The Best Self-Help is Free: The Greatest Problem of the Human Condition

Chapter 4

This is Chapter 4 of The Best Self-Help is Free, a treatise by Mr. Stolyarov. You can read all chapters of this freely available guide here.

The problem with the contemporary view of happiness, as discussed in Chapter 3, is that such a view is necessarily static. It sees happiness as a state in which all of an individual's desires are met and nothing troubles him - either physically or mentally.  

The static view of happiness, of course, has another side to it - which was embraced by such Oriental philosophies as Buddhism. If happiness is the fulfillment of all of one's desires and the freedom from trouble, said the Buddhists, then why not minimize how much one desires and what one considers to be trouble? Why not just be content with whatever is and not aspire for anything more? After all, the fewer desires you have, the easier it will be to fulfill them all. And if you have no desires at all, then you will be truly enlightened and attain the state of nirvana, or complete inner peace.

Alas, the Buddhist way taken to its full conclusion simply does not work in the real world - even though it might be useful at helping some individuals abstain from pursuits that would indeed be unnecessary and damaging for them. The problem with this approach is that, whether or not you desire anything, there are thousands of things, phenomena, and people out there that threaten to hurt you, rob you, and even kill you. A man with few or no desires is just as likely to suffer from bodily decay as a man with abundant desires. And as anyone who has been to public elementary school knows, the bullies of the world do not hate their victims for any particular reasons. For them, the hatred comes first, and then they try to find external reasons to justify it. Whether or not you desire anything will not save you from the bullies and thugs - be they children or adults.