Do we all need to stop and smell the roses?

Question

I was reading a highlight on my yahoo main page about world happiness and that is has risen in the past few years, partly due to women’s lib... do we all need to stop and realize that we are gaining in society and that all isn’t wrong in the world? I don’t know about you, but I have this looming feeling some days that we are headed in a downward spiral… I guess this has, for me, reinstalled some faith that things will be great if you let yourself see the great things!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/studyworldgetshappier

thoughts, feelings, rants...

Answer 1

Is there a drive through ?  " A dozen to go please !"

Answer 2

For the last 10,000 years, 99.9% of social gains have been because of men. Women have done little and it is high time that women admit it.

Answer 3

If we all learned to forget the past, stop focusing on the future, and learn to live RIGHT NOW, happiness would become nearly 100%.  We need to live our lives based up today being our last--doing the best we can in everything we do and remembering that the most important moment is right now.

Answer 4

^^^word^^^

Answer 5

I totally agree with "vrpgirl".

Happiness comes from within. You have to be where you are. The past is immutable and the future is fantasy. If you look for bad things thats all you're going to see.

I love that study. I've been saying that for years. Things are getting better all over the place for thousands of years. There's no reason to think it won't continue.

Relax Enjoy the ride.

Good luck.

Answer 6

Happy and love are two of the most misunderstood words. To quickly talk about love, in terms of sexual love, it is lust and respect for a person. In every other meaning, it is respect.

John Stuart Mill has a quote that goes some like "People who chase happiness never acquire it." There are three states: chasing happiness, giving up on happiness, and just being.

People that chase happiness persuade themselves to believe that religion, material goods, or temporary moments of pleasure equate to happiness. By temporary ending or relieving suffering by some means, they think they have found happiness.

People that have given up on happiness are pessimistic and have given into suffering.  To them, they are in quicksand and there is no way out.

People that just are realize that emotions are interpretations of the present through the observations of our senses. There is no attaching self to goods or using beliefs as a crutch. There is just being and riding the wave of life.  If they get something nice they admit to pleasure, but understand it isn't happiness.

Living in the now is important, but forgetting the past keeps us from remembering lessons we have learned. It keeps us from obligations because how we act and what we do doesn't matter. It will be forgotten when the moment is over. Dreaming of the future gives us hope of better things to come. It gives us goals.

Answer 7

Personally, I am happy and at peace in my life because of my faith and knowledge in the Holy Trinity.  It has nothing to do with any actions or lack thereof found in this world, but they failed to research that as a possibility for individual happiness.