Disjointed thoughts this week; several false starts: Smoke and Mirrors ... Aristotle ... Epicurus ... Seneca ... Quality or Quantity? ... Blissful Ignorance? ... Desires! - Too Many or Too Few? ... Virtue or Selfishness? ... Honesty or Kindness? ... Kant; definitely Kant.

So I might agree that Happiness is merely a reflection, but a reflection of what? Experience? Philosophy? Genetics? Upbringing? Education? Culture? Intelligence? Spirituality? Physical Well-Being? Psychological Well-Being? Emotional Well-Being? Luck?

Or is it something deeper? Is our personal view of Happiness a reflection of our core or essence? Will thoughtful analysis bring us closer to the ever-elusive Truth and Wisdom? And would this mean that 'Truth and Wisdom' is unique and personal to each one of us? If there is no universal Truth and Wisdom beyond 'Do No Harm' (or none that we can discern in this lifetime) then is there a need for judgment or even cultural norms? And if not, then why are those traits/tendencies so much a part of our human nature?

Maybe in this roundabout way I have come to the crux of the issue - I am very critical of myself and others and I am beginning to see how this impacts (negatively) those 'other-worldly' considerations - (Inner Peace and Exoteric Goodness) - I have previously stated as important for Happiness. Yet I argue that honest appraisal based in reality will lead me closer to Truth and Wisdom. It seems they work against each other; unless (as I suggested above) my Truth and Wisdom is/(should be?) different from your Truth and Wisdom. (If that is the case, then I have no business judging your Truth and Wisdom.) Put like that, it sounds a little obvious ("Live and Let Live") but it is a difficult tenet in that we have to Live with each other; and it is our nature to argue for what we think is right or correct. And I love to argue ... With Everyone ... Including Myself ... Especially With Myself.

So the first step would be to stop arguing with others and let them see their own light, instead of trying to blind them with mine. And the second step, I think, is to learn to be satisfied with consistent progress towards Truth and Wisdom, and tone down the adversarial nature of my arguments with myself - turn them into discussions or (at the very most) heated, respectful debates. Perhaps in this manner I can resuscitate my Inner Peace and Exoteric Goodness; because right now, they are on life support.

Life was simpler when I knew everything.