What is the difference between happiness and contentment?

Happiness is but temporary insanity.

When I say things like “happiness is not a real thing to pursue” or “happiness is a disorder”, people quite don’t digest that. I can understand. Happiness is such a positive feeling. For as long as you have lived you have been hearing people saying happiness is all that matters in life, and that the purpose of life is attaining happiness, and all that. Fine. But then I have already explained in my article Are you happy or content? what is true nature of happiness, and why I say pursuit of it is futile.

For me, contentment is the all-important thing to attain in life. I have also called it the state of perfect happiness, which is beyond ordinary human experiences like pain and happiness.

Here, I feel a need to explain the difference between what I call contentment and what you call happiness with more clarity. The difference is so subtle. I will try to enunciate it.

Consider the difference between contentment and happiness as that between smile and laughter. Smile indicates serenity. Laughter indicates agitation. Smile is tranquility. Laughter is ripples. If you are in contentment you smile. You laugh if you are in happiness. To smile at someone all you need is to be free of pain. If there’s pain you can “fake” a smile, but not really smile. So, once you are free of pain and you can go on smiling at anyone you meet. That’s the sign of a contented person. Contentment does not need any “input” from the world outside of you. It completely comes from within. Happiness, on the other hand, requires input from the outside world. Like, laughter requires a joke be said. That state which requires some input from the outside world is not only unnecessary, but also undesirable.

Now, expand your perspective. Don’t just stick to the words “smile” and “laughter” for contentment and happiness. Of course, buying a mobile phone also makes you “happy”, though not necessarily you laugh! So, the important words actually were serenity and agitation. Upon buying a mobile phone you will feel the agitation inside, won’t you? Mind has lost its tranquility. There are ripples (of excitement) when you have just come to possess some valuable thing. What you feel as happiness is just those ripples. They never last. What is everlasting is tranquility.

Now think. If I can smile (genuine smile devoid of any pain within me) anytime of the day and night when I look at someone, would you consider me “happy”, even if I never feel like real laughing at anything, or dancing, or doing parties and celebrating days and stuffs? Then between your happiness and my contentment there is no difference. I think, in spiritual terminology what is called happiness is just what I call contentment. I just prefer to call it contentment because otherwise it creates confusion as to what to call “laughter”. I call “laughter” thing happiness and am against chasing it. “Smile” thing is contentment and I am totally in its favor.

This, by no means, is to suggest you should never laugh or get excited over something in your life. But the thing is that you should be able to make out the difference between “tranquility” and “ripples”. Understand that the state of “ripples” is, by its very nature, temporary. So, do not give much importance to it. Be in perfect happiness, which is contentment.

You might also now understand how it is said that happiness comes from within. The same thing I call contentment. The other happiness is but temporary insanity. No real need for that, sure.

Are humans really intelligent?

Stupidity is not an opposite of intelligence, but intelligence used unwisely.

Meaning of Intelligence

Intelligence in simple words is defined as: The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills. Another definition of Intelligence I found says: The ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience. As we can understand, there is no fundamental difference between the two definitions.

Looking at the two definitions anyone should be able to make out that the main function of intelligence is to make life better; to bring ease to life.

Some background

Nature has endowed each and every creature on this planet with intelligence. If you ask evolutionists the reason for this then you will learn that intelligence exists in creatures to enable them survive in the world where the norm is “survival of the fittest”. One of the proven observations by the naturalists is that life on the planet is being governed by an immaculate mechanism of Nature according to which no species of organism would grow so much in population that it wipes out any other species and no species of organism would shrink so much in numbers that it gets wiped out by some other. It is evident from the process of natural selection in evolution that Nature takes due care that every species of organisms on this planet is best equipped to survive in its environment. Intelligence is just one of the tools to accomplish this purpose.

The important thing to note is that the difference between human and animal intelligence is one of degree and not of kind. So, it is still not wrong to say that the main function of intelligence is to make life better. After all, making tools and developing strategies for securing survival is certainly a process of betterment of life.

However, this meaning of intelligence is more clearly understood in relation to human life, because human life as it is today is largely driven by intelligence. Humans have invented so many tools to add comfort to their life that today they are almost totally free of the natural struggle for survival, unlike other creatures. That certainly “appears to be” a huge betterment of life.

Intelligence or pseudo-intelligence?

The question is: Have humans really bettered their life using their intelligence?

Looking on the surface of it human life seems to be a very developed one. They are living like the masters of the world. They have invented such tools that they no more need any kind of physical struggle as far as surviving in the natural environment is concerned. The words “comfort” and “convenience” are only justified by the way humans live. What an advancement of one species over the billions that have been on this planet!

