Is happiness really a choice???

Blue Pill:


  • Chooses ignorance and comfort: Represents a desire to remain in a comfortable, albeit artificial, reality.
  • Priorities: Safety, security, and contentment within known boundaries.
  • Happiness: Derived from external pleasures and distractions within the Matrix.
  • Fulfillment: Limited by the constraints of the simulated world.

Red Pill:


  • Chooses truth and freedom: Represents a willingness to face harsh realities to pursue a genuine existence.
  • Priorities: Truth, knowledge, freedom, and authenticity, even with potential risks and discomfort.
  • Happiness: Derived from self-discovery, purpose, and meaningful connections beyond the Matrix.
  • Fulfillment: Found in fighting for a cause, making a difference, and living authentically.

Key Points:


  • The Matrix presents a choice between comfortable ignorance (blue pill) and difficult truth (red pill).
  • The path to happiness and fulfillment differs for each individual and depends on their values and priorities.
  • Happiness within the Matrix is often superficial and temporary, while fulfillment outside it requires facing challenges and embracing authenticity.
  • The red pill offers the potential for a deeper, more meaningful form of happiness and fulfillment, despite the hardships it may bring.

Considerations:


  • The Matrix explores philosophical questions about the nature of reality and the pursuit of truth.
  • It challenges us to examine our own choices and what we value in life.
  • Happiness and fulfillment are complex concepts that may not always align with comfort and ease.
  • The choice between the blue pill and the red pill is ultimately a personal one, driven by individual beliefs and values.
 
sailormann said:
It is that easy, we just don't see it. You choose happiness as your default attitude - an attitude of gratitude. You do it as you would make a choice about what you want to eat. You pick the good from among all the other choices you have before you. The more you focus your attention on those things which make you happy (and overlook the rest) the more you realize you have to be happy about. And it grows from there. You find your blessings are more abundant than you thought they were, and happiness becomes a habit, and a conscious choice.
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I consider happiness and contentment two different things. I believe I did mention being optimistic and thankful. Chose to be happy places that burden on you and from my perception says if you are not happy you are somehow at fault and guilty. I enjoy my contentment and sometimes I am happy, but sometimes I am sad. No fake emotions are allowed here and no guilt because I don't feel the way someone else believes I should,
 
chic said:
Ultimately, yes it is but in certain circumstances self care is definitely advised. It's hard to try to choose happiness when you're wading through overwhelming stress and grief so don't. This is when it's time to take "me time" to recover enough so that choosing happiness becomes and option again. It's just too tough to jump from extreme to extreme and remain sane. I do feel happiness is within ourselves through our thoughts.

What is your take on this? Do you believe we are the authors of our happiness?
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Yes. It is very hard but we can choose happiness.
 
CallMeKate said:
I honestly don't think one can "choose to be happy." Either we're happy or we're not.
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Indeed, one doesn't choose to be happy moment to moment or wake up and start working on making faces trying to feel happy while not doing anything special. Instead one chooses to direct the course of one's life planning activities like a big Turkey dinner with family and friends. And next week going to a music concert with a person one loves.

Today is Sunday and Tuesday mr David at 6am, will drive east 4 hours for a most fun exciting ski day after a foot of new snow Monday night. Conversely towards less happiness someone else may spend much of their Sunday looking over horse racing betting websites, worrying about their credit card debt payments, and reading corporate financial reports or reading technical material for their next week of work.

Life is never just all play so one needs to take care of business, but happiness if intentionally sought and planned can be enjoyed enough to give significant value to one's life, given balance. My point saying happiness is a choice is directing ones life in balance between work, tasks, and having fun for greater enjoyable value. Another sad way too many find happiness is only by relying on alcohol, some drug, excessively eating becoming obese, and more things that directly affect pleasure in eventually problematic ways. At some point, one pays a price due to choice of behavior.
 
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Humans have the ability to take actions and make choices that contribute to their happiness. Engaging in activities that bring joy, fostering strong relationships, pursuing personal growth, and practicing self-care are all ways in which humans can create happiness for themselves. It's an ongoing process of discovering what brings fulfillment and actively integrating those elements into daily life.
 
David777 said:
Indeed, one doesn't choose to be happy moment to moment or wake up and start working on making faces trying to feel happy while not doing anything special. Instead one chooses to direct the course of one's life planning activities like a big Turkey dinner with family and friends. And next week going to a music concert with a person one loves.
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Yes, I see what you're saying, but like @DebraMae mentioned, I consider these things to be contentment, not necessarily happiness. The most unhappy soul on the planet can make that turkey dinner or go to a concert. I personally believe that true happiness is something that we cannot turn off and on. That person could be content about those planned events, but... well that just doesn't spell "happy" to me. 🤷‍♀️
 
There have been many times in my life when I could not be happy, or even content. I have been severely depressed and had panic attacks with an anxiety disorder. Just a year ago I developed Peripheral Neuropathy and wanted to end it. It has taken almost 2 years to even be able to contemplate my ability to enjoy life again. It is really tough at times, but I am mostly finding ways to stay inspired by life.

I will take anything that comes along. :) I mean it. I will go do what suddenly interests me, and get into a kind of flow with not being bothered. It is working most of the time now. I am very happy that I am happier now. But, there is no way I was happy for a very long time.
 
