I am very happy. I can tell you some of my personal thoughts on the philosophy of happiness:
1. The physiology of happiness
First– happiness starts in the body. To be physiologically happy is a necessary pre-requisite. For example, even if you were a trillionaire, but if you had horrible physical health, had no energy, was massively over-fat, no muscle … wouldn’t you feel miserable?
Then it seems we should prioritize the body and our physiology over our ‘mind’. My theory:
When the mind is unhappy, it is because the body is unhappy.
2. A more difficult life is a happier life
Another thought —
A happy life ain’t about a life without pain and suffering. No — a life of happiness is a life of challenge, danger, and interest.
The happiest life is a life with interesting challenges, a life with randomness, chaos, and chance.
3. Artistic creation and fruitfulness
Another thought on happiness —
I am happiest when I make art!
Thus it seems the more we can make art, the happier we will be.
This means —
Pursue your artistic creation!
To be happy is to be active. To act. To make stuff, and do stuff!
4. What should I make or create?
Be like a child! Pursue any artistic interests of yours! For example my interest in car design.
Or my interest in calligraphy.
Of course; photography!
5. The joy of walking!
The biggest secret:
6. Is mood the same thing as happiness?
Not necessarily. For example, when someone tells me something that makes me mad, of course I will feel the physiology of anger for perhaps 3 hours or so. During that time I am angry, but that doesn’t necessarily my life is bad. I am still technically “happy”, even though I am in a bad mood.
Also this is the funny thing —
I can be experiencing much hardship, difficulty and pain, but I can still be ‘happy’.
Then the question —
What is happiness anyways?
7. My thoughts on happiness
Generally speaking, I think freedom is happiness.
For example, freedom of self-expression. Freedom of speech. Freedom of movement. Freedom to do what I desire (within normative legal bounds) and the freedom to NOT do what I don’t care for.
I will fight for my personal freedom tooth and nail. This is what led me to entrepreneurship and becoming self-employed.
8. Why freedom?
To me, the greatest joy is creation. Creating art-work. To write. And I want to create and live without any boundaries!
9. Is happiness overrated?
To me, the ultimate point of life isn’t to maximize happiness. To me it is maximizing your human potential. To maximize your creative production. To me, happiness is simply a means to FURTHER creative productivity.
ERIC
How to Become More Creative
Re-discover your inner-child like PICASSO:
- How I Remix My Photos in iPad and ProCreate
- Creative Productivity
- In Praise of Repetition
- The Eternal Creative Loop
- CREATE!
- The Goal is Spontaneous Creative Activity
- Ignore Your Haters.
- You’re on a Winning Streak
- Ultralight Photography
- How to see.
- CREATORS SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH.
- How to Ignore Your Inner-Critic
- How to Unlock Your Inner-Genius
- Success is Your Only Option
- How to Make Your Photos More Artistic
- Creative Lessons Rick Rubin Can Teach You About Photography
- Why I Love Shooting With an LCD Screen
- How to Shoot Abstract Photography
- How to Be More Spontaneous in Your Photography and Life
- How to Re-Invent Yourself in Photography
- How to Photograph Like a Child
- How to Be a More Imaginative Photographer
- Provoke
- Never Rust
- Limit Your Palette
- Follow Your Intuition
- Have Creative Confidence in Yourself
- How To Find Your Unique Voice in Photography
- Beginner’s Mind
- There is No Wrong Way to Shoot Street Photography
- You Can’t Control the Results, Only Effort
- On Capturing Beauty in the Mundane
- On Searching For the Maximum
- The Beauty of “Creative Constraints”
- How to Stay Curious
- Enjoy the Process
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