Digital Underground - uXu - Underground eXperts United #uxu-502

### ### ### ### ### #### ### ### ### #### ### ### ##### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ##### ### ### ########## ### ### ########## ### ### ### ### Underground eXperts United Presents... ####### ## ## ####### # # ####### ####### ####### ## ## ## ## ##### ## ## ## ## #### ## ## #### # # ####### ## ## ####### ## ## ## ## ##### ## ## ## ## ## ## ####### ####### # # ####### ####### ####### [ Happiness ] [ By Chieftain ] ____________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________ Happiness by Chieftain (zzchiefzz@bostonoffice.com) Everyone wants to be happy, but virtually no one is. This epidemic of melancholy in our world is a result of the widespread ignorance of a fundamental truth: every action committed by a person is intended to better his own position in some way; there are no selfless deeds nor, will there ever be. Once a man liberates himself from illusion and comprehends that he must do what makes him happy, he must act in a responsible way so as not to limit the happiness of others. The purpose of this behavior is not merely to avoid offending people; rather, it actually maximizes bliss since the happiness of others impacts greatly on one's own happiness. A responsible quest for genuine personal gratification is the only authentic route to happiness. Happiness is essentially what every person seeks in life; whether or not his actions are the proper way to achieve it is irrelevant. That a man cannot willingly perpetrate an action which he believes to be adverse to his basic happiness is an instinctual fact, a law which cannot be bypassed. If I murder someone, it is to save myself from being indicted of a crime or because the act of killing gives me some sort of pleasure; if I love someone, I do not love her because simply so that she is happy but because her pleasure brings me pleasure; if I try to prove this theory wrong, I do it because I am trying to gain some measure of intellectual satisfaction in proving it wrong, satisfaction which equals happiness. All conduct does not result in happiness, though, because of countless other uncontrollable factors, such as weather, time, age, and others' deeds. The actions of other people sometimes prohibit the fulfillment of happiness because all people are trying to be happy. Everyone works towards the same goal, but the means to achieve it are, without fail, different, and this difference creates conflicts between individuals and common interest groups. Some people's contentment results from seeing the environment being attended to appropriately, and these people's interests sometimes contest those who draw some sort of joy out of working (or more often politicians who receive "bonuses" from labor lobbyists). In turn, the only way to satisfy both sides is to compromise, for all parties to give concessions in order to bring about the greatest sense of happiness. In general though, it is best to let people strive to be happy according to their nature, for intentionally disallowing people to do so is the only real wrong anyone can do. Stopping a person from achieving his purpose is not against nature, but it is immoral because by confining the ability of one person to become happy, hundreds and thousands of others can be adversely affected. Ultimately this restrictive attitude fashions a world similar to the one we have today, in which the anger and resentment runs so deep that it may be impossible to terminate. As long as the action does not physically inhibit the happiness of someone else, it should be allowable. Assisted suicide (and suicide in general for that matter), for example, is outlawed in the U.S. today when it clearly should not be. While it is sad to see a person take his life thinking that he will be happy when really he will no longer be able to feel anything, it is his own body and in the end what he does with it should be his own decision. While his death may cause grief to family and friends, he cannot be faulted for this since they are the ones who willingly became emotionally or financially attached to him. His choosing to pull away should not be blamed. The same principle applies to those who are victims or harassment. There is legitimate harassment: stalking and constant verbal abuse and things of that nature seriously and intentionally limit freedom to pursue happiness. There is also false harassment, such as is felt by people upset at public displays of affection or occasional snide remarks. While exposure to these things might breed unhappiness, they are easily ignorable and do not seriously limit the pursuit of happiness. While I might not like or condone excessive public kissing and groping, I have no place telling those who think otherwise to not do it because I can simply not pay attention. If someone says something harsh to me, I can ignore them. The opinions and emotions of everyone are important because happiness usually cannot be found without a forum to express them in, and concessions must be made by all to allow this. Instead of looking merely at the actions, intentions should be closely examined before judgments are made by an individual. If I call someone a "bitch" and he then becomes offended, rather than immediately becoming defensive and insulted, he should attempt to understand the motives behind the statement. Even if he is unsatisfied with the results of the examination, the remark