Letting your mind wander is a major cause of unhappiness • Hacker News Board

Re: Letting your mind wander is a major cause of unhappiness

#21

Post by crazydiamond » Mon, Nov 15, 2010, 6:29 AM UTC

The several thousand year old practice of "Mindfulness". Derived from the earlier (pre-Buddhist) practice "Vipashyana" (i.e., clear seeing).

Yes, keeping one's mind centered, aka, in the present moment, in awareness, is being happy. Being happy without external causes.

Unhappiness is basically thought-forms or thought-waves saying "I am unhappy" or "I am bored" or "I will be happy when ...". There is no more reality to unhappiness than mere thought-forms. The underlying silence revealed by a still mind is happiness itself.

Re: Letting your mind wander is a major cause of unhappiness

#22

Post by bhewes » Mon, Nov 15, 2010, 9:02 AM UTC

This reminds me of John Gray's idea that idleness is a burden for most. "Work fends off the heavier burden of idleness, and even the round of commuting keeps the self at bay." http://www.thedrawbridge.org.uk/issue_17/mostly_a_wise_leap_...

Re: Letting your mind wander is a major cause of unhappiness

#23

Post by electromagnetic » Mon, Nov 15, 2010, 11:45 AM UTC

andrewvc wrote: post #10

electromagnetic wrote: post #2

During my day job, my mind wanders constantly. I work in construction and I'm highly intelligent, which means I rarely have to concentrate hard like others do. So I spend a lot of my time thinking up story and plot details, which actually makes me quite happy. Although I think having a dozen different characters living in my head probably exempts me from inclusion in a study on happiness.

Although I think having a dozen different characters living in my head probably exempts me from inclusion in a study on happiness. nope, only if they get out of your head.

Does escaping onto 'paper' count, or is that simply transmuting the imprisonment into a virtual extension of my mind?

Re: Letting your mind wander is a major cause of unhappiness

#24

Post by scottw » Mon, Nov 15, 2010, 4:05 PM UTC

Happiness is overrated. I'm just fine with a life of mild melancholy peppered with occasional fits of ecstacy.