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Originally Posted by <<>> I put the questions, each of us can give an answer...
Personally, I think that nearly 90€ of the times we are happy, we are't. That happiness is created by our minds, and it is like a perfect clone of happiness that our brains create.
Also, many people think of happiness a something to achieve, as the goal of our lifes......That is wrong. Happiness is completely impossible to be directly created or provoke happiness. You can help it to happen inderctly. Happiness is a moment, that can be second, minutes, maybe hours, not more, when you feel complete and satisfyed. |
Forgive my late attendance ...
This thread has spun off into the mire of ethereal concepts - God, levity, etc. - and I believe it deserves some comment more in line with a TOE.
First, the common denominator of the universe is energy. If happiness, fear, curiosity, and the plethora of other "feelings and emotions" exist, they must be manifestations of energy.
Energy is described in vectors having direction and magnitude. If there are differences in "feelings and emotions," then the energy vectors must be different - even if they exist just in the mind. Thus, the distribution of energy during "happiness" must be different from the distribution for fear. All other "feelings/emotions" must likewise have some differences in energy distribution.
Anything which exists long enough to be recognized must be deemed systematic for the duration of the event. Since it is based in energy, it must be deemed an energy system. We are, thus, energy systems (Elizabeth Duffy, 1930s-1940s).
Many, if not all, energy systems have tolerances or ranges within which they can continue to exist. For example, humans have a very narrow temperature range which must be maintained in order to survive. Nonetheless, this is a range. Further, these temperature ranges vary depending upon the part of the body involved.
To be within the tolerances of these ranges allows survival of the system. This is termed
homeostasis (Walter Cannon, 1920s). This is not a static state, but a dynamic one. A great variety of energy distributions within the human body will allow continued survival. Thus, a variety of emotions as well as other bodily motions (running, swimming, thinking, sleeping, etc.) which equate to various energy distributions is consistent with this approach.
If a human, or any living creature, is threatened, the ability to effectively distribute energy to avoid the threat is imperative to survival. For external threats (lions & tigers & bears ...), distributing energy to the limbs for "fight or flight" (again, Walter Cannon) is highly successful.
However, human (and other creature) metabolism has a finite amount of energy to distribute (an energy budget). Those creatures which split their energy between internal and external behaviors during a threat, limit the time available for "fight or flight." Those which temporarily sacrifice internal subsystems to conserve energy and maximize energy for "fight or flight" tend to show more endurance and likely survive. Those which have split their energy resources tend to be culled by natural selection (Darwin/Spencer, late 1800s; Schrodinger, 1940s; Keeran, 1990s; Henriques, 1990s).
The shifting of energy resources is sensed by us, and we reference these shifts as "feelings/emotions." When we go into stress (fear, anger) in preparation for "fight or flight," blood (energy resources) are diverted from the torso and digestion system to the extremities (arms and legs) - (once again, Walter Cannon). The loss of blood flow in the torso is felt as a "sinking feeling" or "sick feeling" - attributed to fear. Once the threat is overcome or avoided, the distribution back to the torso is returned. This is deemed a "warmth" or feeling "hearty."
If we seek happiness, as asserted by Aristotle over 2000 years ago, then it must equate to homeostasis - an optimum and balanced distribution of energy within the organism. If we consider 'fear' and 'loathing" aversive and avoid them, then these must equate to non-homeostatic (imbalanced) states which are inherently destructive long term.
Is happiness real? Absolutely. Are "feelings/emotions" only in the mind? From a naturist point of view (which should be a TOE point of view), feelings are rheostat switches in the mind which control energy distributions in the body.
What is happiness? It is an energy distribution within the body which must equate to homeostasis. It is healthful, and we should seek it in order to survive.