How happy are you?

[CoffeeCat]

Poll question: How happy are you?

On a scale from 1-10 (10 being extremely happy, 1 being extremely unhappy) rate how
happy you are.

What do YOU think is/are the key(s) to happiness?

[Cleita]

1. Who cares!

Happiness has never been a large motivation in my life. Survival has.

[Lady Effingbroke]

6. Happiness is an illusion, like love and friendship.

Survival is reality.

[Warren DeMontague]

7. Jeez, that's a cheery way to look at things.

Life is about much more than survival.

[Lost-in-FL]

12. Huh?

:crazy: Life is about much more than survival??

[tinfoilinfor2005]

16. Survival is about the vehicle. Happiness is about the passengers who

travel with you in that vehicle.

Things have only made me temporarily happy. The people I love bring me the greatest happiness.

[Warren DeMontague]

18. Yeah.

What part of that statement don't you understand?

[Lost-in-FL]

21. I'm just saying...

I have never seen a dead person that is happy. But that is just me.

[Warren DeMontague]

27. Perhaps I should have included the word "just".

As in, life is about much more than just survival.

Unfortunately, I've have a few people pretty close to me die- and as tough as that is for those of us left behind, I can say without a doubt that I've never seen a dead person that seemed (because who knows, really) un-happy, either.

[Katherine Brengle]

13. Not really.

When it comes down to it, life is 100% about survival - the other stuff is just whatever we think we need to survive.

[Warren DeMontague]

17. So, you're never going to die?

Funny, because pretty much everyone does, eventually. So "Survival", as a long-term purpose to life, ends up being pretty meaningless.

Oh, I'd be the first to say that you're not going to have much of a life if you DON'T survive, but to argue that that is ALL life is about... Well, it's a fairly bleak fucking outlook, if you ask me. Music, art, love, enjoyment, personal fulfillment, helping others... etc. etc. etc. if those are "illusions", I'll stick with illusion, thanks.

Here's another point, if capital-S SURVIVAL is all it's "really" about: Scientists have pretty much ascertained that we could extend our lifespans by decades- perhaps several decades, merely by doing one simple thing: Reducing our caloric intake to bare substinence levels. Keep your body just above starving, and you'll Survive a lot longer, apparently. If SURVIVAL is all it's about, why not do that?

Why not? Because for most people, life is about MORE than just "surviving". It's a short trip for everyone, and EVERYONE gets off the boat eventually. Some people like to spend the trip miserable, but not all of us.

[TahitiNut]

26. Climb that pyramid, Cleita.

[Lady Effingbroke]

28. I look at that pyramid.

I realize I'll likely never make it past Level 2 (I'm barely there right now).

Of the four items mentioned, I only have one at the present time (shelter), and I'm lucky to have that.

Job security? Retirement plan? Insurance? GMAFB! Not in today's economy, not for me, anyway.

Oh, well.

[Cleita]

30. In my case reverse it.

I just turned sixty seven. I've been a widow for two years. I am looking forward to what few safety nets I have left and contributed to all my working life being suggested as a possible altermatives to Congress being stubborn about BushCo's need for more money.

Guess What. When that time comes I will have no problem killing myself. I will make sure that it is on the steps of some politician's office.

[Skittles]

2. personally, I think you have to be able to ignore a lot of stuff to be happy

I find it very difficult in general to be truly happy in a world in which thousands of children starve to death daily

[Mojambo]

3. Currently 2.

I sometimes get to 4.

[sandnsea]

4. In a capitalist society - money

It can't guarantee pure happiness, but I damn well guarantee a life of stress and tears and heartache without it.

[MorningGlow]

5. At a 6 right now, I'd estimate

What keeps me from being at 10? Fear--money fear--fear of being in debt, fear of not being able to pay bills. Sure the economy is doing great. Riiiiigghhhtt... :eyes:

Other than that, I'm good! :hi:

[noamnety]

8. I think the key is

Knowing you are helping others
(and a little bit feeling appreciated for it)

I can't think of much of anything that's more satisfying than finding out you made a difference in someone's life.

[blues90]

9. Put me close to a 1

Why , because I can't find a job and my wife is disabled . Yes we love eachother still after 27 years together and this is about all that keeps me going .

I developed once again massive anxiety and panic attacks and now am on SDI trying to somehow keep my entire body from shaking . People look at me like I'm getting off drugs or drink or that maybe I'm on both .

My 33 years of experience now means nothing in this high tech global economy and I am not interested in some tech career just in actual mind body work .

This BCF has ruined america now we are left to deal with what's left .

