Pursuit of Happiness

I feel great sympathy in the pain of my fellowman as he searches for happiness. He spends great amounts of energy, money and power, looking for happiness. He seeks to find happiness. He thinks that it is out there somewhere.

Happiness is like love, just one of our many emotions. It is not an item to get. I already have both; they are inherent in our mental and emotional makeup. The only question is how to put them into effect.

It has nothing to do with what occurs in the physical world. I can be suffering and still be happy, I have. In my six decades I have lived the high and the low. Not the highest or lowest, thankfully. I have learned that it is not in my best interest if I let the world negatively effect my emotions.

I can be happy, sad, mean, violent, and any number of emotions at any time. I decide which it will be, not you or any other experience. All my feelings and thoughts only exist internally, not out in the physical world. They are the only things that are mine alone, that no one can take.

Only I can make me what I am, not you, not them, not the past, not the future, just me. I have total and complete control.

It’s time to grab a hold and use the happiness (and love) that you already posses. It is already there, just use it.

You are personally responsible for every feeling and thought that you have. Only you can decide if you will be happy or not. I’m hoping that humanity will learn to see the strength in their innate abilities and learn to make better decisions.

A Man

[An older writing.]

A man is not bounded by the things that fates throw at him, but by the direction and intensity of his soul. A stout-hearted man is not is not tossed by the current and tides of public opinion, but follows his own path, sometimes through the briers, sometimes through the fields.

Though he is tugged at from all sides by gossip, fortune & ill will, the inner strength at his core supports him and allows him to brave the distractions around him and stay true to his course.

Every man at times in his life finds himself wandering away from his great path and it is up to his courage and inner power to return to the knowledge and truth that supports him on his quest. His path never ends because each fork in his path is a new beginning and a new chance to choose the way that will help him treat himself and his fellow man with dignity & honor.

Anger, hate, dislike, fear and ignorance conspire against him and he must always be on alert, Most of all ignorance. If he concentrates on these things, they will overpower him. He must not be searching for these things to destroy them, for they will destroy him. He must not seek to avoid the terrible and unpleasant things that he encounters. He must instead seek to learn the lessons that these things afford him.

A true man sees the good in all things and is able to learn from the trials that he encounters. He sees the beauty in all people and ignores the unhealthy thoughts and fears that others may, knowing or unknowing, throw in his way. He realizes that all men have a tendency to allow the force of events around them to affect him in negative ways. Some people have lost their way on their own path and wish to draw you with them, for their path is a very lonely one to follow. Do not be coerced or led astray. Do your best to show them that love, honesty & charity can guide them from their desolate path and bring them back into the warmth and light of a caring outlook.

They say that misery loves company, but that is also true of those with a good heart. We all want to share what we feel and it is up to us to decide which of these paths we truly desire to follow. Bad things happen to good or bad people. It’s only which direction that we let these things lead us that we are truly defined.

The most destructive thing to our character is the amount of negative energy that we allow our past experiences to color our view of the present. Our past is our worst enemy unless we use that past to learn what things we are going to present to those we encounter. We are not as we are perceived. Any lie that we hold inwardly is our true self. What we hide is what we are. A man with no inner secrets is a true man. A man, who sees things in himself that he would find offensive in others, is only lying to himself.

You must be what you wish others to be. You must give only that which you wish to receive. You must love to be worthy of love. And always remember, any faults that you find in others are only a reflection of your ability to truly care.

Surface Storm

Think of your emotions as you would the ocean. If you see the surface of your being as being stormy and wind-tossed, realize that like the ocean during a storm, all the violent action is only on the surface. Only the surface of your being is experiencing the turmoil. Like the sea, If you dive beneath the surface, you will discover that there is only peace. Do not let the appearance of your surface storm lead you to the belief that all your being is stormy. It is only your temporary surface storm that you are focusing on. The storm will pass. If you can remain safe within your inner calm, under the surface, the storm cannot affect you.

If people bring their storms and try to make you feel their turmoil, do not let their storm descend below your surface. You can temporarily let it whip up your surface. It will help you understand their problem, but do not let it into your underlying calm. If you can help them find their way into their own inner calm, you have assisted them more than if you had joined them in their storm. Help them see that their storm is only a temporary, passing reality.

Most people spend their whole lives sitting safely in their boats, floating on the surface of life, afraid of descending down into the depth of their souls. They are affected by all of the temporary situations that the surface of life presents them with.