Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Inner/outer circumstances and happiness

I just saw a post with great emphasis on the importance of ‘getting wealthy’.

I did not like being poor. I wouldn’t want to be again, for sure.
But the funny thing is: getting rich (or what many would consider rich) did *not* actually make the worry about money or anything else go away. You think it will, but it doesn’t.
And at the same time you have people who have nothing, who are happy and don’t worry.

All your feelings, happiness or fear, all comes from inside you. You can change your outer circumstance from here til doomsday, it doesn’t change anything important. Only your thinking and inner conditions (inner conflicts etc) really influence your life.

To some this may sound hippy-dippy, but it’s a very clear experience, and fits with what countless wise people have said over the ages.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Very good thoughts.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Thanks, Amos.

Ken Bushwalker said...

I agree. For me being poor wouldn't be pleasant, but once I have an income that doesn't cause me problems then I'd rather do what makes me happy. For various reasons I'm going to work 3 days per week. As I'm reasonably well paid, I will have a better income than many people and a lot less stress.

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

Quite.
As many readers know, I had a quite successful web business. And some of my colleagues/competitors, who earned even more than me, spent their time working their asses off and building empires, more web sites. And if that makes them happy, god bless them, but I would rather have the time to take my walks, slack off a bit in cafes, enjoying movies and books, and thinking and fiddling with art and hobbies.

Even so, the essence is that one can do anything or nothing, happiness depends on the relative presence or absense of inner conflicts. Lord knows they are not at all easy to deal with, but somehow one must.