The human pursuit of happiness is an ongoing struggle. By happiness I mean pleasure, satisfaction, comfort, etc. The struggle ensues relentlessly because our happiness is conditional.

We tell ourselves that we’ll be happy when… The crux of that is when we obtain… our happiness is short-lived. Sure it may last a couple of hours or perhaps, if we’re lucky a few days; its temporary. We soon find ourselves looking for the next thing. We are unaware that all of are attempts at happiness are inherently doomed to fail because everything is transient. This impermanence is why happiness or contentment is incessantly sought after but never acquired.

A perfect example of this is the state of present-day advertising. Companies and the media attempt to sell us goods and services by convincing us that our lives would be better off if we had their products. They do this by showing beautiful smiling people with the product. They also imply people will be more successful and desirable by using or owning the product. We buy the goods and services one day and find ourselves longing for another product the next. This method of advertisement works because collectively, our society is trying to satiate that unquenchable thirst for happiness.

Happiness isn’t something one acquires or attains. Rather it’s a state of being that comes about when our vibration reaches a certain point, when we experience a certain level of contentment within ourselves. This implies enjoying reality as it is rather than as we expect it to be.

Most human beings are living in their own reality. Their experience is a projection onto reality thus a false version. There is an actual reality, but very few people experience it. The common misconception is that everyone experiences the same reality. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Everyone’s experience is subjective. For example: say your mother and or father fails to meet your ideals as parents. Perhaps you blame them or resent them for the way you turned out. You might be carrying this anger, repressing it, and it is manifesting in a subtle way by means of passive aggressive behavior towards them. The longer you ignore it the less subtle it will become. In actuality, your parent or parents did the best job they knew how to. Another example: say your boyfriend or girlfriend, or your spouse has a character trait or behavior that irritates you, causing anger, frustration, anxiety, resentment, etc. Meanwhile, they can’t understand why you are upset or bothered. You are projecting onto them the way you want them to be and when they fail to meet that expectation, and they will, you react. They can only be the way they are, no different. The nature of a thing is to be that which it is.

This statement is powerful, so let it sink in. The nature of a thing is to be that which it is. A rock has certain properties. It cannot be fluid like water because its solid. It cannot radiate warmth without external stimuli because it has no energy source. To dislike the rock or become irritated with it because it couldn’t be fluid or emit warmth would be insane. So why is it OK for us to get upset with a person for being who they are?

Everyone of us has had different life experiences that influence our beliefs, values, dogma, moral behavior, etc. We can’t expect others to approach life the same way we do. The differences we have provide a richness, a certain quality to life that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

Rather than pointing out the things that we don’t like or wishing for things to be different, we might look at what is in our direct experience right now. We are alive! Our body is a perfect machine designed for life. It allows us to experience all that we have to this point. Think about the people in your life. Think of all the relationships you’ve had and the vast array of experiences because of them. Think about the spectrum of emotions that have moved through you. They have added an ineffable quality to your experience. Look at the life happening around you every moment of every day. Plants and animals are thriving and seasons are in motion because of the massive ball of gas at the center of our solar system. This planet is alive. Its breath is in the wind. Its blood flows in streams and rivers to the ocean. There is magic here! We forget this because we are caught up in the dramas of our daily life. There are infinite things to be happy about in every moment. Instead of looking to the future or the past realize that happiness is right here, right now, in the present.

The nature of the true Self is that It is infinite. The Self that I’m referencing is of course the eternal, timeless Self that is the source of all creation, pure consciousness. Some call It God, Source, Is-ness, or Shiva. It varies by culture, but all words point to the same Self. Since It is everything that means we, you and I are also It. However, we have forgotten this and instead perceive the Self, creation, from a limited perspective known as ego. The ego is the belief we hold about our self as a separate entity moving around in the world and having experiences. The egoic mind is the converse of the true Self. It believes it is separate from all other things.

Since the ego, sees itself as separate it identifies very strongly with every experience. This includes thoughts and feelings. They are seen as “my thoughts, my feelings, they are me, this is me.” Who are you really? Most people will list personality and physical traits or personal preferences and tastes. Are those things really you? What they are is thoughts, mind stuff. These collections of thoughts are what the ego identifies with and thus reinforces the belief that it exists.

We identify with each experience because there is no silence, no separation amidst the thoughts. The mind, from the perspective of ego, is tumultuous. It’s a maelstrom of thoughts which contributes to maintaining the egoic self. I commonly refer to this as the monkey mind. Alan Watts illustrated this perfectly when he spoke of the mind as a muddy pool that has been stirred up. If let alone, it will settle and become clear. It is then that your identification, your ego, who you think you are, will begin to unravel and you will notice that you are not the thoughts and you are not the body. Instead, you are aware of them.

In order for something to maintain its existence it must constantly struggle for homeostasis against innumerable variables that are all seen as threats to the order. Every living thing in this universe is fighting for its survival daily. Whether it be to find food, stave off infection from microscopic invaders (which are also just trying to find a host in order to proliferate), to searching for fresh water, or finding a suitable place to live. Life according to ego is a struggle because it is trying to maintain its perspective. The ego doesn’t want to die! Does this sound familiar? Most people won’t tell you they are afraid of death. Instead, they will list off things like fear of insects, snakes, needles, small spaces, inadequacy, failure, change, rejection, heights, being judged, etc. However, these are extraneous social fears. When you look at our society honestly you will recognize that we value our lives above everything. We take medication to fix physiological conditions and alter chemical imbalances, we undergo surgeries and treatments to reverse physical conditions that nature or we ourselves have imposed on us. Some have their bodies frozen with the hope of returning to it. Others suffer through deep depression and misery but don’t dare commit suicide. Everything we do is for the preservation of the ego. The ego will endure just about anything because its survival is paramount.

It is important to note that the ego is not a physical thing. It doesn’t actually exist. It is a concept used to communicate this idea of an identification with a perspective.