What does it mean to be happy? What is unhappiness? Can we learn how to 'switch' our happiness on & off, or is our happiness entirely out of our control? In the end, is it even possible to achieve true happiness?
In this How To Die Happy Chinwag, Martin O'Toole has a conversation with Uluwatu's very own cosmic wizard and surf mecca proprietor, Jake Mackenzie, about the meaning of happiness.
As the intro suggests, there are many ways to approach the subject of happiness. Perhaps, the most obvious way to start is to discuss what happiness is and its many facets. For example, owning a big house, car, and healthy bank balance is happiness for some. In contrast, others are happy owning nothing, feeling free of energetic ties through this minimalistic and straightforward approach to living. Does happiness thus derive from the concept of ownership and attachment?
Considering the discussion from another angle: why do we become unhappy? What makes us so? Perhaps it results from events in our lives that force us to feel unhappiness. After all, it's natural for humans to ask, "Why is this happening to me?!" But how many of these events occur without our involvement versus those that came out of the blue?
Moreover, is there another way to view such events—regardless of how tragic or life-changing they may be? Perhaps, as with everything in this realm of duality, we can apply and embrace one or more contrasting truths. So instead of asking, "Why is this happening to me?" some ask, "What is this teaching me?"
Which are you? And can you see the connection between these perspectives and happiness?
For anyone who's followed the How to Die Happy Podcast from the beginning, you'll know we view the relationship between life & death as paramount to understanding the secrets of finding true happiness. It is in the territory of learning the arts of living that we can also perfect the art of dying.
And if we can get to the end of our lives (assuming we're lucky to have a planned or expected death), then being able to say—hand on heart—"I've lived a good life; I have no regrets," then surely we can say that we are happy, can we not?
Alan Watts wrote a book called The Meaning of Happiness. His original title for this work was The Anatomy of Acceptance. So it's here, discussing the subject of acceptance, where Martin & Jake kick off this charming & insightful discussion.
And so, the two embark on the journey of answering one of life's greatest mysteries in an hour. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Join them now.
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