Every phenomena depends upon causes and conditions.
When the causes and conditions are present the thing arises. So if we understand and identify the causes and conditions for happiness, happiness arises.
This implies happiness is a subject of study. I argue it is life’s most important subject because, as Aristotle pointed out, happiness is the only goal we pursue as an end in itself and not as a means to something else. We don’t want the things we want — we want the feelings of happiness associated with them.
Happiness or suffering (or the myriad other classifications) are sort of the filters that assess our lived experience as good, pleasant, desirable or bad, unpleasant, and undesirable. So all in all it is the balance of happiness versus suffering is really the defining characteristic in assessing one’s subjective lived experience.
The “good life” so to speak is one with a greater balance of happiness to suffering. The quality of one’s life rises in proportion to this balance.
In this essay I make the case that your life task is to be the happiest person possible.
The Happiest Person Who Ever Lived…
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