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How Can We Be Happy

This document discusses different perspectives on how to achieve happiness. It explores two approaches: 1) fulfilling wants through acquiring more means or possessions, and 2) reducing wants and desires through living simply with limited wants. The document argues that the second approach of reducing wants leads to more satisfaction and harmony. It notes that fulfilling unlimited wants does not result in permanent happiness as new wants continually arise. Overall, the document concludes that a peaceful spirit finds happiness through limited wants and simplicity rather than through constantly seeking to fulfill increasing desires and acquire more possessions.

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AJ Qazi
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131 views3 pages

How Can We Be Happy

This document discusses different perspectives on how to achieve happiness. It explores two approaches: 1) fulfilling wants through acquiring more means or possessions, and 2) reducing wants and desires through living simply with limited wants. The document argues that the second approach of reducing wants leads to more satisfaction and harmony. It notes that fulfilling unlimited wants does not result in permanent happiness as new wants continually arise. Overall, the document concludes that a peaceful spirit finds happiness through limited wants and simplicity rather than through constantly seeking to fulfill increasing desires and acquire more possessions.

Uploaded by

AJ Qazi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HOW CAN WE BE HAPPY, BY FULFILLING OR REDUCING WANTS?

HAPPINESS DEPENDS UPON OURSELVES; WE ARE WHAT WE REPEATEDLY DO.

(PLATO)
There are two ways of being happy: We must either diminish our wants or
augment our means - either may do - the result is the same and it is for each
man to decide for himself and to do that which happens to be easier.

(HERAKLEITOS)

WHAT ARE WANTS?


I just want to give an example of one the thousand of Wishes, Yearnings, Desires,
Cravings, Longings, and Wants that pop into our minds during the day. Wants are
parts of life.
Want/Desire is always for things, more money, more prestige, more respectability,
more knowledge, more virtue, a better place in the life after. These are all wants.
Wants can be millions because there are millions of things in the world which can
become object of want. A desire needs always an object.

THE BEST ULTIMATE AMONG TWO WAYS :


There are two ways to be happy or live happily the 1st is fulfillment of wants,
desires, wishes. The 2nd and the scholars/scholarly way by reducing wants.
you cannot be happy and satisfy permanently with fulfillment of wants,
because if your one want is filled other will repeatedly rise, when you fill that
another will rise, everyday you may have new wants and unlimited wants,
wants will never end.
I have chosen the best and intellectual way 2nd by reducing wants, which
means more satisfaction with limited wants.

If you are hedonist than your body-cum-soul needs fulfillment of wants.


But the fact is that soul is not materialistic it needs peace and harmony which
is found in simplicity and limited wants.
(JALAL-U-DIN RUMI)

Elaborated soul as heavenly being which steeped in nearness of God and Almighty
likes peace and harmony. Our soul needs peace and harmony it does not need
anything else like money, power, luxury.
Being a Muslim we should examine or look over the life and ways of prophets,
scholars, who have excelled in the world and got a higher reward that is because of
their simple lifestyle, pure and simple lifestyle means limited wants, and being
satisfied with what they have got.
According to Islamic study Islam teaches you just to pay thanks to Almighty for that
which you gave got.
Some scholars said more wants/ desires destroy your very soul.
Money has never made man happy, nor will it; there is nothing in its nature to
produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.
Other than Muslim all other religious and non religious scholars have selected the
best way and declare the best way to happiness is LIMITED WANTS and SIMPLE LIFE.
When a mans wants are boundless, his labors are endless.- they will set him a task
he can never go through, and cut him out work he can never finish.- the satisfaction
he seeks is always absent, and the happiness he aims at is ever at a distance.
Appreciating what we have dispels whimsical wants for more.
"I look at what I have not and think myself unhappy; others look at what I have and
think me happy." do you wish to be rich? The only way to do so is to be satisfied with
what you have. For those who are unsatisfied, regardless of the size of their bank
account, are poor indeed.
"The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the
mastery of his passions." and perhaps such mastery will reveal to us that happiness
comes from loving people and using things rather than using people and loving
things.

CAN MONEY BUY HAPPINESS?


Dont be too much concerned about money, because that is the greatest distraction
against happiness. And the irony of ironies is that people think they will be happy
when they have money. Money has nothing to do with happiness. If you are happy
and you have money, you can use it for happiness.
If you are unhappy and you have money, you will use that money for more
unhappiness. Because money is simply a neutral force.
I am not against money remember. Dont misinterpret me: I am not against money.
I am not against anything. Money is a means. If you are happy and you have money,

you will become more happy. If you are unhappy and you have money, you will
become more unhappy because what will you do with your money? Your money will
enhance your pattern, whatsoever it is. If you are miserable and you have power,
what will you do with your power? You will poison yourself more with your power,
you will become more miserable.
But people go on looking for money as if money is going to bring happiness. People
go on looking for respectability as if respectability is going to give you happiness.
People are ready, at any moment, to change their pattern, to change their ways, if
more money is available somewhere else.
Once the money is there, then suddenly you are no longer yourself; you are ready to
change.
This is the way of the worldly man. I dont call those people worldly who have
money, I call those people worldly who change their motives for money. I dont call
those people unworldly who have no money they may be simply poor. I call those
people unworldly who dont change their motives for money. Just being poor is not
equivalent to being spiritual; and just being rich is not equivalent to being a
materialist. The materialistic pattern of life is one in which money predominates over
everything.
The non-materialistic life is one in which money is just a means: happiness
predominates, joy predominates, your own individuality predominates. You know
who you are and where you are going, and you are not distracted.
Then suddenly you will see your life has a meditative quality to it.
But somewhere along the way everybody has missed. You were brought up by
people who have not arrived. You were brought up by people who were unhealthy
themselves. Feel sorry for them. I am not saying be against them; I am not
condemning them remember. Just feel compassion for them. The parents, the
schoolteachers, the university professors, the so-called leaders of society they were
unhappy people. They have created an unhappy pattern in you.
And you have not yet taken charge of your life. They were living under a
misinterpretation that was their misery. And you are also living under a
misinterpretation.

CONCLUSION :
A temporal man cannot be happy with limited wants and a peaceful sprit cannot be
happy with inadequate wants.

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