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“I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. The greatest part of our happiness depends on our dispositions, not our circumstances.” — Martha Washington
There is something quintessentially American about this assertion. You can make of yourself and your life whatever you choose. Sometimes it means blinding yourself to events that can easily ruin your day. I do a fair share of counseling and I often ask someone with a tendency to complain if they are an optimist or a pessimist, to which they frequently respond, “I’m neither. I’m a realist.” To which I respond, “You mean you’re a pessimist.” What people define as reality invariably appears bleak and dark to them.
I must admit, though, I have come to regard being joyful as a much more realistic goal than being happy. Happiness seems terribly abstract and fleeting, but joy (or joyfulness) can be a constant in our lives if we make a commitment to it.
Discussion (22)
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It’s interesting that reality should appear bleak, but I guess we focus on that one faucet that’s broken instead of the others that work (hypothetically, of course).
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I know the answer to this one! A warm puppy.
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This is my top advice. Go see a Rolfer for 10 sessions. Then go to the Chinese massage guys at the mall and have four people beat on you for two hours five weeks in a row. Do a ton of yoga and kettle bells. Qigong is even better, but most people can't get into it.
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Interesting. Is Qigong how the Chinese cope with totalitarianism?
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There is a really interesting story about that. When the commies took over, they literally outlawed Qigong. Then everybody got sick. So then it was OK to teach tai chi, which is a lot more complicated and a lot harder if you simply want the health benefits. That is why everybody knows the term "tai chi" far more than they know "qigong" even though it's more to the point and it's a hell of a lot easier and simpler to do it right.
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