AlphaAbundance

If happiness is unconditional why do anything?

39 posts in this topic

In the concept of unconditional happiness it seems like the only thing worth doing would be to work toward unconditional happiness (like through enlightement) than maintain your living (food, water, shelter). So basically it seems like things like socializing, life purpose, business, entertainment, relationships, hobbies are all useless if happiness can be unconditional. This basically sucks my motivation dry anytime I think of it. So why do anything at all if happiness is unconditional (except working toward unconditional happiness and maintaining living conditions)?

Similarly, why not just pursue enlightenment and say fuck off to the rest of personal development and your life areas (social, career, hobbies, etc) as you will already be happy? Why not just sit down and do nothing every day? Is it that the joy from unconditional happiness great isnt that great of a feeling and other things provide some more upward curves? Does unconditional happiness just move the baseline?

Edited by AlphaAbundance

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3 minutes ago, AlphaAbundance said:

In the concept of unconditional happiness it seems like the only thing worth doing would be to work toward unconditional happiness (like through enlightement) than maintain your living (food, water, shelter). So basically it seems like things like socializing, life purpose, business, entertainment, relationships, hobbies are all useless if happiness can be unconditional. This basically sucks my motivation dry anytime I think of it. So why do anything at all if happiness is unconditional (except working toward unconditional happiness and maintaining living conditions)?

Similarly, why not just pursue enlightenment and say fuck off to the rest of personal development and your life areas (social, career, hobbies, etc) as you will already be happy? Why not just sit down every day? Is unconditional happiness that great of a feeling or it's of low enjoyability? 

Shouldn't you be more concerned about the ingenious fact that how only an idea or belief can make your life a living hell?


''Not this...

Not this...

PLEASE...Not this...''

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Why not be happy and do all those cool stuff...normaly we attach happiness to things,people etc. Thats not so wise paradigm...do it for other reasons


There is nothing safe with playing it safe.

 

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@Preetom Interesting. I was using hyperbole but that is still somewhat true. In a way I am concerned about it as I am seeking the truth of this matter.

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That presuposes that the purpose of things like socializing, life purpose, business, entertainment, relationships and hobbies are all to do with happiness; and that unconditional happiness trumps all those, so there's no point. None of those activities are conditional on happiness. You can do them for other reasons. Here's a few reasons:

To help others

To improve your skills

To distract you from boredom

To enlighten yourself

To learn about yourself

To bring joy to others

To earn more and more money

etc.


57% paranoid

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@NoSelfSelf What do you mean by happiness (a mild sense of contentment?)? Also what other reason would you have to do those cool things?

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 @LastThursdayLet's go through all of those, although I am being broad with happiness here

  -To help others --> Happiness (through compassion)

  -To improve your skills --> Happiness (through feeling achieved) or an to gain an accomplishment which is --> Happiness (through feeling achieved)

   -To distract from boredom (and move into what?) --> Happiness (through being stimulated)

  -To enlighten yourself --> Happiness (through knowing your existential nature)

   -To learn about yourself --> Happiness (through your curiousity being sated)

 -To bring joy to others --> Happiness (through compassion again)

-To earn more money --> Happiness (peace of mind, ability to do other things which bring happiness or depending on your motivation you may not find any)

-Etc --> Happiness/Joy/Satisfaction always

If happiness can be unconditional than it seems like all these become obsolete. Although how do you define happiness (a sense of contentment? rather than feeling stimulated from a conversation or feeling satisfaction, compassion through helping others)? In the end all these lead to happiness (as defined here) which leads to my original question.

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8 minutes ago, AlphaAbundance said:

@NoSelfSelf What do you mean by happiness (a mild sense of contentment?)? Also what other reason would you have to do those cool things?

The unconditional happiness that spirituality promises is not really a phenomenal experience.

It's a condition where for the first time you don't care about happiness. The dynamic of searching for happiness ceases.

And what do we call the absence of search for happiness?

It's called unconditional happiness


''Not this...

Not this...

PLEASE...Not this...''

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@Preetom Appreciation. My understanding on unconditional happiness increased although I have a few areas of confusion.

Is true unconditional happiness (a sense of searching for happiness) only that attained from spirtuality? Are there any other forms or ways for unconditional happiness (like practicing acceptance, etc)?

But still why do anything else when you are in the absence of searching for happiness?

Edited by AlphaAbundance

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19 minutes ago, AlphaAbundance said:

In the concept of unconditional happiness it seems like the only thing worth doing would be to work toward unconditional happiness (like through enlightement) than maintain your living (food, water, shelter). So basically it seems like things like socializing, life purpose, business, entertainment, relationships, hobbies are all useless if happiness can be unconditional. This basically sucks my motivation dry anytime I think of it. So why do anything at all if happiness is unconditional (except working toward unconditional happiness and maintaining living conditions)?

Exactly, you don't have to do any of those things, I can sit on my couch all alone and be happy, who wouldn't want it ? There's no reason to do anything, I'm not up to anything anymore, perhaps I am, I want to drink a coffee, this is my life's goal now.
 

