Where did the idea that one should be happy all the time come from?

[Kramer]

You think people a few hundred years ago gave a shit about happiness? They cared about survival, purpose, family.

 

[waived]

You think people a few hundred years ago gave a shit about happiness?

Yes.

They cared about survival, purpose, family.

Who are you talking about specifically?

 

[Kramer]

Yes.

Who are you talking about specifically?

Happiness is a leftover thing from childhood. It keeps people from growing up and learning to overcome adversity. Adults should strive to be at peace, not happy.

 

[waived]

Happiness is a leftover thing from childhood. It keeps people from growing up and learning to overcome adversity. Adults should strive to be at peace, not happy.

What do you mean by a leftover thing from childhood? What is happiness to you?

 

[Kramer]

What do you mean by a leftover thing from childhood? What is happiness to you?

A thing meant for children that is pulled into adulthood by people who can't let go. You see this in people who crave nostalgia. Happiness is a kind of delusion that doesn't mesh with reality. It takes an ignorant mind to be happy, which is why it's well suited for children.

 

[waived]

A thing meant for children that is pulled into adulthood by people who can't let go. You see this in people who crave nostalgia. Happiness is a kind of delusion that doesn't mesh with reality. It takes an ignorant mind to be happy, which is why it's well suited for children.

That's what I gathered you meant from your other post. I'm asking for you to define what you mean by happiness so that I can know exactly what makes up this undesirable thing and how it's different from peace, because I think most people from a hundred years ago would see the words as synonymous, right?

 

[WhatDoesTheFoxSay?]

You think people a few hundred years ago gave a shit about happiness? They cared about survival, purpose, family.

I guess many have a 'grin and bear it' attitude towards life, no matter how hard it gets. In the past doing as you're told was the accepted norm. Our biological urge to procreate has never been questioned, until now.

Personally, I am at odds with this approach towards life. We're meant to ask questions, and bottling things up leaves you feeling invalidated. With explosive consequences.

The excerpt below explains why we shouldn't suppress our emotions:

"In this style the slave-owner is so obsessed with the fear that his slaves (feelings) might get out of control and so determined that they should cause him no trouble that he routinely beats them into submission and punishes them at the first sign of any potency. The result of this style is that in relatively short order the slaves become less and less productive as their will is sapped by the harsh treatment they receive. Or else their will turns more and more toward covert rebellion. If this process is carried out long enough, one night the owner's prediction finally comes true and the slaves rise up and burn down the mansion, frequently with the owner inside."

— M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Travelled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth