Are You Happy?

[GregoryJoseph]

This is a very simple, straightforward question - generally speaking, would you say you're a happy person? Or do you find that you tend to brood, suffer bouts of depression, and live with sadness?

This is in the "That's Life" forum, so please post honestly and respectfully.

Thank you.

[mikeyboy]

Generally, yes.

[spankyfrank]

I think for the first time in a very long time...

I can honestly say yes I am happy again.

[hammersavage]

I am a generally happy person. The last year or so hasn't been a particularly joy filled one.

But I feel like I am on the precipice of real happiness with certain things that are going on.

[Dude!]

things don't bother me
so i think that means i'm happy

[burrben]

i am now

[A.J.]

Right now "content" would be the best word I guess.

I need a love to keep me happy.

[TripleSkeet]

Yes.

[Meataball23]

It could be worse so I want to say yes, but ultimately I'm still heart broken, I hate my job, and I have a desperate need to move away but cannot until my current gig resolves itself...so im gonna vote no.

My official answer would be- things arent so bad but they could be a lot better.

[WampusCrandle]

I am content with my life, so far.

[PapaBear]

I'm not always happy, but I always try to have a good time.

[STC-Dub]

I have never been able to stay happy for very long. I tend to be an unhappy person.

[Fallon]

Good job, good friends and family, got my own place. I just need a chick and I'd be golden.

[jennysmurf]

The good is definitely outweighing the bad right now, so yes, I'm happy. Even when the bad gets really bad, I'm able to deal.

[Chimee]

I voted no, meant it as well. I can honestly say I'm not happy, can't really give a reason why, not because it's deep and personal but more because I don't really know. I just kinda go through life, unconcerned with anything around, finding myself falling into unhappiness. I know I'm abrasive and horrible to the people around me and that just makes me feel more unhappy.

[PapaBear]

I just kinda go through life, unconcerned with anything around, finding myself falling into unhappiness. I know I'm abrasive and horrible to the people around me and that just makes me feel more unhappy.
It's probably the other way around. You're not unhappy because you're a jerk (I'm not actually calling you a jerk, btw...) You act like that because you're unhappy.

[TheGameHHH]

most of the time yes, im happy.

however, i have yet to do something great. the worst part is i feel like im capable of greatness. the fact that i havent been great yet makes me upset. if im able to achieve that greatness then i will consider my life fulfilled

[red_red_red]

Of course I am happy, what a silly question.

[Death Metal Moe]

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[cougarjake13]

99.9% of the time im happy and nothing gets me down, even situations or events that you'd think would normally get someone depressed

[strawberrypop]

When considering the question, I don't necessarily think of emotional state. Emotions are fleeting, elusive. To me, there's a more pertinent question there...I just can't pin down the phrasing I'm looking for.

My emotional/mental state of being has its ups and downs. I am highly passionate; what I feel, I feel deeply and fully, be it uninhibited bliss or overwhelming melancholy.

But, at the core, I am truly happy and sated. I am glad that I can plumb the depths of despair and resurface. I am glad that I can experience joy so consuming I feel I might burst. I feel as though I'm fully experiencing this life. So, even during the lows, I am "happy"...are you ever as acutely aware of your existence as when you suffer?

Existence itself is a gift and a joy beyond all comprehension...

[biggirl]

Yes, I am a happy person. I do get ornery and bitchy but not that often, and I can turn that on/off pretty quick.

[Sue_Bender]

I'm happy and I know it...

**cue clapping of hands**

:clap:

[One Dead Fred]

It's like "Happy Maintenance" to actually say it. I'm happy. Great friends, good health, good career, cool new apt. and a working espresso machine.

[TjM]

Actually I've been really depressed lately I feel like a failure as a husband and a human

[Death Metal Moe]

I really try to keep an upbeat, happy attitude. It's easier sometimes than others. I do hit real down times here and there, like we all do. So I voted 50/50.

[RoseBlood]

There is no way to Happiness, Happiness is the way - The Buddha.

:unsure:

[Dirtbag]

Not in the slightest.

[CountryBob]

Nope

[boosterp]

On one hand I have great friends, family, a gf, some money, and a cat so that makes me happy.

On the other hand I have memories that haunt me, very little money, no job (I am coming out of retirement), and have lost some of my purpose in life.

I really am uncertain how to answer the question.

At face value I seem like a happy person but deep down I am very blue.

[SHANEFROMGA]

well i'm not unhappy ,but.........

[biggestmexi]

:dry:

[yojimbo7248]

you got me thinking about when I have been happy in my life. surprisingly, those times have not necessarily been when the externals have been especially great - job, girlfriend/ wife, money, etc. they have tended to be when I physically take care of myself and pay attention to spiritual stuff. As we have beaten to death in other threads, I don't mean religious necessarily but paying attention to bigger picture, meaning of life/reality questions. Eating right/exercising/staying healthy and meditating/reading/connecting to spiritual people aren't cure-alls but I have found they make me more content with life and the world. Flipside is when I drink. Externals can be great but if I am drinking a lot, I have been less happy on a whole. At the time it seems as though I am happy but in hindsight they seem like darker periods in my life.

