Contentment

[tabs]

Most people are searching for contentment in their lives or they are living is a state of blissful ignorance. People for the most part try and follow a doctrine whether it be Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Secularism, Capitalism, Socialism, Paganism or Satanism to achieve solace or contentment. Many people think that by believing in the doctrine itself that they can achieve inner contentment. What many fail to realize is that the goal is not in the doctrine itself but in following the guidelines set out by the doctrine. Merely following the guidelines in of themselves will not achieve the desired effect either. To arrive at a state of contentment one has to make the guidelines their own by the process of rediscovering them for themselves.

Most if not all people have doubts, anxieties, fears and or phobias about themselves and or the universe about them. This is largely brought on by the uncertain nature of the future and or their own abilities and veracity. While the universe and events may seem chaotic it does seem at least superficially to live by it's own self imposed rules. Yet there are no rules and uncertainty is the true nature of the universe and the attendant doubts, anxieties and fears have to be dealt with on this roller coaster of a ride called life.

[stevej37]

[Bill Douglas]

For me contentment is a nice bottle of pinot noir and looking out at the sea.

[Seahawk]

Jesus: Most if not all people have doubts, anxieties, fears and or phobias about themselves and or the universe about them.

[pwd72s]

Tabs, if content, why the worry over what others do or think?

[tabs]

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Tabs, if content, why the worry over what others do or think?

Because I write about it doesn't mean I worry about it... I clarify and define situations as an objective observer. If that creates worry or fear within you, it means you don't understand completely what you are dealing with.

That said fear and anxiety are natural states of being alive. Many times that is a heads up giving you warning that something is up..as to which you have an as of yet unawareness of. That is a built in survival alarm system.

In life there are challenges and struggles to resolve or overcome. That is a given and you will have worries etc but those are EXTERNAL PROBLEMS to be dealt with and not within yourself. The contentment I am talking about is other than the day to day living. Briefly it is in how you handle your situations, and your own state of being. Getting to know that the problems are external to yourself and not within you is the trick, and that takes the process of making those previously stated "guidelines your own"

Until you can do that you are one big ball of confusion. Welcome to the jungle Baby

[wdfifteen]

I follow the doctrine of Tabulism, secure in the belief that you are all idiots and the sky is truly falling. It gives me great comfort.

[KFC911]

Here's a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry, be Tabby...

[tabs]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

Jesus: Most if not all people have doubts, anxieties, fears and or phobias about themselves and or the universe about them.

Is this a vote for ignorant bliss? Or an acceptance that you have limitations and are struggling through them the best you can?

A man has got to know his limitations...

Think Sun Tzu...

[tabs]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I follow the doctrine of Tabulism, secure in the belief that you are all idiots and the sky is truly falling. It gives me great comfort.

The sky is NOT going to fall but empires like the Twin Towers of American financial imperialism can fall down.

In a physical measurement by testing of intelligence 99 out of 100 of you are more stupid than I am...that is a statistical FACT. Here is the big but it still costs me what $2 for a cup of Starbucks joe. So it doesn't buy me much, I still have the same struggles and challenges to face in life that you do .

Then there is the fact that to varying degrees most are one big ball of confusion*....that is something that you can work out and mostly don't.. and that don't is what makes you an idiot.

They say that the definition of crazy is when you do the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome.. I hear the same whining from all of you over and over again without resolution. I make comment upon it as a chronicler of the times as to what the state of affairs is. Since the story remains the same....


*There is the old saying in Poker that if you can not tell who the chumps are at the table you are the chump...Well so far I can tell who all the chumps are at the table..

[tabs]

Originally Posted by KC911

Here's a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don't worry, be Tabby...

Here is a little song I heard///


There's a boat on the reef with a broken back
And I can see it very well...

[ckelly78z]

I could honestly could care less if any of you are smarter, or richer than I am (likely on both accounts), because I seem to have what many of you are chasing.....contentment.

[JavaBrewer]

Contentment is fleeting and evolutionary.

Major milestones for me were:

16 got laid. mind blown. reality attained when she moved on.
18 and traveling to Europe with a backpack and Eurorail pass. I came home with a very different take on nearly everything.
21 I could order a drink in a bar/restaurant or buy freely from a store. something that I worked hard to side step the previous 4 years.
30 met my future wife, married at 32 - overcome with the stress of being ultimately responsible for someone else.
33 my son arrived - overcome with stress of failing him.
34 my daughter arrived - overcome with joyfull emotion.
36 absolutely killing it at work, top of the game.
50 neglected to maintain the skills that used to succeed at work

55 working on a path to get back to contentment. still have my wife, kids, and respect

I have no advice.

[black73]

What is the question again? If you are asking 'am I content', the answer is yes.

[astrochex]

Lordy, how did humanity survive before objective tabs?

It could have been a valuable discussion about the many layers of contentment, but instead it is merely another vehicle for objective tabs to lord his illusion of superiority over parf.

The apostle Paul found his faith to provide him contentment in whatever his situation, whether in distress, danger, hunger, or prosperity. His “secret” was his faith in his saviour who strengthened him.

[KFC911]

I am content with my discontent (or lack thereof)....does that count ?

[pwd72s]

Gads, how terrible it must be to be objectively content...so removed from the slings and arrows of normal life.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0wMmcoPTmAs

[scottmandue]

To be, or not to be--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep--
No more--and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep--
To sleep--perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of th' unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprise of great pitch and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action. -- Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia! -- Nymph, in thy orisons
Be all my sins remembered.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by tabs

To arrive at a state of contentment one has to make the guidelines their own by the process of rediscovering them for themselves.

This certainly is true for Buddhism. What I found so attractive about it was that Buddha himself stressed that it was very important for people to not believe him. To believe him would be mean that you were taking it on faith, and he didn't want you to have faith, he wanted you to take action. Follow his instructions, and make it happen for yourself. Its an instruction manual, not a faith.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

This certainly is true for Buddhism. What I found so attractive about it was that Buddha himself stressed that it was very important for people to not believe him. To believe him would be mean that you were taking it on faith, and he didn't want you to have faith, he wanted you to take action. Follow his instructions, and make it happen for yourself. Its an instruction manual, not a faith.

The problem with this, is our brain works by believing or not believing inputs, our entire thought process is faith based on what we want to take in.

People can take action based on a flat earth, because that is what they believe, people can take action based on a globe, because that is what they believe.

Each person has his own filter of what he finds faith in, without faith we are brain dead.

You can find consensus's of things believed in common, such as reading 10 = 9+1 if you automatically have faith in base 10.

But what about the guy that sees 10 in binary?

Whether we want to admit it or not, the entirety of human knowledge is based on faith, separation of what we believe to be fiction or non fiction.