Now, if you will remove the veil of ignorance then you should see a diametrically different picture. In truth, humans are living the most miserable, most destructive and the worst life on this planet. Tomorrow if the world is fully destroyed (which has already started happening) the reasons lie in thoughtless human activities like pollution, global warming, and relentless exhaustion of resources (not to mention inter-human fights, and wars!). At every step of the life humans are defying Nature’s laws and making their own life and the whole world worse.

Dwelling on the surface you might think you are not suffering surfing the web with your computer; sleeping in peace at night in your cozy bed rather than on a pile of leaves inside a cave; not experiencing pain every hour of the day due to tooth aches (which without modern dentistry are what we would have); having a car that you can use to visit friends living hundreds of miles away, et cetera. You might, instead, wonder how your life would be better without all these things.

Here are the explanations –

1. If you lived in caves then your life would be less convenient than it is now? Wrong! It's just like saying when electricity was not invented people weren't able to feel convenience that they feel today in an air-conditioned room...! Already being in comforts if you imagine life without those comforts then, of course, you would find it inconvenient. But when the comfort is not invented at all, and is inconceivable, there's no question of feeling inconvenience. People were always able to feel as comfortable as they can feel today. When fire was invented the arising feel of comfort would not have been any less than what man felt when he first drove a car. So, more technological advancement means more comfort and convenience is a flawed conviction! Intake of alcohol would give you the feel of great comfort, but just because of that is it good? That advancement which brings more harm (however in the long-run) than benefit is no advancement, and is doubtless undesirable!

2. Humans seem to be oblivious to the fact that all the comforts added to their lives today are taking high toll on natural resources as well as entire planet's living systems. Due to exhaustive human activities every living system in the biosphere is in decline and the rate of decline is accelerating. And those living systems provide the basis for all life. On the other hand, humans are not only getting used to all these comforts but are also getting genetically modified to live with those comforts. When the natural resources on which those comforts ride decline or finish (which is undoubtedly imminent) they will have no power live without them; or they would invent new ways which would further accelerate the degradation of living systems! The rate at which natural resources are being exhausted today is far greater than the rate of re-building of resources. These are by no means acts of intelligence.

3. The planet is naturally designed to accommodate only about a billion human beings. Until 1800 CE the human population has never exceeded a billion in numbers. But due to various inventions after the development of advanced science human population is increasing by leaps and bounds. Can you believe when John Kennedy was inaugurated the planet carried only half of the people compared to what it carries today! If you can not think beyond humanity and human welfare – that too, a short-term one – then it's okay. But if you can, then that's certainly not admissible, when you also check on the facts about how many species of creatures have gone extinct because of ever-increasing human needs. And why, it’s most certainly also affecting human welfare in the long run! Humans have been keeping comfort and convenience (short-term ones) ahead of survival (in the long-run), in importance. What to do of comforts when survival of the entire planet itself is being endangered! In truth, in the short-sightedness of human intelligence this fact is continually ignored.

One of the functions of intelligence is also to make out a difference between the right way and the wrong way and then choose the right one. Today, the humanity certainly knows what the right way is but utterly lacks the will to adopt it out of the insane greed for convenience arising off social, economic, and political situations. What humans are doing is out of intelligence, of course; but in doing so the word intelligence loses its meaning. Because humans are neither making their life better with intelligence anymore; nor are they “okay” for the safe survival of the entire life system on this planet.

These facts prove my kind a bunch of stupidest creatures on this planet. Here, stupidity is not an opposite of intelligence, but intelligence used unwisely. I would call it pseudo-intelligence. Or simply “human intelligence” – because so far this sort of intelligence is known to be existing only in humans!

Where’s the line between “natural intelligence” and “human intelligence”?

The point, beyond which the amount of intelligence no more betters life but rather degrades it, for humans as well as for Nature (for that matter, that humans are separate from Nature is an extremely insane thought), is the dividing point. Intelligence up to that point is natural intelligence, which is good and desirable; and intelligence beyond that point is human intelligence, which is the cause of most of the miseries of, and beyond, humanity.

After learning the difference between natural intelligence and human intelligence one should also be able to decide which actions are natural and which are unnatural. The actions driven by natural instincts and natural intelligence are natural actions, and the actions driven by human intelligence are unnatural acts.

How to attain bliss without being in Himalayas?

As long as you are aware of the existence of the “real world”, the “game world” can not rule your mind once you are away from the game.

