Information Related to "Do You Choose Happiness?"
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I grew up near the world's largest American bison (buffalo) herd in the
Black Hills of South Dakota. I've seen that herd in Custer State Park,
but believe me, that park is no skateboard park. Buffalo bulls can be almost
as cantankerous as the cows with calves. They hang out in fields of buffalo
grass, not concrete or asphalt, and they leave massive hoof prints in the sand
and dirt. There's no skateboarding or roller-skating there.
But enough about buffalo, because... you can be happy, if you have
a mind to.
Let's consider these basic points: What true happiness is not, what true happiness is and how we can avoid misery and build the habit of happiness.
What happiness is not
Did you know that Americans consider the pursuit of happiness to be a basic human right? That is stated in one of mankind's most famous and influential documents, the U.S. Declaration of Independence, written in 1776: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident: that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Unfortunately, many Americans and other people misread the Declaration and consider it their right to be happy, when in fact it reads, "the Pursuit of Happiness." The U.S. founding fathers understood the biblical principle that happiness must be pursued by personally choosing the right thoughts, right words and right actions at the right time. In short, our happiness depends on us.
Not everybody believes this. Some mistakenly think that others determine their happiness. This is called determinism and it comes in several flavors.
Genetic determinism blames our ancestry (like grandparents) for our unhappiness (for example, a hot temper and the misery it spreads).
Related Information on UCG Sites:
Table of Contents that includes "Do You Choose Happiness?"
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Happiness: