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November 25, 2005

Comments

Frank

Very deep, and very thought-provoking. I would agree with you in that you have a naturally happy disposition, and that it's infectious when you're on top. Irritatingly so upon occasion, and that's actually meant as a compliment :)

It's extremely hard to express actual happiness as a percentage, though, surely? In all honesty, my happiness percentage has risen quite drastically since I had kids, although it has to be said that my frustration, tiredness and irritability levels have risen correspondingly.

Andy, I sincerely hope your percentage rises over the next few years - and seeing the direction your life is taking, I suspect it will. If I have anything to do with it it will, anyway :)

Rebecca

Ahh, happiness, yes not something that can be put into percentages, as with sadness.

If I had to state happiness in the long-term, I would say that on 26 December, 1993, I moved to the North East of England to be with Ian, and I have never looked back or being happier.

Mushy yes, but completely and honestly true.

The best decision of my entire life.

This means the last 30ish percent of my life has been happy, whatever happiness is.

Time to stop.

Frank

Exactly my point - how do you define happiness? I suspect better scholars than any of us ever will be have devoted much time to wondering. As for Andy's mention of a background happiness, I'd say that refers to contentedness. Based on that, my percentage is high.

Liz Marshall

I like your whole life perspective, Rebecca. The last three years have been happier for me than the previous 23. (More actually, but I liked the 2 threes next to each other.) Though these have had their share of frustration and unhappiness, deep down I have been happier. Whereas I would state it totally the other way round for the 23 years, I was basically unhappy, but there were times of great happiness in and among. Maybe if we go looking for happiness it eludes us, but if we get on with living our lives in a way that allows us to be the people we are truly designed to be, then happiness follows. I hope that the North East proves as good a decision for me as it was for you. :-) If that is true for me Andy, then it will be true for you too.

Frank

Very astute, Liz, and I agree with you that often looking for happiness is a good way to miss it when it actually occurs. I look forward to meeting you after hearing Andy speak of you for so many years.

AndyC

So, what shall we say then?

What I'm hearing is that happiness is pretty hard to tie down. We might be happy, and not know it till soemthing bad happens, and if we try to make ourselves happy, we may well fail.

Hmmm...

I'm not sure I'm happy about any of this.

You see, in my world, things are either Black and White, or they're not. Well, sort of.

I feel that folks like to retreat into vagueness for tricky areas like happiness, because it is so ephemeral and subjectve - as well as being transient in many ways

I do have three defiite areas that I like to be vague about.

They are:

1) Special things to do with stuff.
2) Other stuff.
3) Other types of things.

Oh mercy me, I have lost the plot.

If only I had the plot of lost - now that would be something.

Time for my medication.

Rebecca

Oh, you're on medication too. Makes sense now. Anyway, happiness like life is all grey and if it was black and white, would be far simpler. Highs and lows from vagueness give a far more satisfying sense of achievement. I know what I mean.

Jason

I return to my basic premise that the only true path to 'happiness' is to have very very very low standards and ideals, which can be consistently achieved, and living amongst those whose standards and ideals are even lower, to give you a feeling of superiority. That's what I've done, and it's flippin' great!

AndyC

Jason, I think I feel a sort of pity for you.

Yes, I think it's pity.

Tim the Enchanter

Gladys Aylward lived in a place called 'The Inn of the Sixth Happiness'. Now THAT was some inn!

Ken Dood, on the other hand, sang about 'Happiness', which clever cynics have turned into more poetic rhyme by dropping the 'H' and letting the syllables give the song a whole new meaning.

Sorry.

Jason

Shocked silence. I think I speak for everyone.

AndyC

Yes, quite extreme, Tim.

We still love you though. Oh yes.

Cal

Hmm...some interesting points, but I stand by my premise that being sad and being unhappy aren't quite the same thing. Sadness is reactive, unhappiness is more a state of being. This year I've been quite sad but not unhappy. It's all semantics!

Ian

I would be very happy right now if Andy would just write another blog.
Preferably one with a happy theme

Jason

I agree - he insists of course that this isn't a 'down' posting, but it's hard to see it as anything else, to be honest with you. I yearn for something flippant, rude or just bizarrely silly - not that this is what Andy does best, of course, but it would be a nice change.

AndyC

Oh no, I am just being realistic...

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