Life has strong ups and downs, it’s a given. I know that there is no state of being, nothing to reach that provides a constant, unending source of happiness, which seems sad. I want to reach a place in my life where I have a stable, happy life, with dips, yes, but not drop-offs where I feel aimless, depressed, and empty, for long periods. Human psychology and the hedonic treadmill have proven that much.
On the other hand, I think I can reach contentedness. I have a strong sense that contentedness is all about perspective and has almost no connection to what we have materially. Even in moments that feel extremely dark, it’s often just the subversion of expectations rather than a true harm that’s occurred. In cases of real harm, it’s of course bad, but if we do everything we can actionably to change things, all we have left is perspective.
Finding love, buying a home, maintaining infinite savings won’t provide unlimited happiness or contentedness. These things all will normalize. Instead, everything comes back to the present moment and finding a perspective that is positive and looks for the good. I don’t need to find anything to make me happy. I can find it right now. I have everything I need, I just need to arrange things properly in my mind.