Whose fault is it anyways?
"Why aren't I happy?"
"Why am I not good?"
Rarely, do people answer these questions with the correct answer. The answer always goes to the wrong pronouns: you or them.
Happiness and goodness are, for the most part, internal. There are short term circumstances beyond one's control: a loss; hurtful words or bad behavior on the part of another person that upsets you by interfering with what you want or expect to happen; or contrived circumstances like a Hollywood movie (someone coercing you to take part in a crime). For the most part, we are the prime cause of our own happiness and goodness, and also the prime cause of our misery and evil. We are with ourselves 24/7/365. No one else is.
"I am in misery and it is your fault" is rarely true in a free country. "I am evil and it is your fault" is also rarely true in a free country.
Since happiness and goodness are internal, no external thing can make you truly happy or good. Some counselling, medications and other treatments may help with impulse control, but gaining control of impulses is also largely internal. Putting it another way, what good person would allow his poor control of impulses harm or distress others?
If you focus your attention on doing good and not distressing other people, you will find that your happiness and sense of goodness will increase. If you focus on your misery and justify your evil, your happiness and sense of goodness will decrease. It's that simple.
"Why am I not good?"
Rarely, do people answer these questions with the correct answer. The answer always goes to the wrong pronouns: you or them.
Happiness and goodness are, for the most part, internal. There are short term circumstances beyond one's control: a loss; hurtful words or bad behavior on the part of another person that upsets you by interfering with what you want or expect to happen; or contrived circumstances like a Hollywood movie (someone coercing you to take part in a crime). For the most part, we are the prime cause of our own happiness and goodness, and also the prime cause of our misery and evil. We are with ourselves 24/7/365. No one else is.
"I am in misery and it is your fault" is rarely true in a free country. "I am evil and it is your fault" is also rarely true in a free country.
Since happiness and goodness are internal, no external thing can make you truly happy or good. Some counselling, medications and other treatments may help with impulse control, but gaining control of impulses is also largely internal. Putting it another way, what good person would allow his poor control of impulses harm or distress others?
If you focus your attention on doing good and not distressing other people, you will find that your happiness and sense of goodness will increase. If you focus on your misery and justify your evil, your happiness and sense of goodness will decrease. It's that simple.
posted by DocBrain at
4:21 AM
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