What disturbs and depresses young people is the hunt for happiness on the firm assumption that it must be met with in life. From this arises constantly deluded hope and so also dissatisfaction. Deceptive images of a vague happiness hover before us in our dreams … and we search in vain for their original … Much would have been gained if through timely advice and instruction young people could have had eradicated from their minds the erroneous notion that the world has a great deal to offer them. - Arthur Schopenhauer
Pessimistic as this is, I think he does have a point here. We get promised so much in youth (and throughout life), none of which ever really delivers. Not to say there isn’t a lot of Joy in the world, but often things never quite live up so expectation, especially from a materialistic point of view.
I think it’s interesting how we can go searching for something and find the total opposite. For example: Some people play online video games to find social acceptance, which is never really found, and in the process lose any social life they had in the real world. Or, people look for happiness in materialism, but end up just as depressed as they ever were.
Seeing as the “happy” routes that are presented to us so often don’t deliver, maybe it is only the paths with a less obvious destinations that really bring the happiness we are looking for.
Schopenhauer’s right, the world doesn’t have a great deal to offer people. There is happiness in the world, but it just doesn’t last and that’s why people so often get let down.
In my experience the only way to receive lasting happiness and contentment is by developing a relationship with God. This is what we were created to do, so it’s the only way we can really be satasfied.
when you realise that ‘the world’ is actually ‘the people’ you might understand why happiness is hard to find. everything that is not human in our society was created by humans - the online games for example, largely for econnomic reasons not for happiness. true happiness comes from the reationships you have with others, only there is true contentment. but a great deal of individual social skills are bestowed by your parents so it can not be expected that everyone will get on. however there are always others similar to you, you just have to find them even if this means changing your outlook on others. nothing is easy
Found ya via Pop Occulture, you might find this post relative. :)
Thanks for the link :)