Gimpy Happiness

My gratitude naturally leans more towards "it could be worse" as opposed to "count my blessings." It's not that I expect things to get worse (though sometimes they will), but rather that I look around and see so many people that in various ways have a tougher life or are going through a tougher time than I. In fact, I suspect I could look closely at any one individual and find at least one way in which they have it tougher.

I have previously identified gratitude as a crutch; and it is a crutch when one depends on it constantly or frequently, thereby allowing it to hinder their search for Truth and Wisdom. If one feels so 'blessed' that they stop questioning, then gratitude is a crutch. Whereas if one looks around in order to learn from the strength of others (who have it worse), then this perspective on being grateful is consistent with one's search. So with this latter perspective, gratitude can serve as both a crutch to help one through a tough time, and also as a tool to further one towards Truth and Wisdom.

Nearly a year-and-a-half ago I posted on the Periodic Happiness Table of Elements page that "some crutches, such as Gratitude and (realistic) Optimism, are perfectly natural and should be encouraged and practiced." I have qualified Gratitude above, and 'realistic' qualifies 'optimism'. Defining optimism as 'a belief that goodness pervades reality' supports the concept of exoteric goodness through empirical behavior, which in turn implies an active, exertive hopefulness. Despite these encouragements and qualifications I still believe that even constructive utilization of a crutch or crutches will slow and potentially stall one's search. One should not be lulled into a false sense of security.

There are some weeks when my Happiness comes up lame. Rather than being laid up, or painfully hobbling along, I pick up a crutch and make every effort to stand tall until I heal.

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