Reflections on Happiness

I am studying Existential Philosophy during Summer semester at UMass Amherst’s UWW. Suffice to say that studying existential philosophy can cause the self to reflect on the themes of the study in a very personal way.

I have struggled throughout my life, yet I still try always to maintain a sense of happiness regardless of my struggles because the very weight of one’s struggling can pull you down into darkness and depression. It is not always easy to maintain a sense of happiness because that weight can be so oppressive that sometimes it takes great deal of strength to throw it off and live life authentically with joy.

J. Krishnamurti says in The Book of Life, “To find the true meaning of happiness, we must explore the river of self-knowledge,” yet he continues, “Self-knowledge is not an end in itself.” There is more than that needed to find true happiness, Krishnamurti contends,  happiness is found where you are now, in this moment of time he explains:

“Is there a source to a stream? Every drop of water from the beginning to the end makes the river. To imagine that we will find happiness at the source is to be mistaken. It is to be found where you are on the river of self-knowledge.”

I think these words from Krishnamurti echoes the existential theme of “being present” that Heidegger posits in his acclaimed Being and Time.

To be in nature for me is to lose myself in the moment so profoundly that nothing exists but the timeless connection to the Earth. In that space I find both bliss and blessings.

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