DebraMae said:
I consider happiness and contentment two different things. I believe I did mention being optimistic and thankful. Chose to be happy places that burden on you and from my perception says if you are not happy you are somehow at fault and guilty. I enjoy my contentment and sometimes I am happy, but sometimes I am sad. No fake emotions are allowed here and no guilt because I don't feel the way someone else believes I should,
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Let us live in a house of Harmony. From my head, May It be Happy, to my feet, May It be Happy, where I lie, May it be happy. All around me, May It be Happy. I am beautiful, and all is beautiful around me. It isn't a matter of success or failure, it's a matter of unmitigated Joy, and peace beyond compare.
 
CallMeKate said:
Yes, I see what you're saying, but like @DebraMae mentioned, I consider these things to be contentment, not necessarily happiness. The most unhappy soul on the planet can make that turkey dinner or go to a concert. I personally believe that true happiness is something that we cannot turn off and on. That person could be content about those planned events, but... well that just doesn't spell "happy" to me. 🤷‍♀️
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I think you are looking at the term in a narrow sense. Please read the following link. When my beloved mother passed away at age 85 in 2008, I was sad for over a year that affected my general life. As I mentioned above, for general happiness beyond momentary feelings, one must first rise about the lower issues presented in Maslov's Pyramid of Needs that is also referenced on the link. After my mother died, I was hopeless down at level 3 "Love/Belonging". Those in substance abuse or behavioral personality issues are down at level 1 "Psychological". Someone struggling with employment, legal issues, or danger from others, will be at level 2 "Safety". Thus as I noted, one must be above all that at levels 4 or 5 to attain a general level of happiness.

How Do Psychologists Define Happiness?
snippets:

While perceptions of happiness may be different from one person to the next, there are some key signs that psychologists look for when measuring and assessing happiness.

Some key signs of happiness include:
  • Feeling like you are living the life you wanted
  • Going with the flow and a willingness to take life as it comes
  • Feeling that the conditions of your life are good
  • Enjoying positive, healthy relationships with other people
  • Feeling that you have accomplished (or will accomplish) what you want in life
  • Feeling satisfied with your life
  • Feeling positive more than negative
  • Being open to new ideas and experiences
  • Practicing self-care and treating yourself with kindness and compassion
  • Experiencing gratitude
  • Feeling that you are living life with a sense of meaning and purpose
  • Wanting to share your happiness and joy with others...

Valuing the Wrong Things
  • Money may not be able to buy happiness, but there is research that spending money on things like experiences can make you happier than spending it on material possessions.
  • One study, for example, found that spending money on things that buy time—such as spending money on time-saving services—can increase happiness and life satisfaction.15
  • Rather than overvaluing things such as money, status, or material possessions, pursuing goals that result in more free time or enjoyable experiences may have a higher happiness reward.
 
Alizerine said:
Those bullet points sound reasonable but I don't think I can fully embrace a one of them at present.
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Maybe my mind just runs on a different track than others, @Alizerine , but I still think that most of those bullet points are what I would call contentment. I've gone through most of life being content with those things... but there were also periods of pure happiness and they're simply two different things to me. All that to say I agree with you. (y)
 
chic said:
Ultimately, yes it is but in certain circumstances self care is definitely advised. It's hard to try to choose happiness when you're wading through overwhelming stress and grief so don't. This is when it's time to take "me time" to recover enough so that choosing happiness becomes and option again. It's just too tough to jump from extreme to extreme and remain sane. I do feel happiness is within ourselves through our thoughts.

What is your take on this? Do you believe we are the authors of our happiness?
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No, I don't believe this. We can do things that scupper our happiness, make bad decisions etc. But we can't just decide to be happy, Doing so usually involved others, and you're relying on them wanting the same thing you do. We also, as a species, tend to take immediate pleasure over long term pleasure.
 
So let's take a minute and look at that proverbial glass of water. Is the glass half empty, or is it half full? Is there something lost or something gained? My attitude is one of gratitude, fulfillment and completeness. It is what I expect from life, and the way that I imagine life to be. Most times my glass is not half full or half empty, or half of anything, but instead is running over. And it is everything to me. It is my world, my universe, my very existence as a conscious breathing, seeing, hearing, tasty touchy feely human merely being. The glass represents my life, and my life is full to overflowing...

I am blessed, I understand this, but it is a choice I make to accept the blessing. I could decline, choose not to believe in it, distract myself in so many unprofitable ways, but I make my choice every day and numerous times throughout the day when I pray and thank the Great Spirit for giving me this amazing gift of Life
 
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sailormann said:
So let's take a minute and look at that proverbial glass of water. Is the glass half empty, or is it half full? Is there something lost or something gained? My attitude is one of gratitude, fulfillment and completeness. It is what I expect from life, and the way that I imagine life to be. Most times my glass is not half full or half empty, or half of anything, but instead is running over. And it is everything to me. It is my world, my universe, my very existence as a conscious breathing, seeing, hearing, tasty touchy feely human merely being. The glass represents my life, and my life is full to overflowing...
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I was pondering this same line of thinking and came up with this...

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