Tuesday, January 17, 2012

A Critical Mind and An Embracing Heart

Human beings and happiness seem to have a love-hate relationship with one another.  Seldom do the conditions of our happiness sustain, and we often find ourselves busy trying to create or discover the elusive state of being which paints our life in a vibrant flow of uplifting color.  Some days, the sun rays hit the canvas of our reality just perfectly, illuminating life and creating wonderful sensations of warmth and comfort.  Other days, the sun disappears, as a shadow of doubt is cast over the bright possibilities that exist beneath the clouds.  On rainy days, we stay indoors, protecting ourselves from the storm in the confines of our dwellings.

As we notice the contrast in life, we compare the perceived value between what we have experienced in the past with what we are experiencing in the present along with what we imagine can be experienced in the future.  According to this perception, we decide what we like and do not like, consequently determining what we want and do not want, directing our efforts to seek the former and avoid the latter.  Since our experiences tend to accumulate, so do our desires and aversions, and as the conditions for our happiness become more narrow, so does our happiness.  This is what seems to create the human dilemma of joy and suffering, the roots of which are planted in seeds of thought and attitude.

When our happiness becomes more limited and scarce, we evaluate its worth differently.  We begin to believe that it can only be attained and experienced under particular circumstances, and we desperately work to be able to afford it.  Sometimes, we simply cannot afford happiness as it no longer exists within the confines of our dwellings.  This is when the sage decides to stand in the storm, smile at the clouds, sing in the rain, and realize true happiness.