[notadmblnd]

10. In my personal life... I'm fairly happy

Politics and the injustices in the world make me extremely unhappy.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

11. Solid 6.5 here. Rounded up to 7 for the poll. Spent a lot of time at 1 over the last three years.

A level 10 for me is impossible, due to awareness, but hitting an 8, every so often, would be great. :-) MKJ

[krispos42]

14. Extremely unhappy... but I have a bad cold, so I'm kind of biased... n/t

[stillcool]

15. Happiness is like a ..

shooting star...I kind of know why it occurs but I have no control over the timing.'Contentment' I can affect with my thinking... sometimes...happiness is a pure gift.

[DireStrike]

19. Accomplishments and meaningful social relationships. Overcoming problems.

So simple. So difficult.

I'm a 4 by the way, on the way up.

[NJCher]

32. That's it

So simple. So difficult.

The problems are there for us to overcome. They become overwhelming if we don't have personal happiness. Happiness comes from our loved ones, satisfying, challenging work; avocations that round out our life.

Once in a great while, we will be instrumental in solving one of those "big" problems. That leads to satisfaction.

To say that we can't be happy because of the enormity of the problems misses the point, I think. The point of life, that is.



Cher

[Warren DeMontague]

20. It's not "cool" to be happy.

:eyes:

[Lady Effingbroke]

31. I am not unhappy because it's "cool" to be unhappy,

I'm unhappy because my life sucks, and has for quite a long while now.

Nothing I have done to change my situation ( such as going back to school) has truly worked to alleviate my problems.

[Warren DeMontague]

36. I'm sorry to hear that.

Really, I wish you luck.

[undergroundpanther]

22. Key to happiness?

Not being abused not being threatened hurt raped terrorized as a kid and as an adult.

The key to happiness is ending people caused abuse and trauma.In the home school culture.For bullying has got to stop,child abuse spousal abuse,boss abuse all abuse MUST stop.And our cultural taboos,scapegoating of the wounded, and denial about the harm this issue creates must STOP.

Because it ruins lives.And some things you cannot "get over it"
Evidence? Here:
http://www.acestudy.org/aboutacestudy.php

Want to be happy don't be a bystander or perpetrator concerning abuse.
Don't"tolerate" abusers.

[Quantess]

23. Politics affects my mood less now than it did a few years ago.

The Bush Admininstration spoiled my mood back in 2003 to 2004, but now I guess I'm so jaded by the horrible Bush & co, that none of their rotten ways affect my mood that much anymore.

[TahitiNut]

24. Sounds a lot like the doctor asking how severe the pain is.

:dunce: Yep. Same 10-point scale.

[americanstranger]

25. I'm pretty happy.

Working hard, being as creative as i can be, have a great wife, house, animals, bills are paid.

Pretty happy. But I'll be happier when I don't have to look at a certain cretin every day.

- as

[Lilith Velkor]

29. Learning new things every day

...and frequent masturbation.

[MedleyMisty]

33. I voted 10. And I was honest

I'm married to my best friend, I have three lovely and sweet cats, I have all the material things I could need or want (turns out last time I posted our annual income I was a bit wrong - my husband handles the money and he tells me that one year we actually made around $40,000, although it'll be lower this year because he's just working part-time.) and I work for a local company that treats the employees like humans and my job is self-directed and self-sufficient and low stress.

It's not like I haven't been suicidally depressed, and I know that things aren't probably going to be this good forever. But I'm going to enjoy it while it's here. :)

As for my overall definition of happiness - compassion, living in the moment, knowing that the universe is going to go on creating and destroying and there's not a damn thing you can do about it so you might as well go with the flow - your usual Buddhist philosophy stuff. :)

It's not that I'm not aware of how much humans in general suck and how much suffering there is. I am constantly aware of it. You just have to detach yourself from it - not as in not caring about it. I get in trouble on other message boards for caring too much and making people who'd rather bury their heads in the sand uncomfortable. I guess I mean more just realizing that I can't save everyone and stop all the pain instantly. I do what I can and treat everyone with compassion and love and empathy, and that's going to have to be good enough unless I get declared Ultimate Dictator of the World or something.

[Skittles]

34. I'm not able to "detach myself" from so much misery

and I'm grateful for that

[Humor_In_Cuneiform]

35. Happiness is so relative. The first day of feeling better after

being sick I am happy.

The day * "won" the elections, either 00 or 04, I was so not happy.

When a problem in my life is resolved, I am happy.

If I've recently faced a really huge and serious problem, and I find a moment of peace and tranquility and a little fun, I am happy.

After the 06 election I was happy, because hope had returned in my opinion.

If I hear too much bad news about all the bad stuff in the world, and I'm going through a lot of stuff in my personal life, I get really unhappy.

I tell myself that my suffering by hearing all this doesn't help me OR the people in the world who have mega problems, and I give myself permission to not suffer needlessly in this way. If I can let it go, knowing I've done all I am capable of at this time, I feel more happy.

I chose 6, maybe just cause I could not accept being on the "unhappy" side, despite all the stuff in my own life and in the world.