Stop! Confucian Time
Two thousand years ago in China, Kong Qui and a few of his friends recreated the traditions of the Chinese people to come up with and idea of the fundamental principles of humanity. We here in the Western cultures refer to this as Confucianism. Now like all things that have been passed down through generation after generation it has evolved somewhat, but still holds true to its core principles, that assist people in living the so called good life.
We have to take a look at what Ancient Chinese Philosophies were trying to teach us about happiness. In an article from the Journal of Happiness Studies, Zhang and Veenhoven compare the Chinese versions of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism with the modern day conditions of happiness. And the winner in the Red Corner is Confucius, who’s teachings were voted most likely to lead to a happy life.
1. Invest our time in creating meaningful relationships and friendships:
A Confucianism view of life is built on the idea of ‘JEN’. This is defined as a concern for the well-being of others. So speaking in General, marriage and friends lead to happier life’s. Those who have someone to confide in seem to be the happiest.
2. Being involved :
People that belong to clubs, churches or some type of social organization lead happier life’s than those who do not participate in some type of social activities. Evidence shows that countries in which people have the densest network of friends are also those in which people are the happiest.
3. Success :
The wealth that we earn from doing something that we love to do creates much more happiness than slaving away in a dead end job that we do just to pay the bills. Generally speaking the more successful that you feel you are, the more happiness follows. Keep in mind that money doesn’t always equal happiness)
4. Enjoying Life :
Confucius concluded that moderate amounts of fun were acceptable and led to happier life’s. People that participate in pleasurable activities are happier.
5. Living Healthy :
Studies have proven that healthy equals happy. Eating good, exercising leads to healthier life’s which in turn will provide happiness.
6. Education :
The well educated seemed to be happier. But if you think about it, education relates to better employment which relates to happiness. Education in itself does not necessarily make us a happier person.
Having given all of this information we must still keep in mind that everyone has different goals. Not everyone’s main desire is to be happy, some may place higher values on other aspects of their life. Do some of these ring true for you? If so let’s hear what you got to say. Take Care all
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I like your post very much. It prompts me to offer food for thought:
1. Myth #1- Those who have someone to confide in are “happiest.” This view assumes people say what they mean and mean what they say. Not everyone knows or actually chooses to voice honest feelings. Not everyone learns how to understand themselves or to communicate effectively. Consider also Buddha, for example, is known to have achieved enlightenment. His way was to abandon traditional relationships assumed to bring happienss. He believed we can return to love and kindness by yielding ego. This is done within not with others.
2. Myth #2- People who interact with others are always “happy.”
At times, it is precisely interactions with others that lead people to judge, compare, self-criticize and nurture deeper negativity. Your attachment to competition affects your life and may convince you that you never have enough or shouldn’t feel satisfied. It is only when we realize that we can change the way we look at life, that we feel connected to others, that worry dissolves. You become a spiritual being first when you favor equality, tolerance, unconditional love and understanding. It is how we interact with others that determines whether we intensify or alienate happiness.
3. Myth #3- The more successful you are, the more happiness you feel. Consider this: people who evolve to realize their dreams of success don’t always discern that ego guides their path rather than soul. As such, your understanding of success and your sense of happiness affect each other. You can hold the wool over your eyes and feel you accomplish both when you may accomplish neither. As you learn to spearate yourself from the material world, or at least, cease to be controlled by it, success is grounded in directionality, or whether or not your choices enable you to return to your soul. Your attachement to people, possessions, status and self-worth are only a cycle perpetuated by your physical self. Our choices can also bring us to a more balanced sense of well-being. Some people believe we will die as we live, that is, on mindset and awareness.
4. Myth #4- Happiness is grounded in “enjoying life.” This depends on how you understand ‘enjoying.’ Is it interfering, causing harm, or doing anything that nurtures fear? Another way to interpret this is to sense happiness can be grounded in simplicity, spontaneity, impulsiveness and gestures of love that strengthen inner harmony.
5. Myth #5 Healthy always means happy. The outward appearance or manifestation tells us one thing. The inward view can say something else. Some people believe that if you are unhappy or imbalanced inside, this will lead to symptoms manifested as physical illness. If you see things this way, then feeling happy leads to good health and succombing to negative feelings leads to perception of illness. If so, you experience what you think about, not the other way around.
6. Myth #6- the “well-educated are always happier and education leads to better employment.” Notice this is a judgment based on conditioning. Some of the happiest people focus their lives on their relationship with something beyond themselves. Raising self-awareness isn’t the same as education, which is imposed or taught. Happy people are not necessarily educated by institutions, though they may develop ’street smarts’ and ‘worldly wisdom.’ In fact, people who are considered highly-educated suffer differently than people with less education. Priorities and perceptions differ. A sense of having, needing or wanting changes, along with equanimity.