would not constitute harassment since it did not seriously limit his capacity to pursue happiness. Drug use is a subject with more weight and risks, and should be dealt with in a different matter. Yes, everyone should have the right to take a drug if they want to. It is, after all, a matter within one's own body. Yet it is not permissible to allow full scale drug use, since drugs can be abused, potentially halting one's ability to pursue happiness. Responsible use of drugs is necessary, but to ensure the safety of all who might be affected (including motor vehicle users and, therefore, basically any pedestrians or homeowners), guidelines beyond the scope of this essay would be indispensable, even required. There are things which do always seriously limit the ability for achieving happiness. Since they deny people the chance to pursue true happiness, these activities should be discontinued and appropriate procedures should stop their occurrence. Murder, however justified it may seem in one moment, is wrong. The prisoner's removal from the environment in which the murder happened and his placement in confined quarters such as prison would be necessary to ensure such an atrocious act would not happen ever again. He should be free to continue trying to become happy, but under close supervision in these quarters and hopefully learning the errors of his ways in limiting the happiness of others. And, killing a killer is not equitable. Under no circumstances except immediate self-defense should anyone ever kill anyone, and even though killers pose threats, they are not holding a proverbial knife to one's throat. Abortion falls into this category too because we are not only preventing a potential person from achieving happiness but we are ending his life before he has a chance to discover happiness. Although the fetus is not yet a free-thinking person, his ability to be able to do so in the future must be taken into consideration and thus be deemed as unacceptable. Unfortunately there are people who draw measures of rapture from bounding the happiness of others, and these people need to be dealt with directly so that the rest of the population does not have to suffer. Prisons seem a likely choice and are really the only outlet for punishment and reform. Hopefully over time, as stated earlier, the wrongdoers will realize the error of their ways and cease their damaging actions. When all we are concerned about is our own happiness though, why should we worry about the happiness of others? This is a valid question, but answered easily. When my friend is happy, am I not happy with him? When he is feeling low, do I not sink into sorrow with him too? Even beyond personal relationships: if a great number of people dislike my actions, I can either continue to do them, which may result in negative repercussions, or I can cease to do them and make amends, which might bring about relief and joy. A greater happiness may be achieved by avoiding harm than doing what is thought to be right. This is universally true also, that the moods and happiness of other people can impact on one's own happiness by their conduct. Some people do prohibit the attainment of one's goal to happiness, and at this juncture he must decide whether harmony or standing up for his principle will bring greater happiness to him. Not every such decision is so grave, but they always boil down to fundamentally the same question. The impact of other people's happiness is why loyalty is valued widely around the world. Devotion to a team or family, attachment to a benefactor or fidelity to a loved one - most of society holds these in high regard and questions people who do not hold them in merit. Although loyalty is often good and valuable it is not because it is held in high regard by numerous men but because it creates trust and begets further kindness and similar feelings, all of which usher in personal comfort. I am very loyal to my parents and value their opinions very highly because they have provided for me my entire life. If I was not as compliant with their wishes, they might become angry at me, citing their parenthood as enough justification for me to listen to them. This anger is not enough in itself; I must have a reason being unhappy at their anger, and that reason is love. I may not love them enough as I love other people, and consequently I do not become as happy with their happiness as I become with the happiness of someone else, but to an extent this is true. Love is the foundation loyalty is built on, and even though love can bring excruciating pain, it can bring unbelievable levels of exhilaration. The happiness loyalty brings should be followed through to the extent of the love held for the person. I can't escape my own quest from happiness, and neither can you. It follows us everywhere and there is no use hiding from it. Although we should be aware of this journey and conscious of our choices so that we may make decisions in a more direct path to our delight, exercising responsibility in judgment is imperative in order to maximize our positive experience. Only when we perfectly and intelligently choose our own path in life may we finally and totally be happy. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- uXu #502 Underground eXperts United 1999 uXu #502 Call KASTLEROCK -> +1-724-527-3749 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

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