In the previous article (this article), I mentioned a question: “What did I give up first in my life?” I felt like this question would help me remember what is important to me.
Then, I have found the answer. It made me aware of what I truly wanted. Today, I will talk about it.
How to find the essence of our happiness
Sometimes, we want to find the essence of our happiness.
Although we want to be happy, it is an ambiguous and confusing concept. It makes us imagine general happiness in society.
In other words, it doesn’t allow us to show our individuality. We want an effective concept of using our uniqueness.
However, it is difficult to identify. What makes us happy? What needs to be fulfilled for people with individuality like ours?
If we find it, we can apply the approach of minimalism in production that I introduced in an earlier article (this article). It allows us to start from small things and improve our lives with joy.
That is why we want to find the essence of our happiness.
Today, I will introduce my answer. Although this might only apply to me, you might reduce your confusion.
What I want most in life
My answer is contradictory. However, such inconsistency is the key to identifying our unique happiness.
To explain it, let’s ask ourselves, “What do I want most in life?”
The answer I ultimately got is this:
“I want a life that I can passionately concentrate on something interesting and a life that I can relax wholeheartedly.”
You probably want to shout and reject it like this, “It is not the most! The most means only one thing! You chose two!”
However, that contradiction is the key to our unique happiness.
The origin of my misunderstanding
The origin of our misunderstanding is the assumption that our happiness is only one thing.
The basis for this is an answer to this question: “What did I give up first in my life?” The answer shows us the root problem.
In my case, it was my decision for my life. When I was about 10 years old, I thought about how I should live my life.
I was aware of my ignorance about this world and myself, so I decided to follow what people said and do my best until I got enough knowledge.
That was the moment I gave up for the first time in my life. I valued social evaluation and relinquished my relaxation. Although it was a proactive resignation, it was the starting point of my confusion about happiness.
At that time, I didn’t understand my nature of having conflicting desires.
Paradox of happiness
That is why when we are confused about values, we can only describe our wish for life as ‘happiness.’
We cannot break down into more elements. This is because it contradicts.
Happiness should be something consistent. If not, we cannot define it. However, we are contradictory. This paradox keeps us away from happiness.
This struggle may be the destiny of people with contradictory natures. We cannot move forward unless we solve this challenge.
Philosophy—a part of logical sense—solves it.
The essence of my happiness
That awareness allowed me to identify the essence of my happiness.
I divided my life into two parts, as follows:
- A concentration part: I concentrate on something interesting passionately.
- A relaxing part: I relax wholeheartedly.
We don’t have to live just one life. We can break it up appropriately, such as by time.
This separation allowed me to apply minimalism in production. For example, I will spend my mornings on something I am passionate about. Then, I will relax in the afternoon.
This division has cleared up my confusion.
More strategic division
If I want to be more strategic and concrete, I can divide them into three parts, as follows:
- A concentration part
- A relaxing part
- A chaotic part: I spend time on things that I am not sure whether they are good or bad.
This division gave me a more specific way of spending time.
I focus on things based on my evaluations of good and bad. However, I reverse them to relax. Then, I let go of such evaluations and live in chaos. I balance them. Although they are contradictory, they are the essence of my happiness.
A life without hesitation
This has removed my hesitation about my life. In other words, uncertainty in our judgment causes our struggles.
Logical sense allows us such a life without worries. If I cannot judge, I decide to wait. Waiting is an ability that only those with logical sense can do.
In other words, logical strength maintains the balance of contradictions. The more refined logic we have, the more we can allow for inconsistency. It is not only toward ourselves but also toward others. We can forgive others.
As I focused on judging my life rationally, I became able to judge things immediately. This is because I became forgivable. Refined logic is forgiveness if we describe it with spiritual words.
I noticed I don’t waver and worry about which to choose for a long time. This was a pleasant discovery.
Perhaps you will understand this meaning as you cultivate your logical sense.
Conclusion
They are the essence of my happiness.
The origin of our misunderstanding would be the assumption that our happiness is only one thing.
This awareness might allow you to reduce your confusion and try to start your happiness from small parts.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
