Saturday, May 6: Chapter 5: Emotions, Happiness, a Start

EMOTIONS AND CLARITY, BEGINNING TO TALK ABOUT HAPPINESS
Emotions are fun, and they tend to drive people crazy. They drive people crazy because most people are wimps, liars, and babies about emotions. They think that emotions just come, that they descend, as if from outer space. They think that other people are “making” them sad, or angry, or nervous, or whatever. They don’t take responsibility for the emotions as something, that once arising, they are doing.

And how do the emotions arise?

Well, that’s a bigger discussion, and one that we’ll get into when we return to the Byron Katie work. But for now think about this. You are walking along in a pretty meadow, feeling content. And then you think of your ex-mate. You have the ongoing habitual thought about your mate, that this person should have treated you better. You start to feel bad.

Then you keep thinking about the ex-mate and keep feeling bad.

Then you see a beautiful deer and you come back into the moment. You get very still and follow your breathing and life suddenly seems full and wonderful again. The ex-mate is gone, you are here, you are glad to be here, outdoors, in touch with outer nature of the meadow and the deer and the inner nature of sensing your feet on earth and your breathing coming in and out slowly.


Are you happy, right now?

If so, how are you doing that?

If not, how are you doing unhappiness to yourself?

If you don’t know this, what kind of life must you live if happiness and unhappiness are not something that you have a say in?