Is permanent happiness actually possible?

Permanent happiness doesn't exist. What actually exists is peace... lasting peace. Very few people ever find it while they're alive, but everyone finds it eventually when they die.

Ronald Rogers27

Why shouldn't peace be synonymous with happiness?

Ronald Rogers27 said:Permanent happiness doesn't exist. What actually exists is peace... lasting peace. Very few people ever find it while they're alive, but everyone finds it eventually when they die.

Ronald Rogers27

Yeah, I'm with you on that—there's this sense of lasting calm, but "happiness" is really just a series of fleeting moments.
Personally, I'm not a fan of that outlook 😢
Anyone out there actually able to prove me wrong? 🙏

Ronald Rogers27 said:Permanent happiness doesn't exist. What actually exists is peace... lasting peace. Very few people ever find it while they're alive, but everyone finds it eventually when they die.

Ronald Rogers27

Is there anything more powerful than peace? If that isn't 'happiness,' then I honestly don't know what is...

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...989050080.html

Jonathan Brooks8 said:Why shouldn't peace be synonymous with happiness?

Brenda Cook4 said:Is there anything more powerful than peace? If that isn't 'happiness,' then I honestly don't know what is...

Let’s look at it this way: most people have no clue about Route 66. They only know that natural path that makes us all feel like we're stuck in a finite existence, facing our Conan.

So, for the vast majority—the masses, really—there has to be some other way... a Path toward Felicity, whatever that actually looks like. Basically, anyone who hasn't found Peace is just out there chasing Felicity, trying to grab hold of it somehow.

But maybe Felicity is just an illusion. After all, every version of Felicity eventually fades away...
😬

Ronald Rogers27

If someone were perpetually happy, they’d likely lose their mind or develop a completely warped perception of reality. A sense of peace—true tranquility—is more than enough for a good life.

Ashley Robinson58 said:If someone were perpetually happy, they’d likely lose their mind or develop a completely warped perception of reality. A sense of peace—true tranquility—is more than enough for a good life.

Peace equals being carefree? I mean, they definitely go hand in hand, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they're the exact same thing! 😬

Ronald Rogers27

they’re basically synonyms, since when a Man... was thinking about it in that context, he already meant
...

Ronald Rogers27 said:Peace equals being carefree? I mean, they definitely go hand in hand, but I wouldn't go so far as to say they're the exact same thing! 😬

Ronald Rogers27

When a Man isn't weighed down by worries—when he's carefree—that's usually when he finds his inner Peace. Also, I have no idea what you meant by "zaqkunuo"; perhaps you meant "swore"?

It doesn't usually work this way... There isn't any rule saying a carefree Man can just stumble into Heavenly peace... Not at all... It’s only the people who have survived intense Turmoil that get there... People who actually feel someone else's pain... And can let that pain flow right through them...

Those easygoing types you're talking about... They're either just starting out on that path (and they've got plenty of heartache ahead of them)... Or they've just reached some superficial stage of Earthly peace...

We're talking about Otherworldly peace here, buddy. 😍

Ronald Rogers27

You could argue that Felicity and Peace are two sides of the same coin, but there’s a nuance there that people often miss. Peace implies this steady, balanced state—something almost stoic or even emotionless. Felicity, on the other hand, brings that spark of excitement and a sense of carefree ease, which is also part of being at peace, but it’s that extra layer of emotional intensity and high-octane feeling that sets them apart.

If you look at it logically, lasting Felicity would basically be Peace infused with frequent bursts of joy and higher emotional peaks. But here’s the kicker: if we define "constant Felicity" this way, it eventually just dissolves back into Peace. It becomes a flat, unchanging baseline—which is exactly what Peace is supposed to be in the first place.
In my view, both Felicity and dissatisfaction are essentially deviations from Peace—one pulling you toward a positive peak and the other dragging you into a negative valley. They are vital because they provide the friction necessary to actually strive for something, to feel anything, and to truly value an experience. Without those swings, life would just be a static, vegetative existence where nothing matters. 🤷

Ronald Rogers27 said:It doesn't usually work this way... There isn't any rule saying a carefree Man can just stumble into Heavenly peace... Not at all... It’s only the people who have survived intense Turmoil that get there... People who actually feel someone else's pain... And can let that pain flow right through them...

