First Blog

  Are You Happy? Well, we won’t answer the question for you, personally, but the latest results are from Gallup for the entire world. The US has dropped below the top twenty for the first time, and now is at #23. The drop was substantially due to younger Americans, under the age of 30.  Among Americans, the happiest demographic is Men, aged 60+, and by quite a bit in the rating system used. You can look up this survey yourself at https://news.gallup.com/poll/612125/happiest-country-earth.aspx

  Happiness is Not Easy If you want to be happy, be . --- Leo Tolstoy Introduction . Whoa! Tolstoy’s counsel is not so easy in our highly conflicted world, with everyone seeking to change us or imposing changes upon us. But our present world has little to do with it. Happiness is a state, though some claim happiness is ephemeral while others suggest it can be permanent. We claim this is too simplistic.   So let’s instead look at states of happiness , not so much as an evolution, not a variable, but mostly constant and immutable. We dismiss the usual forms of happiness , including the hedonic, social, achievement, materialistic, mindfulness, philanthropic, spiritual, health, and creative. These are specific forms from which happiness is sometimes attained. They are subsumed by the general states considered here. We dismiss as well other aspects, or subtypes of happiness including joy, contentment, hope, serenity, gratitude, satisfaction, optimism, fulfillment, amusement, bliss, a

For general happiness, research shows that regular, or even occasional, exercise is more important than money*.  Works for me. The Yin and Yang of our lives is the conflict between chaos and order**. Which dominates your life? Today is National Hug Day. Hug somebody! For politicians, now mostly semi-literate, talking points is the preferred literary form. Just listen to political campaigns - all of them. Do you have a favorite President?  And why?*** * https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/02/well/move/even-a-little-exercise-might-make-us-happier.html ** Jordan Peterson, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos  (A great book) The (symbolic) rules are 1.     Stand up straight with your shoulders back 2.     Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping 3.     Make friends with people who want the best for you 4.     Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today 5.     Do not let your children do anything that makes you dis

In negotiations, your opponents would rather have you for lunch than invite you.  ------------------ Tariffs are like bad sex. You do get screwed. You just don’t like it.  ------------------ Important it is to reflect on every day.   Look for progress, love, and happiness. These give lasting pleasure. All the rest come in second.

A familiar state of mind is comfortable, whether it be confusion, fear, anger, happiness, contentment, optimistic, pessimistic, worry, or anything at all.   Familiarity is comfortable.   Without proper control, the mind will seek the familiar state, regardless of other factors.    This holds disregarding importance, relevance, desires, evidence, advice, and all. “Familiarity breeds comfort, not contempt,” to modify a common aphorism. A “healthy” state of mind perpetuates itself, and ditto for an “unhealthy” state of mind. As you know some folks are just plain unhappy and continue to be so, even though their life is good or not, whether they prosper, whether they love, whether they have power or not, whether they progress or they decline.   This (unhappy) state of mind becomes familiar (= comfortable).   They deal with it on a daily basis.   They sustain it! Breaking free is incredibly difficult. We call this the Law of Permanence.