[GregoryJoseph]

you got me thinking about when I have been happy in my life. surprisingly, those times have not necessarily been when the externals have been especially great - job, girlfriend/ wife, money, etc. they have tended to be when I physically take care of myself and pay attention to spiritual stuff.

Flipside is when I drink. Externals can be great but if I am drinking a lot, I have been less happy on a whole. At the time it seems as though I am happy but in hindsight they seem like darker periods in my life.

So very true.

Balancing the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of our lives is something we tend to get lazy with and the effects show immediately.

As far as the second part of your post, a good friend of mine is a doctor and several years ago he explained to me that alcohol was a depressant that remained in your system through the following day. Even though you may be a "happy drunk" the next day is when the depression sets in.

That is why many choose to drink every day; to stop the depression. It's not hard to see where dependency comes in.

Right after he educated me about this I tempered my drinking to almost nil. I'll sip a scotch here and there or have a glass of red wine with an Italian meal, but I cannot even tell you when the last time I got drunk was.

[RhinoinMN]

I am happy with what is going on in my life. People who don't understand me think otherwise. Those are the people that try to bring my down.

Unfortunately there are A LOT of people who don't understand me.

[biggestmexi]

not today

[sailor]

at this point in my life i am.

[Donnie Iris]

Generally and especially of late, yes. However, to paraphrase Vonnegut, if you're not a little depressed at all times, there may be something wrong with you.

[GregoryJoseph]

Generally and especially of late, yes. However, to paraphrase Vonnegut, if you're not a little depressed at all times, there may be something wrong with you.

Let's be honest - Vonnegut wasn't wrapped too tight.

[Lady Resin]

I miss being happy. Tonight a few friends are getting together tonight. They've come home for reunions and seeing families for the holidays. Being out of work we can't afford to join them:sad:

[Recyclerz]

I think I'm with Denis Leary on "happiness"

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I strive for an Aristotelean mean in life - don't always maintain it but I try. I do confess that I feel generally more comfortable with Obama running the ship USS US; the economy may still suck but IMO we now have adults using their brains trying to fix things rather than stunted adolescents using their guts to start (inadvertently, perhaps) more problems.

[Donnie Iris]

Let's be honest - Vonnegut wasn't wrapped too tight.

At the risk of exposing possible ignorance, I don't follow?

[chazworth]

I wouldn't know happy if it bit me on the ass!!!

[Mitch&Murray]

I think I'm with Denis Leary on "happiness"

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.

He probably stole this from Bill Hicks too.

[Penelope]

Hell to the no, I'm not happy.

[RoseBlood]

Want a happier brain? Try Mindfulness (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-goleman/mindfulness-brain_b_861228.html)

[CofyCrakCocaine]

I am in a wonderful, loving relationship with a beautiful young lady. Got a nice job where I occasionally go shooting shotguns into the air with my boss, which is unusual since impressions friends have given me over the years of bosses were that they were unapproachable douches, so that's a cool counterexample. I drive a Honda and it's not a Civic so it's not a shitty car. I have some form of stipend that makes me economically viable. I read good books and shitty books and don't give a shit. I've been finding good movies lately, just saw Barton Fink for instance. I'm back in school so there's that nice diverse enthusiastic open-minded laid-back/anal-retentive atmosphere that comes with school...plus the potential for making new friends which comes with attending classes... I still enjoy games, seem to be really into Starcraft again, and a variety of xbox 360 games to keep me fresh on the whole gaming world, which is fun. Got long hair and a beard and if one more motherfucker says I look like Jesus I'm gonna kill him (which means I'm gonna do jack shit because it's just a saying you literal cunts who think I'm threatening people, jerk your dogs off you sons of bitches). I've learned to enjoy Opie and Anthony again by turning it off when it gets banal. I even enjoy Ron and Fez in spite of the loss of the man with the inferno-colored locks, as Mr.Pepper Hicks keeps it semi-real. Tom Waits and Nick Cave continue to kick my ass when other bands start blowing themselves, so there's refuge there. Still friends with my ex, which is a rarity. Cute little animals seem to feel like coming up to me and chilling out while I'm reading books on warm days this spring like I'm some sort of Orpheus (but hey, I like animals so it's cool). I do drugs and nicotine and booze and I so far haven't gotten addicted. You could reason that all this added together means that I'm happy. But I'm not. Nor do I want to be.

The day I'm happy is the day I lose everything, because if I'm happy, I'm a lazy fuck and I get complacent and everything good atrophies as a result. So if you're unhappy- Good for you!