The world where the life is not driven by expectations and desires, but only the natural instincts, is the “real world”. I have said in the article about getting rid of desires and expectations that the best way to live in this way is to renounce the unreal human world and live in some secluded place where the life is closest to natural; like the wise men living in the Himalayas. But that’s not the only way to be in bliss. Here in this article I am explaining how you can attain bliss without renouncing the human world.

Have you ever played a video game? Let’s talk about Super Mario, my all time favorite video game!

There’s this main protagonist Mario whose aim in the game is to get to his princess, facing many enemies and obstacles in the world called Mushroom Kingdom. There are hazards on the way like falling in the pits, being hit by fireballs etc., and of course, a host of enemies with powers of different types and degree. As against these adversities, Mario also finds on his way some things to his advantage like a mushroom called “1-Up” which increases his life, “Fire Flower” which gives Mario a weapon in the form of small fireballs with which he can kill enemies. Then there’s this power called “Starman” which makes Mario invincible to most hazards for some time. The idea is to smartly and diligently use these powers against all adversities and reach the goal.

Don’t you think that our life is also somewhat like this video game? Our aims may be different but we all face adversities and have got powers – internal as well as external – to fight these adversities. Your happiness or pain depends on just how smartly and diligently you live your life.

Now consider your life as a game. You are the main protagonist in this game. There are innumerable stages in this game like childhood, schooling, adulthood, love, work, marriage, divorce, riches, poverty etc. Through all the stages in the game there are things like making friends and enemies; pain and pleasures; love and hatred. You earn points when you make friends. Lose points when you make enemies. Earned love, earned points. Lost love, lost points. Consider points as a measure of happiness. That’s how a game works. Human life has endless possibilities of occurrences. All the things which happen in your favor add to your points and those occurrences against you reduce the points. When you succeed through the tasks you jump up in happiness with “Whoa!” and “Wow!” and when you lose you throw the joystick with “Oh fuck!” and “Shit!”

Should you get depressed if you lose in this game? Well, if it’s a game then ideally, you shouldn’t. It’s right that when you are playing the game your aim has to be winning, but the problem with this game called “human life” is that there’s no ultimate winning in it. Instead, the two ultimate possibilities are: Either you lose; or you just have to keep playing it until the time is up. However, there are successes and failures all through it which is fun to face with. Success would fill you with happiness and excitement. Failure may demotivate you; even make you feel like flinging off the joystick. But after all, it’s a game, not the real life. What you experience in the “game world” is left behind when you are done playing the game and return in your “real world”.

Happenings of the “game world” can not affect your behavior in the “real world”, unless you are so obsessed with the game that you have lost your mind and the realization that the two worlds are different. A sane person knows that a game was a game and a life is a life. The “game world” was simulated, unreal and fictitious; made just for some thrill and fun. Thus, as long as you are aware of the existence of the “real world”, the “game world” can not rule your mind once you are away from the game.

As I have explained in the article here, the human life, the way we perceive it, is also unreal. [Remember it’s unreal not because I am saying it. Instead, I am saying it because it is indeed so. And I am not proud to have known this truth, either. To understand how your perception of friendship is false you may read the article titled Is friendship driven by purposes? And to learn about falseness of the idea of God you may read this one: Are you atheist or believer? As for the other things, just keep browsing through the blog (and follow it), if interested.] You believe in the things which do not exist. You believe in friendships, relationships, God… All of it, the way you perceive it, is simply inexistent in reality, just like things in the “game world”. This renders the seemingly real world nothing but a game. You are living under the false impression of all this being real; furthermore, you think it’s all you have. It’s like being insanely obsessed with the “game world”, where unreal things continually prey on your mind, giving you pleasures and pains; and absolutely controlling your life.

All you need for attaining bliss in this world is the realization of truth. When you start seeing the unreal things as unreal things, you will automatically start dwelling in the “real world” – the world of bliss. When you start seeing human life in its actual hue you will start taking it merely as a game. Then it’s your decision whether you want to play it or not; or how you want to play it. When you are playing it you might do everything what everyone else is doing. As it is, you can’t just sit under a tree idling when you are living in the human world. You have to be active here. So, you might set goals. You might have desires and expectations, successes and failures, and consequently, happiness and pain.

With all of this, however, the most important thing which you will have is the knowledge of the reality; the realization that all this is a part of the play; and that there is a “real world” for you outside of the game when (and if) you are bored playing. Then nothing which happens in the game will affect your spirit; because your spirit knows, and is living in the “real world”. In spirit, you are already in perfect happiness. You are in bliss which nothing and no one in this “game world” can take from you.