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7 minutes ago, AlphaAbundance said:

If happiness can be unconditional than it seems like all these become obsolete. Although how do you define happiness (a sense of contentment? rather than feeling stimulated from a conversation or feeling satisfaction, compassion through helping others)? In the end all these lead to happiness (as defined here) which leads to my original question.

And they do, there's no reason for doing anything, you just do because you do, you have no agenda anymore

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@LastThursday Lol I am not in the unconditional happiness state right now. I am saying assuming such a state exist (like when you are awakened). Once you are at that point why do anything at all? 

Although thinking about it that is assuming that the effort of doing those things will be painful which won't be the case cause unconditional happiness but still why would you do whatever in the first place?

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@Dumb Enlightened Rather than maintaining your living conditions there would be no reason to do anything. Assuming you are unconditional happy, what do you do all day? (deepen this unconditional happiness through spirtual practice?) Is this happiness you have at the level of an sexual orgasm? (even if it's not in the same raw hedonic fashion, is it superior to a sexual orgasm, feeling stimulated from watching TV or feeling compassion from helping others?) What do you mean do because you just do?

Edited by AlphaAbundance

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3 minutes ago, AlphaAbundance said:

the effort of doing those things will be painful

Now you're getting closer. It's nothing to do with happiness, it's to do with the avoidance of potential pain (or suffering). But just think, if you are unconditionally happy, then suffering is gone, doing those things will be a cinch - you'll do them gladly and without effort and resistance.


57% paranoid

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Those are some good question. But I really hope you don't stop there and go further to seek what unconditional happiness really is. It can't be completely explained with a conditioned language.

11 minutes ago, AlphaAbundance said:

Is true unconditional happiness (a sense of searching for happiness) only that attained from spirtuality? Are there any other forms or ways for unconditional happiness (like practicing acceptance, etc)?

Enlightenment/Truth is the ONLY way through which unconditional happiness is possible.In fact they are the same thing. No amount of physical doing, psychological gymnastics will do the work. Never!

You'll have to clearly see how things really are.

12 minutes ago, AlphaAbundance said:

But still why do anything else when you are in the absence of searching for happiness?

It's impossible to talk about post-enlightenment state. Lets just say that 'you' won't be there anymore to do stuff and seek happiness. Other people might see you doing shit and searching happiness but that's their delusion


''Not this...

Not this...

PLEASE...Not this...''

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2 minutes ago, LastThursday said:

 

2 minutes ago, LastThursday said:

doing those things will be a cinch - you'll do them gladly and without effort and resistance.

@LastThursdaybut why would you do those things in the first place? 

I realized that while I am working toward this state of unconditional happiness I don't want to be suffering, bored, neutral, etc so I can seek these conditional forms of happiness until the point where I am unconditional happy. So it seems like one can have sex, watch TV, follow life purpose, etc while they are on the path till unconditional happiness because once it is unconditional they won't need it and while it the happiness isnt conditional they will want it.

Also still why would an unconditional happy person do those things in the first place? Do anything at all? 

@Leo GuraOnce you are (or if you already are now) unconditionally happy or enlightened why follow your life purpose or do anything with actualized.org?

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@Preetom Deep appreciation. Everything is much more clear now. I will definitely be on the path to actualize unconditional happiness (and once that happens I will probably understand this completely aswell). In the mean time do you think it's okay for one to pursue conditional happiness?

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Also in general, if happiness is unconditional and that is a possibility shouldn't one focus solely on actualizing that rather than any kind of conditional happiness (I guess they wouldn't know 100% if unconditional happiness does actually exist)

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6 minutes ago, AlphaAbundance said:

@Dumb Enlightened Rather than maintaining your living conditions there would be no reason to do anything. Assuming you are unconditional happy, what do you do all day? (deepen this unconditional happiness through spirtual practice?) Is this happiness you have at the level of an sexual orgasm? (even if it's not in the same raw hedonic fashion, is it superior to a sexual orgasm, feeling stimulated from watching TV or feeling compassion from helping others?) What do you mean do because you just do?

you may do exactly the same things you did when you were not unconditionally happy, I had a wife when I was unhappy, there's no reason to dump her now, the relationship will be better, cause she can't annoy me anymore, so we won't argue much,

It is not like a sexual orgasm, it's way better, the normal feeling is a deep peace, really deep peace, imagine if you had zero worries and zero problems, how would you feel ? And is not just it, I remember yesterday I was walking on the street and I would look at the people, but I didn't see 'them' it's like every one was so innocent and pure, you see beauty in everything, you see behind the 'masks' that people use, behind their names, and professions, and who they say they are, you see the best of them, if someone does something 'bad' you see that them didn't know any better, so you don't judge anyone, so you are in peace, and you see peace wherever you go, I felt some picks of feelings that I could describe as bliss, but the standard feeling is peace, at least this is my experience.

When I say you do because you do, I mean that you do what your body, mind, was programmed to do before, I won't all of a sudden start to play football, because I've never done that, but I can still watch movies and eat the same things I did before,,so the body/mind will still function the way they did before.

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