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Underground eXperts United File 502
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Underground eXperts United
Presents...
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[ Happiness ] [ By Chieftain ]
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Happiness by Chieftain (zzchiefzz@bostonoffice.com)
Everyone wants to be happy, but virtually no one is. This epidemic of
melancholy in our world is a result of the widespread ignorance of a
fundamental truth: every action committed by a person is intended to better
his own position in some way; there are no selfless deeds nor, will there
ever be. Once a man liberates himself from illusion and comprehends that he
must do what makes him happy, he must act in a responsible way so as not to
limit the happiness of others. The purpose of this behavior is not merely
to avoid offending people; rather, it actually maximizes bliss since the
happiness of others impacts greatly on one's own happiness. A responsible
quest for genuine personal gratification is the only authentic route to
happiness.
Happiness is essentially what every person seeks in life; whether or
not his actions are the proper way to achieve it is irrelevant. That a man
cannot willingly perpetrate an action which he believes to be adverse to
his basic happiness is an instinctual fact, a law which cannot be bypassed.
If I murder someone, it is to save myself from being indicted of a crime or
because the act of killing gives me some sort of pleasure; if I love
someone, I do not love her because simply so that she is happy but because
her pleasure brings me pleasure; if I try to prove this theory wrong, I do
it because I am trying to gain some measure of intellectual satisfaction in
proving it wrong, satisfaction which equals happiness. All conduct does not
result in happiness, though, because of countless other uncontrollable
factors, such as weather, time, age, and others' deeds.
The actions of other people sometimes prohibit the fulfillment of
happiness because all people are trying to be happy. Everyone works towards
the same goal, but the means to achieve it are, without fail, different,
and this difference creates conflicts between individuals and common
interest groups. Some people's contentment results from seeing the
environment being attended to appropriately, and these people's interests
sometimes contest those who draw some sort of joy out of working (or more
often politicians who receive "bonuses" from labor lobbyists). In turn, the
only way to satisfy both sides is to compromise, for all parties to give
concessions in order to bring about the greatest sense of happiness.
In general though, it is best to let people strive to be happy
according to their nature, for intentionally disallowing people to do so is
the only real wrong anyone can do. Stopping a person from achieving his
purpose is not against nature, but it is immoral because by confining the
ability of one person to become happy, hundreds and thousands of others can
be adversely affected. Ultimately this restrictive attitude fashions a
world similar to the one we have today, in which the anger and resentment
runs so deep that it may be impossible to terminate. As long as the action
does not physically inhibit the happiness of someone else, it should be
allowable. Assisted suicide (and suicide in general for that matter), for
example, is outlawed in the U.S. today when it clearly should not be. While
it is sad to see a person take his life thinking that he will be happy when
really he will no longer be able to feel anything, it is his own body and
in the end what he does with it should be his own decision. While his death
may cause grief to family and friends, he cannot be faulted for this since
they are the ones who willingly became emotionally or financially attached
to him. His choosing to pull away should not be blamed.
The same principle applies to those who are victims or harassment.
There is legitimate harassment: stalking and constant verbal abuse and
things of that nature seriously and intentionally limit freedom to pursue
happiness. There is also false harassment, such as is felt by people upset
at public displays of affection or occasional snide remarks. While exposure
to these things might breed unhappiness, they are easily ignorable and do
not seriously limit the pursuit of happiness. While I might not like or
condone excessive public kissing and groping, I have no place telling those
who think otherwise to not do it because I can simply not pay attention. If
someone says something harsh to me, I can ignore them. The opinions and
emotions of everyone are important because happiness usually cannot be
found without a forum to express them in, and concessions must be made by
all to allow this. Instead of looking merely at the actions, intentions
should be closely examined before judgments are made by an individual. If I
call someone a "bitch" and he then becomes offended, rather than
immediately becoming defensive and insulted, he should attempt to
understand the motives behind the statement. Even if he is unsatisfied with
the results of the examination, the remark would not constitute harassment
since it did not seriously limit his capacity to pursue happiness.
