DailyHappyLiving.com

gopimenon April 5th, 2009

Does the title seem egotistic?  Actually it is not.  It is just a basic truth – that each one of us lives in his/her own world according to the beliefs each holds about life!

Our beliefs are built up over the years by the teachings of our parents, elders & teachers;  by age-old superstitions; by peers & friends; by books and the public media.   After a time each one of us forms our own set of beliefs that CONTROL the way we live our life.   Let’s  take some extreme cases to prove this point:

• the beliefs of a nun are very different from that of a hooker, hence their worlds are different, even if both live in the same town.
• the beliefs of a gangster are totally different from that of a philanthropist.
• the lives of Einstein, Hitler, Gandhi, Churchill and Lincoln were each very different according to each one’s beliefs!

This is true even of members of the same family:  the Father’s world is totally different from that of the Mother’s as is that of each child.  Although they may live in the same house, each person’s daily duties, their thoughts, actions and responses  are totally different – right from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep.   Even in sleep they have different dreams!

Thus instead of `The World According to Gopi’, the title of this post could just as well have been:

`My Present Beliefs About Life, Mind and the Universe that Allow for Daily Happy Living’!

These beliefs have evolved over decades of learning, reading and introspection.  After years of study, frustration, confusion and overcoming superstitions, I have finally formulated my own system of beliefs which I find makes it easy for me to live happily every day.

NOTE to the READER: Before I list out these beliefs, here are some quotations I would like you to ponder on:

• “Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it (even if I have said it) unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense” – The Buddha 

• “Always question everything.  Ask: `What’, `Why’, `Why Not’, `How’, and `What If’’ before you accept anything as true” – Socrates

• “If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary at least once in your life to doubt as far as possible all things” - Rene Descartes

Because I have taken these admonitions to heart from a young age, I have grown up unafraid to question any and everything, until it `agrees with my own reason’.   So here it is, finally – my beliefs in the form of a list.   Each belief listed here will be expanded upon in subsequent posts.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GOPI

(My Beliefs about Life, the World, Mind etc.)

ABOUT the CREATOR/GOD:

1. I believe that the Creator is NOT stupid! Therefore this world, that He/She created is the ideal place for us to explore, experience and express ourselves to the best of our talents and abilities.   I do not have to keep searching for a better world.   I find it contradictory (even paradoxical) when people say they revere the Creator, but then have no respect for His creation – namely this world.   They claim this world is a place for punishment;  people are born to suffer etc….
2. I believe that the Creator is GOOD! God is NOT a vindictive dictator who needs to be continually appeased with offerings/sacrifices etc!  God always has our best interests at heart!   We were NOT created to be puppets to be manipulated at His whims and fancies – as the Greek Gods (Zeus, Hera etc.) were said to be.

ABOUT the WORLD & REALITY:

1. I believe that this World is like a School or University! It is NOT a prison where we are forced to suffer as punishment for our `past sins’.   Instead the World is a wonderful place of education and development – with all the facilities (such as library, lab, playing fields, swimming pools etc.) for us to learn, grow and have fun.
2. I believe that living in this World is like being in a particular Class or Form! If I do well in say Form I,  then I will be promoted to Form II automatically.   If on the other hand I do badly in this class, I may have to come back to Repeat the class!   And remember that the universe has infinite time - it can allow me to repeat the same class a hundred or a thousand times.
3. So I believe that my only priority in Life is to LIVE well. If I lead a great, fulfilled life here, I do not have to worry about the `after life’ or fear it!  I will be promoted to the next dimension in good time, and that too will be a good place!

ABOUT the MIND  (How it Works):

1. I believe that our Minds have the power to Create our Reality! As stated above, our beliefs create our reality.  And our Minds can be used to formulate our beliefs.  Hence our Minds can create our individual reality.   Rather than just accepting any mediocre life, we have the power to design our own happy, successful lives!
2. I believe that the Mind is much more than the Brain! Awareness is much more than the 5 senses.  Feelings are unseen and not measurable but they exist nonetheless.
3. I believe that the Powers of the Mind are tremendous! In fact we have barely scratched the surface with all our studies in psychiatry and psychology.
4. I believe that there are certain unalterable Laws of the Mind! Some of these will be discussed in forthcoming blog posts.

ABOUT CO-CREATION & EVOLUTION:

1. I believe that Evolution is a necessary part of Creation! It is not an `either – or’ scenario.   Evolution is part and parcel of Creation, not exclusive from one another!  Every living thing is programmed to grow and evolve; additionally humans have the choice of how they grow and in what direction.  When individuals use this power of choice, the world evolves – generally for the better and sometimes for the worse – but we still retain the power to check any decline.
2. I believe that Creation is Ongoing and We are Co-Creators! Creation is ongoing.  It has not ended.  God has not gone to sleep after 7 days!  While God carries on the macro-creation, we humans have been tasked with micro-creation (the managing of this university called Earth) and given the powers necessary to co-create and help evolution on this planet.

ABOUT HAPPINESS & SORROW:

1. I believe that Happiness is a Choice! So is Sorrow.   So is Anger.  So is Love.  What we decide to focus on in our minds is what we end up feeling and experiencing.
2. I believe that if we choose Love, we will be happiest! I am talking of unconditional love here – not reciprocal love.   The second type of love (as extolled in the romances of Mills & Boon) can give happiness but can also give rise to misery if it is not reciprocated!  However unconditional love – like those we feel when we look at an infant, a pet etc. is not based on reciprocation.  We do not expect the infant to smile for us or dance for us to be worthy of our love;  we just love with no expectation of reward!
3. I believe that Pleasure (Short-Term Happiness) is of the Senses while Long-Term Happiness and Peace of Mind is based on theThoughts we cultivate in our Mind! Our senses can give us pleasure immediately, without any thinking being involved.  E.g. Hearing a haunting melody; biting into a ripe red apple; seeing a beautiful sunset; the aroma of a special perfume; the hug of a loved one – all these can instantly make us feel happy!  But it is our attitude of mind that gives long-term happiness or peace of mind.  E.g. imagine you have just received news of  a death of a close family member.  Would you still find pleasure in eating the fruit or seeing the sunset or hearing the melody?  No!  Because pleasure is of the senses but happiness is of the mind!

These are the basic beliefs that make up my world at this present time!  Of course some of these beliefs may evolve over time and with new experiences, but generally I find these beliefs make Daily Happy Living a reality for me!  I will be discussing these topics later on in this blog – because each of these beliefs uncover a lot of principles and laws of the universe.

In the next post I shall start with specific practical tips that we can apply on a daily basis to make happy living a reality.   So look out for `Happy Living Tip No.I’ in my next post.

• happiness , happy living , unhappiness
• Comments(3)