needs. I don't think being homeless is a viable option. So the fact remains, you need at least some sort of minimal income to sustain any level of happiness. And I don't see our society regressing back to farmers and traders who have no concern for monetary gain, and only make consumable goods and trade for what they need.
I've said before, I'm not against working. Working is good for the soul. But for it to be good for the soul, you must enjoy what it is that you do. I've also said that I like what I do, which really means that I like using utilizing my talents. It makes me feel good, and it's satisfying to be productive. But sitting in a cubicle having superiors checking the clock to make sure I'm putting in my time makes all those good feelings go away. I need to find a new job where I feel like I'm doing something, and when there's a day where I just want to relax, they will let me, knowing that I'll make up for it later. That's what it should be about. People need to feel fulfilled, not used.
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