The Nature of Sacrifice along the Path to Happiness

The Nature of Sacrifice along the Path to Happiness

Fact: each man wants to be happy. No man has ever planned to be sadder each moment.  No one ever walks towards being a lesser happy each day. No one ever prepare for tomorrow with bitter tears as the goal. All actions are for the intent to be happy.

How about those men who take the bullet for others; those who make sacrifices? How would that qualify as an action towards happiness? Does that not contradict the idea that each man intend to be happy?

There is a simple answer to that. The question presupposes a false dilemma.

1.       Sacrifice is not unhappiness. It is not misery. Sacrifice is not synonymous with sadness.

2.       Happiness is an end. While sacrifice is a means. It is just one of the means to the end.

Sacrifice is not something that takes away happiness. Rather it is a way with hope to attain or reinforce happiness. Much like when a merchant who needs to give-up something he owns in an anticipation that at the other side of the bargain is a package of more happiness. Sacrifice is an important undertaking towards happiness.   Sacrifice, though implying burden on the one making a sacrifice, simply doesn’t contradict a man’s want to be happy.  

We All Want to be Happy

We All Want to be Happy

Just be.

Objects of consumption can't be marketed without exploiting the human's idea of pleasure, contentment, and happiness. The element of improved well-being always comes in. To buy the product, people must be enticed to believe that the product they are about to buy is a well-packaged pleasure and happiness. People would not pay attention without the anticipated satisfaction upon consumption.

The nature of men is often baffling yet the reason behind it is very simple: all men wanted to be happy. Who would want to live in misery? The lingering dissatisfaction drives a man to act for good for himself. The sense of incompleteness pushes a man not to be idle in pursuing what might bring him pleasure or what might end his misery. That woman craving for beautifully crafted clothes, that child wanting his favorite ice cream, that neighbor who is about to hang himself to death, that rich old man who is about to pay for a young lady he can have sex with tonight and that evil dictator committing genocide to keep his power are all manifestations that men wanted to be happy. All men wanted to make themselves feel complete. 

Our nature is to be happy. However, humans are trapped in the idea that happiness can be achieved through the satisfaction of desires. So they try to acquire anything they think can give them what they want and then live happily ever after with it. But that is impossible. The fulfillment of desires may bring a sense of completeness but that ends sooner or later. To be totally happy, the only way is to realize that anything gained will only last in a short while.

True happiness can't reside on or in anything. What was gained will be lost. What was acquired will be dissolved. What was born will meet death soon. Happiness can't even reside in anyone. How can then true happiness stay? True happiness can only stay when it is realized that we are happiness itself. That is why it can't even reside in us because it is already us. The thought of incompleteness may persists but it is only in and by the mind. Without the mind struggling what happiness ought to be, there would be total happiness. True happiness is not even the idea of absence of sadness. It is beyond the idea of happiness. We are beyond the mind.

What is the Purpose?

What is the Purpose?

So I want a new car? A new pair of shoes? A sophisticated wristwatch? I can get them... I will go get them. All for the purpose of nothing but to make me feel better. I have countless desires. It includes getting my daughter to a high-end school and good and healthy life for my wife. Because not getting what I dream for them will surely cause feelings contrary to that makes me feel better.

In fact everything we do is aimed at making each step closer to being happier, isn't it? If not, then all the things we spend physical and mental effort are for naught. Everything we do is to dissipate or minimize entropy in our body. We try to stay as whole as possible, doing anything we can to ward-off sadness, humiliation, disgust, regrets and any feelings that is not associated with pleasure. We always aim to feel better and better.

Ramana Maharshi - the Sage knows what the Purpose is

There is nothing wrong with that. This just shows that it is our nature to be happy as much time as possible. It is our nature not to be consumed in sadness and to live a life with utter joy and comfort being free of worries, being loved, being noticed, being given importance, being considered, and being respected. We want happiness. Not just a glimpse of it. Not just a taste of it. We want it whole.

But why there are times no matter how we wanted the feeling of happiness to last, there is always a point where everything reckons back against the initial feeling of lightness. We even feel anxious that the current feeling of joy will end soon. Smiles turns to tears. Hope becomes despair. Sweet romance becomes hatred. Pleasure become pain. We never had what we really wanted. We just had a glimpse of it. We just had a taste of it. Never been ours wholly.

If it is true that our nature is happiness, then why can we not find a way to sustain it in a lifetime? What is the reason why majority of us spend majority of the time not feeling the "to feel better" thing? What is wrong with us?

Has anyone found the answer? That is the purpose.