Drug use is a subject with more weight and risks, and should be dealt
with in a different matter. Yes, everyone should have the right to take a
drug if they want to. It is, after all, a matter within one's own body. Yet
it is not permissible to allow full scale drug use, since drugs can be
abused, potentially halting one's ability to pursue happiness. Responsible
use of drugs is necessary, but to ensure the safety of all who might be
affected (including motor vehicle users and, therefore, basically any
pedestrians or homeowners), guidelines beyond the scope of this essay would
be indispensable, even required.
There are things which do always seriously limit the ability for
achieving happiness. Since they deny people the chance to pursue true
happiness, these activities should be discontinued and appropriate
procedures should stop their occurrence. Murder, however justified it may
seem in one moment, is wrong. The prisoner's removal from the environment
in which the murder happened and his placement in confined quarters such as
prison would be necessary to ensure such an atrocious act would not happen
ever again. He should be free to continue trying to become happy, but under
close supervision in these quarters and hopefully learning the errors of
his ways in limiting the happiness of others. And, killing a killer is not
equitable. Under no circumstances except immediate self-defense should
anyone ever kill anyone, and even though killers pose threats, they are not
holding a proverbial knife to one's throat. Abortion falls into this
category too because we are not only preventing a potential person from
achieving happiness but we are ending his life before he has a chance to
discover happiness. Although the fetus is not yet a free-thinking person,
his ability to be able to do so in the future must be taken into
consideration and thus be deemed as unacceptable.
Unfortunately there are people who draw measures of rapture from
bounding the happiness of others, and these people need to be dealt with
directly so that the rest of the population does not have to suffer.
Prisons seem a likely choice and are really the only outlet for punishment
and reform. Hopefully over time, as stated earlier, the wrongdoers will
realize the error of their ways and cease their damaging actions.
When all we are concerned about is our own happiness though, why
should we worry about the happiness of others? This is a valid question,
but answered easily. When my friend is happy, am I not happy with him? When
he is feeling low, do I not sink into sorrow with him too? Even beyond
personal relationships: if a great number of people dislike my actions, I
can either continue to do them, which may result in negative repercussions,
or I can cease to do them and make amends, which might bring about relief
and joy. A greater happiness may be achieved by avoiding harm than doing
what is thought to be right. This is universally true also, that the moods
and happiness of other people can impact on one's own happiness by their
conduct. Some people do prohibit the attainment of one's goal to happiness,
and at this juncture he must decide whether harmony or standing up for his
principle will bring greater happiness to him. Not every such decision is
so grave, but they always boil down to fundamentally the same question.
The impact of other people's happiness is why loyalty is valued
widely around the world. Devotion to a team or family, attachment to a
benefactor or fidelity to a loved one - most of society holds these in high
regard and questions people who do not hold them in merit. Although loyalty
is often good and valuable it is not because it is held in high regard by
numerous men but because it creates trust and begets further kindness and
similar feelings, all of which usher in personal comfort. I am very loyal
to my parents and value their opinions very highly because they have
provided for me my entire life. If I was not as compliant with their
wishes, they might become angry at me, citing their parenthood as enough
justification for me to listen to them. This anger is not enough in itself;
I must have a reason being unhappy at their anger, and that reason is love.
I may not love them enough as I love other people, and consequently I do
not become as happy with their happiness as I become with the happiness of
someone else, but to an extent this is true. Love is the foundation loyalty
is built on, and even though love can bring excruciating pain, it can bring
unbelievable levels of exhilaration. The happiness loyalty brings should be
followed through to the extent of the love held for the person.
I can't escape my own quest from happiness, and neither can you. It
follows us everywhere and there is no use hiding from it. Although we
should be aware of this journey and conscious of our choices so that we may
make decisions in a more direct path to our delight, exercising
responsibility in judgment is imperative in order to maximize our positive
experience. Only when we perfectly and intelligently choose our own path in
life may we finally and totally be happy.
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