Would you rather be happy or deep?

DX'd - Other
#1

There is this song that keeps playing on the radio called “Happy.” One of its lines is “clap along if you feel that happiness is the truth.” I, personally, feel that people who are, and always have been happy, and have never experienced any type of failure tend to be shallow and intolerant. Anyway, we’re all in for some unhappiness as we age, our bodies fail us, and we have to look forward to death, or any other number of things could happen to anyone at anytime. As far as happiness being the truth, Jesus said that, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” He certainly wasn’t happy all the time. Personally, I would like to be happier more often, and more intensely than I am, but I wouldn’t want to be 100% happy all the time. I think that if I was happy all the time, I would easily grow shallow and intolerant and arrogant.

So what do you think? Do you think that happiness is the truth? Do you think that struggling a bit here and there is good for the soul?

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#2

No, I don’t believe that happiness is truth, but given a choice between the two, I would choose happy.

But I do go along with this too.

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#3

I think you should shift your perspective a bit. I am happy because I am thankful for the little things in life and the universe, or God whatever your philosophical slant, will give you more to be thankful for. True happiness isn’t transient. It doesn’t come when things are good and leave when things are hard. Even struggles can be reason to celebrate. Who would you be without sz? I know I wouldn’t be stronger or kinder because I have fought horrific battles and was kind to myself. Is happiness truth? I think it depends on your perspective and definitions of those things. Keep searching you’ll find the answers. I’m on my own quest as well. :sun_with_face:

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#4

I think happiness is a truth and suffering here and there will let you know how happy you are and toughen yourself up,I would prefer to have both,a little more suffering and some happiness would be enough for me
You reminded me of a song from childhood,“if your happy and you know you clap your hand”,haha

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#5
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#6

I think with experience comes wisdom and with wisdom, according to scripture comes weariness. I believe happiness for whatever that happiness is for a person is relief from the weariness. that’s why I believe we will be happy ever after in Heaven because there is no sadness. There is my hope.

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#7

Happy is a fleeting emotion or state of mind - I can be feeling down do a line of coke or take some Ecstasy ( I dont do drugs) or swing into a euphoric Mania and Voila! I am Happy!!
Happiness like most emotions or mental states dont last long usually.
Now being content or satisfied is a bit different - these can last longer and usually are a bit more profound

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#8

There are different ways of being happy. As for the truth, it can be elusive.

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#9

I don’t think I know anyone who experiences a constant state of happiness - but I know ‘glass half full’ types and I think that’s a good way to be; it doesn’t protect against unhappiness or misfortune but I think positive-type people find it easier to be happy more often and are probably more predisposed to appreciating the things we would normally take for granted. They can also get through tough things a bit easier - for example, a friend of mine lost her job and wasn’t doing great financially - but she was like ‘well I still have a roof over my head and some food in the fridge so it’s okay’. Which actually leads me to think…what if she’d lost her home and had no food? Struggle (in moderation) might be good for the soul but too much of it probably isn’t. Maybe the same applies to good fortunate; I grew up with a friend who,at 21, inherited 2 million (and then another sizeable amount a few years later). Sounds like a dream to me…but all he’s done is be an alcoholic ever since.

Maybe it’s like most things…too much of anything isn’t good for you.

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#10

After drug induced euphoria
Manic euphoria
Fever induced euphoria…

Happy seems so small. I work towards content.

I believe people can be happy and deep. It depends on the person and where their happiness comes from.

Happy from external things… a new toy… a shopping spree… seems very fleeting.

Happy from internal … mastering a skill… finding the answer to a problem… achieving something we worked for… seems more lasting… ( I learned this from a very wise 6 year old niece)

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#11

It’s always have been about happiness for everyone. That’s what we all long for IMO.

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#12

I’d be happy with just being content.

#13

Nehemiah 8:10 Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength

Proverbs 16:20 Whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.

Happiness can be found in the Truth… Struggle can increase ones faith, give confidence, etc, but only if you overcome the struggle.
In the long run struggling can be good for the soul, but struggling/suffering too much and without overcoming the object of the struggle can be damaging and wear one down.

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#14

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses.

#15

But what about someone who is homeless and all alone and is freezing to death in the winter? What does such a person have to be thankful for, except that their misery will soon be over thanks to death.

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#16

According to the Roman stoics, expect the worst, and you won’t be disappointed. At least you won’t be caught off guard.

#17

id rather be happy and deep.

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#18

Sometimes being deep makes me happy sometimes it doesnt. But I like bieg happy and especially when my family is happy.

#19

personally i know people that are happy all the time and i cant stand them but i wouldnt mind being happier a lil more often. Being deep is overrated

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#20

Pretty much stole my two cents. Right on, @SurprisedJ . I think that happiness as portrayed by the media and culture is actually shallow and superficial. True happiness for me comes mainly from

and it does seem worthwhile. I find that my case is unique, my doctors say that I am an outlier among people with the illness, well they and other professionals think so, professors seem to think that I am an outlier in the population of us “accursed” as I like to say. The thing is, I didnt choose to be capable of functioning very highly, I am a bit stuck with it and have had to learn to love it. Like tonight I will read a chapter of a book my professor whose lab I am working in wants me to read, and tomorrow I start tutoring for the GRE. Tomorrow is also a 200 rep arms workout.

I don’t really take it that easy, I am sort of hard of myself because I know that I can do things that are daunting, but it makes me happy. Take powerlifting for example- I did that because I could, and I wanted it to be recorded and put on YouTube (which it is) so that I could disprove the notion that all medications make you fat and lazy. Powerlifting is insane. It is dangerous and I did get injured after one year of training, I was out of the gym for about two months and lost a lot of weight. I met juicers and assholes, later decided that I wanted nothing to do with them.

My happiness comes from academia and personal growth- doing my personal missions (mainly exercise goals, like this year I want to get to around 200lbs without going up a waist size) and making the grade in every class, performing in every discussion, often dominating discussions, giving presentations, writing papers, taking exams, ect.- it makes me content and feel a quiet and serene feeling of personal growth, fulfilling my potential.

I feel sorry for people who need to buy a bunch of crap or take steroids to be happy. People who love shopping- people who love drugs- people who crave attention- people who feel the need to hurt others- it’s all not okay. Doing what you are capable of, doing what you are passionate about and doing it well is okay. I support all sorts of passions, from military infantry to doctoral students- as long as it is what you love and good for society.

Now, for us, we have to be aware of our limitations. This is a very serious point; if we are not aware of our limitations, we are prone to episodes and relapses, prone to breaking and becoming unglued. I do not expect everyone to be as ambitious as I am, and I know some who are simply damaged from hard lives, yet they do their best, and that is exactly the same thing that I do- I do my personal best just like they do.

It’s like what Saks said in her book- we have to find the right life. The right life is unique to each and every one of us. I am sort of following the path of Fred Frese- however, I have a side job of being really muscular and proving that we can be athletes even on high doses of antipsychotics. Fred Frese was already done with that- he is a retired Captain of the US Marine Corps. He had been there and done that already. I myself find myself capable of being jacked, which is very rare for medicated schizophrenics, so I just make it part of my persona and part of my life.

“I’m part of you!” said the chicken breasts and rice I ate for lunch. LOL

But to answer the topic, I would rather be deep than just dumb and happy. I am more deep today than happy, and I prefer it, because the happiness I feel is more serious, it’s about worlds of pain and suffering making peace with the real world, it’s about heaven and hell, a godly person would say. A philosopher or literature buff would say that I follow the archetypal hero’s journey- how flattering. I have heard that from someone I trust before. Now I’m getting abstract. Uh oh! I need a citation! I need a statistic! I need data!

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