Happiness and Depression
“Pleasure may come from illusion. But happiness can come only of
reality.” Chamfort
“The aim of the wise is not to secure pleasure
but to avoid pain.” Aristotle
Depression is mental pain. To overcome depression is neither
using medications to numb the pain in the brain, nor to use distractions
to avoid the pain. The only way to avoid depression is to understand how
and why you might have your depression in the first place, and then use
your mind to avoid the pain.
We all want to become happy; without happiness,
human existence may become worthless and meaningless. In the human quest
for happiness, many choose to avoid unhappiness with distractions—such
as going on a vacation, throwing a party, buying an expensive dress, if they
have the money; or simply taking alcohol or drugs. But avoiding unhappiness is
self-delusional, an unrealistic approach to attaining happiness.
It is important
to know the difference between happiness and pleasure.
Pleasure is having fun at a party, the excitement of new
experiences, the thrill and passion of sex, or the delights of a fine meal.
They are all wonderful life experiences to be cherished and cultivated by any
individual, but they are only life pleasures, not human happiness.
But all our wonderful life experiences are only to be
enjoyed, and then to be let go of, just as a delicious meal is to be enjoyed,
savored, and then to be digested, and ultimately eliminated from the body.
Therefore, any life pleasure is fleeting and must be so—if it is to continue to
please again in the future.
Happiness,
on the other hand, may be less fleeting and more enduring than
pleasure; but, still, happiness never lasts forever because nothing in life is
permanent, and every thing remains only with that very moment, whether it is happiness
or pleasure.
Happiness and
pleasure are life experiences to be enjoyed, cherished, and remembered—but they
do not last forever. So, you need human wisdom to understand depression and
happiness.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© 2018 by Stephen Lau
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