Those easygoing types you're talking about... They're either just starting out on that path (and they've got plenty of heartache ahead of them)... Or they've just reached some superficial stage of Earthly peace...

We're talking about Otherworldly peace here, buddy. 😍

Ronald Rogers27

You've drifted too far into the divine. I was talking about the peace found in the daily grind. A happy person is someone who doesn't sink into depression when their alarm hits at 5:00 AM for work. Or someone who smiles while making lunch for their family after a long, exhausting day. The key is having a mindset where things aren't all bleak; life is good as long as we're healthy and breathing.

Ashley Robinson58 said:You've drifted too far into the divine. I was talking about the peace found in the daily grind. A happy person is someone who doesn't sink into depression when their alarm hits at 5:00 AM for work. Or someone who smiles while making lunch for their family after a long, exhausting day. The key is having a mindset where things aren't all bleak; life is good as long as we're healthy and breathing.

But honestly, it's total BS. Because when life actually hits you in the face with something devastating—like getting hit by a truck or facing some terminal illness—that "positive thinking" crap doesn't mean a damn thing. 😍

How would you even put that into words? It’s this peace that flows from the depths of the cosmos—something that completely bypasses our petty, earthly complexes and impulses. It’s a peace that can't be shaken by anything. It fills a Man up, leaving him totally unshaken by those constant swings between what we call earthly happiness and misery. Yet, it doesn't change his core stance—the very thing that makes him who he is—I think, therefore I am. It just Is. And it definitely ISN'T neutral! 😍

Ronald Rogers27

Brian Foster3 said:But honestly, it's total BS. Because when life actually hits you in the face with something devastating—like getting hit by a truck or facing some terminal illness—that "positive thinking" crap doesn't mean a damn thing. 😍

That happens. But there are people who are miserable for no reason at all. They just can't handle things being normal and boring. They crave excitement, so they rush headlong into chaos that only ends up complicating their lives.☕

Ashley Robinson58 said:That happens. But there are people who are miserable for no reason at all. They just can't handle things being normal and boring. They crave excitement, so they rush headlong into chaos that only ends up complicating their lives.☕

The thing is, you can't even ask them if they're happy with a standard life because this relentless force of constant progress just leaves them feeling hollow and restless, so they start chasing after stuff they think will fill the void, almost like they're programmed robots or something. And honestly, it's not even their fault! It’s the same for the people who actually *are* content with a quiet life—they didn't "earn" that peace, it's just that the momentum of modern society keeps them leveled out for a while before things shift again. At the end of the day, a Man doesn't get to pick what he wants; those desires are just shoved into his head, and he's totally at their mercy.

Ronald Rogers27 said:How would you even put that into words? It’s this peace that flows from the depths of the cosmos—something that completely bypasses our petty, earthly complexes and impulses. It’s a peace that can't be shaken by anything. It fills a Man up, leaving him totally unshaken by those constant swings between what we call earthly happiness and misery. Yet, it doesn't change his core stance—the very thing that makes him who he is—I think, therefore I am. It just Is. And it definitely ISN'T neutral! 😍

Ronald Rogers27

So you're basically talking about Buddhism and Nirvana?

Yeah and no... Sure, we're talking about Nirvana, or maybe Enlightenment... But there are so many different ways to actually find that peace. This whole Path of Peace is incredibly Significant. There’s absolutely no rulebook saying it has to be the Path of privilege tied to some specific Religion or Philosophical movement! 😍

Ronald Rogers27

Exactly, I was just asking so we could pin down what kind of peace you’re actually talking about. How someone gets there is a whole different story, and honestly, it shouldn't be treated like some exclusive club reserved for specific religions or philosophies. Though, I do think it involves letting go of all attachments, dropping the ego, and really grasping how everything is just fleeting and ultimately empty... If you follow that path, it might look like a vegetative state—like Gilach said—but in this sense, he isn't being negative. It's more like a total release from all the heavy lifting of the material world, or maybe even reaching the truth. You wouldn't be happy, but you wouldn't be unhappy either. The real question is, would people actually settle for that kind of peace? Is it even a path meant for everyone? And I don't mean whether people are smart enough to grasp the concept, but whether they have the capacity to actually live in it and find contentment there. Can we really detach ourselves from our "self" that much?