Community Chat

[Elvita]

I feel sorry for people who are rich in other ways besides money but fail to realize it.

[YorkieonmyPillow]

Is it a full moon? 

[Northray]

---

@chrystaltree wrote:

---

@Northray wrote:

---

@Noel7 wrote:

---

@151949 wrote:

The art of being happy is being content with what you have.

---

***************************

How does that work for poor people struggling to make things better for their children?

---

Seriously?  You've never heard of people saying this?  Throughout history many poor have said they lacked in materials things but neverless they WERE HAPPY?  Grandmas and Grandpas have always claimed this anomaly.  At least mine have.  The art of being happy does not have anything to do with being poor or rich.

---

       Yeah, I'm sure people who are homeless or can't feed their children or don't where their next meal is coming from are just jumping for joy and praying that things never change for them...because....they are just so darn happy!  

---

From what I've been told from people who have been homeless and can't feed their children, (I have served them as a missionary and volunteer) they are happy because they know that God is going to help them - they have only to go up.  Now I'm not a holy roller, preacher type.  I just serve as a volunteer but it seems that if you get to point where you don't have nothing, zippo, then all you have is GOD and they seem to thrive on that.  TAke it as you wanna.  Some call it hope.

[KateE]

That's your opinion, I however, disagree, it's my belief that happiness resides within and not with what we have or don't have.

[Northray]

---

@KateE wrote:

That's your opinion, I however, disagree, it's my belief that happiness resides within and not with what we have or don't have.

---

That's true too, of course.

[Sweetbay magnolia]

The key may be actually having things.

[Pook]

Some of the happiest and most content people I have met over the years are those who are not rich and and have faced some sort of adversity over the years.  I have seen many who are struggling raising families with little to nearly nothing being happy and content with life.  It's not saying one cannot strive for more but without a positive attitude nothing will ever bring happiness to some and they will never have enough so unhappiness is always there!!!

 I saw it in my own family.  One grandmother came over from Italy, married a man she knew only from childhood and had to start life over, had 5 children, worked hard often being left alone when my grandfather  went out of town to find work.  She was positive and happy because she made the most of life in spite of a lot of sturggles to raise her family.  The other grandmother was born in the US as was my grandfather, married young had 6 kids and wasn't happy or even the least bit positive and as a result was not fun to be around as all she did was complain.  When growing up she always gave more expensive gifts and my other grandmother just gave little trinkets and lots of fun and love.  Guess who the favorite grandmother was and the one we always wanted to visit?  So yes it is possible to be happy when you have very little.  We cannot control many things in life but we can choose how we react to life!!

Also, while growing up we did not have much and my father was an alcoholic.  I chose to live my life positively and not let it affect me while my sister chose to boo hoo and say it ruined her life.  She is so bitter and negative and can never be content with her life.  Attitude is what makes a person happy and content and it's something no one can change for you but yourself!!!

[AuntG]

 So true, it paraphrases Phil 4:11.  Happy and content are different. Happiness can be a temporary feeling, but contentment is deeper and can be present even during unhappy times.

[software]

Contentment is under-rated.

It's a very peaceful place to be.

It seems to have developed a negative connotation.   If you are content, you are lazy.   You should always be striving for more.   Being content doesn't mean you will always be in the same place in life.     It's like the Serenity Prayer.   Accept what you can't change, have courage to change what you can & wisdom to know the difference.   Loose translation.

@151949

[Pook]

You can never have true happiness unless you have been content in life no matter what your circumstances are!  Sure you can be surface happy with material things or tempory happiness if something goes your way but if you are not content with what you have, true happiness will never be possible.  It's possible to be unhappy with something that happens or someone but there still can be overall happiness.  For me, I will always be happy for what I have and what my life has been like.   I have had sad times, bad times, times where things seemed really terrible but I have never been truly unhappy. Things could always be worse and probably would have had been had I not been a positive happy person.