“Life? Don’t talk to me about life.”
-Marvin
“The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time.
There ain’t nothin’ to it, any fool can do it!”
James Taylor
Or you could listen to Cohen the Barbarian:
“Hot water, good dentishtry and shoft lavatory paper.”
There is no secret, unless you think the oyster is in on it.
From ‘What God Said’ by the Uninvited:
"I talked to God and God said “John,
I let them kill my only son
And my creation’s so undone
That I can’t help out everyone
But if you’re looking for advice
You don’t need to ask me twice
Start with the basics: just be nice
And see if that makes things all right.”
It’s the easiest thing in the world. Be nice to others, don’t tolerate those who aren’t nice to you. If you’re unhappy in your situation (work/relationship/friendship/home) stop being in that situation - even if you don’t know what situation you’re going to at least you’ll be out of one that makes you unhappy.
And have a sense of humor. You’re an idiot and a fool just like everyone else. No point in taking it all that seriously.
No one’s said money yet.
I would like to refine my SOL;
STRIVE to be happy, and try to contribute in making the world a better place.
MyFootsZZZ, you may do well to read about the paradox of hedonism first.
In a nutshell, striving to be happy is a recipe for failure. The more you “strive”, the more disappointed you will be. The best way to be happy is to be completely unintentional about it. Happiness comes when you aren’t looking for it.
And I think “happiness” is not realistic most of the time anyway. I am happy a couple of times during the day–like when I watch a funny cat video on youtube or after I take a delicious first bite of something. Most of the time I’m simply content. I’m not in any pain. I don’t have unmet wants or desires. I’m satisfied. But I’m not elated either. Which means that I can really appreciated those moments when I AM on top of the world.
Hmm, well I’m actively working on being a happier person and it seems to be working. But perhaps the word “strive” should be replaced. Do you have any better suggestions?
I don’t know what the secret to life is, if there is such a thing, but I try to just live in the moment as much as possible. It’s not always possible, but I do feel the most content when I am able to do that.
And be kind to people. That has lots of rewards.
Do what feels good. If you target activities that you know will make you feel good, you’re not striving towards anything but feeling good in that particular moment in time.
Like, I took a 5-mile hike yesterday because I know my body enjoys the feeling of a good long hike.
Afterwards, I picked up take-out from my favorite restaurant. Their food always makes me feel good.
However, I don’t target activities that will make me happy. Whenever I try to replicate the happy moments I experienced previously, my attempts always disappoint. And the reason for this is simple: Those “happy” moments were purely spontaneous. They were moments that I didn’t intend to be especially pleasurable or fun. They just worked out that way. And usually it doesn’t even occur to me that the experience made me happy until long afterwards. So I delude myself by thinking I can ever deliberately recreate that experience again.
To me, experiencing good feelings is not the same thing as “HAPPINESS!!” I can feel good in one moment and crappy in the next. I can experience good and bad feelings simultaneously and not be contradictory. But happiness is a much more ambitious goal. It doesn’t allow for nuance. If I’m happy and sad at the same time, I might just be experiencing a mental illness. I’m confused, at the very least. “I’m a happy person!” is a much grander statement than, “I’m feeling good right now!” I know what good feels like. Happy? I don’t know. “Happy” has to have some distance and perspective to be appreciated.
I guess if I had to come up with a “secret” to life, it would be to define life as whatever you’re experiencing in the moment, right now, rather than whatever other abstract concept of “life” you have in your mind. Do you really think your cat is striving to do anything? No. He’s just doing what he does and enjoying whatever happens in the moment.
Ninja’d by not what you’d expect
Add something to that about not hurting others, and I’d agree.
Three-step path to happiness:
-
Be happy with yourself.
-
Be happy with others.
-
Be happy with yourself + others.
“Enjoy every sandwich.”
-Warren Zevon
Acceptance and freedom.
The secret of life is to study life itself. To know or try to know how the Universe works etc. That is already enough meaning to life
The Secret of Life isn’t in the big things. It isn’t in the grand and glorious things.
It is in the small moments, piled one atop the other.
Small moments piled up make a big thing
1.) Buy Life Insurance before you end up with a car full of pink and blue pegs.
2.) It’s made with cassia, not real cinnamon, no matter what the label says (and what Mikey believes).
3.) It’s fun to make “traffic lights”: and 1/4 lightspeed rockets
4.) They were selling subscriptions at WAY below cost. And giving too many mailmen hernias.
Small moments piled up make a big life.
Life happens to others while we live.
I want this on a t-shirt.