Unless you're unhappy because you are MISERABLE (such as because you have a terminal illness, are about to be suicide bombed, raped, gang-raped, date-raped, rape-raped, or otherwise fucked over in some supremely unjust manner, etc etc etc), a little unhappiness is good for ya. It's a motivator. If you're not totally happy that often means you're not a dumbass who's oblivious to the notion that someday you're gonna get smote by the powers that be no matter how good a boy scout you are. You accept your eventual fate. Whether you believe in everlasting life after death or not, accepting your fate is good for you, so long as this doesn't translate into you using "oh i'm gonna die anyway so let me just run all the red lights on Rt.1 and if God says it's my time then it's my time"- if you do that type of thing, then may Jesus stick a gun up your ass and keep pulling the trigger until it goes *click*.

God bless you fucking assholes, and fuck you too with sincere warmth and some parts disdain. If you were looking for a point in all this, I hope you found it.

-Mr.Cocaine

[keithy_19]

Cute little animals seem to feel like coming up to me and chilling out while I'm reading books on warm days this spring like I'm some sort of Orpheus (but hey, I like animals so it's cool). I do drugs and nicotine and booze and I so far haven't gotten addicted.


...Jesus?

[Jayw]

-Mr.Cocaine

interesting little post there jesus.

the last time I was happy was the last time i did cocaine, which was 4 months ago yesterday. i am really hoping the world does end tomorrow and my post college grad ass doesn't have to get a job and grow the fuck up. life sucks and i am sure that nothing as easy as the world ending will actually happen, and end this misery. but for the god that doesn't exist please end this bullshit.

[keithy_19]

interesting little post there jesus.

the last time I was happy was the last time i did cocaine, which was 4 months ago yesterday. i am really hoping the world does end tomorrow and my post college grad ass doesn't have to get a job and grow the fuck up. life sucks and i am sure that nothing as easy as the world ending will actually happen, and end this misery. but for the god that doesn't exist please end this bullshit.

I've never done it but I heard it's simply wonderful.

If it makes you feel any better, when the world doesn't end I'll be an ass without any degree who can only seemingly grow up in small intervals.

For the record, anyone in the central/north/ jersey or nyc area who has a job they'd like to give me an interview for. That'd be great. After working in an office enviorment for awhile I very much enjoyed it. My closest friends all work in officies and they are all happy. I'd be happy to join an office.

[Jujubees2]

I'm completely rapturous today!

[JessRabbit35]

In the pursuit of happiness everyday

[CountryBob]

Nope

[keithy_19]

Eh. I guess I'm content.

[JessRabbit35]

I'm smiling, so yeah

[zildjian361]

I'm Good,:smoke::drunk:

[cougarjake13]

depends on how many beers ive had

[keithy_19]

I'm in the inbetween stage of my ambien doseage where I feel kind of shaky before having that euphoric moment. But sense I'm in between stages why not discuss how I feel regarding the merits of happiness.

I'm not unhappy. I have a roof over my head. I have a job that I don't mind. I have friends. Sure some of them have tended to fall to the wayside because of job openings and college and what not. I have an incredible family and feel nothing if not blessed.

I don't have a girl in the picture but I guess it'll happen eventually. And I don't really know what I want to do for the rest of my life. I don't think I could continue my current job and expect to maintain a poisition of stability. But I guess who knows.

When it comes down to it, I have my health (for the most part) and for the part that I don't have I say fuck it and go and do things as if I didn't have any problems.

So yes. I guess I'm happy. In a timid sense.

[keithy_19]

I'm in the inbetween stage of my ambien doseage where I feel kind of shaky before having that euphoric moment. But sense I'm in between stages why not discuss how I feel regarding the merits of happiness.

I'm not unhappy. I have a roof over my head. I have a job that I don't mind. I have friends. Sure some of them have tended to fall to the wayside because of job openings and college and what not. I have an incredible family and feel nothing if not blessed.

I don't have a girl in the picture but I guess it'll happen eventually. And I don't really know what I want to do for the rest of my life. I don't think I could continue my current job and expect to maintain a poisition of stability. But I guess who knows.

When it comes down to it, I have my health (for the most part) and for the part that I don't have I say fuck it and go and do things as if I didn't have any problems.

So yes. I guess I'm happy. In a timid sense.

Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

[StanUpshaw]

Nancy Grace's tit meat made me happy for a good twenty minutes, but it didn't last.

[disneyspy]

its not raining or cold this morning,looking forward to work,pretty happy

[Jujubees2]

I was until I got home last night and found my brother-in-law and his family at my house.

[CountryBob]

Who - this guy?


http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/2703/66010337.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/10/66010337.jpg/)

[Jujubees2]

Maybe this guy?

http://images.pictureshunt.com/pics/h/happy_gilmore-10589.jpg

[Jayw]

I think I fell in love with a stripper. Wonder if she will call me......... So now I get that song.

At least she made me feel something for a split second, she wouldn't even take my money.

I think I am actually a bit happy, until I wake up later at least.

[Jayw]

Also I am going to que up boardwalk empire as I try to fall asleep, cant beat that.

[keithy_19]

A good kind of drunk. So yes. Though I wish I had some empinadas. Then I would be great.

[Adolf]

I really don't know

thx 4 asking :smile: