0 The End of Life Is Not Pleasure

Which one is better you get a job or fired from your job? From one perspective, getting a job means you will have security, you can eat three or four times a day, hang out with friends, and you can buy house and car. Losing a job can be difficult, now you can only rely on yourself. Maybe you will lose relationship, your friends will slowly disappear from your life. You live simple life, eating simple food once or twice a day. You will realize that being poor is not as scary as you had imagined. Most will say that the first case is better. You will think less about life and death because you don't have to think, you have schedule you can't avoid. Your life will pass like a dream until you get old and regret. You will finally lose your job, friends, and security. Hopefully by that time you can rely on your children. Yet still you feel useless and weak. Shall we get old doing the same thing over and over again for others who pay us to get security for a while? I have seen so many old people are unhappy in their life. They do not know what to do with the rest of their life. They used to have a master who told them what to do. Being free then becomes scary and stressful. As the ones who have no master since young, they get used to it. They somewhat find their way in life through a lot of problems, they manage to survive until the old age. They rely on no one, they have their own way to deal with failures, lonely, and uncertainties. They can enjoy the life as it is. When they think about death, it doesn't scare them a bit. Their life is always simple and They think clearly because thay have a lot of time thinking, they have no schedule, no meetings to attend, no invitations to parties and hangout. Most people life in fear created by their own mind. Very few people will die of hunger but people are afraid to be hungry and therefore they eat too much. They work hard the whole life to shut this kind of insecurity inside them. There's no security in life, death cannot be avoided. It's certain and we live with that certainty. We put away the thoughts about death, we pretend if we don't think about it, nothing bad will happen. We are like a candle. Now it's lit and gives light, the light will go off sooner or later for certain. During our live we'll always heard the death of friends and family members. It reminds us now and then. We are always in constant fear and refuse to face it. All kinds of pleasures are meaningless compare to death, yet maybe we need pleasures to distract our mind from this fear. The closer to the end, the fear grows bigger and bigger in the background, in subconscious mind. So, living pleasurable life is not that lucky. It's just momentary run away from fear. Like you eat delicious foods but end up in hospital because food poisoning, or because you eat too much. The bad end will ruin the whole memory. Imagine you get drunk and having sex wildly with a friend. The next day when you sober, you are in court for raping a woman you thoght you just had fun with. All pleasures have the price to pay sooner or later most of which not worth the consequences. The end of life will never be pleasure. Who knows if you live miserable life the whole life, the end is much favorable, a relief of suffering. You feel contented and say, finally it ends.

0 There's no such thing as true happiness

I have nothing to do everyday. I realize that people cannot be truly happy in this life. When people get older, they don't have anything to do, just sit down in loneliness. Young people are busy working their whole life, to earn money. Money can make them feel secure and loved, as general valuable, and yet it's just illusory. Other people do not really care about them. Friends and families just say hi now and then, and maybe visit several times a year. The real need of human is really few and yet all people dream to get everything, to be loved and respected by everyone. This is the illusion of happiness and security. In the future, there is only one possibility, death. People just don't have time to think about death. They always avoid to face the reality, which is somewhat bleak and cruel. Even the happiest and most successful people will suffer at the end. It's inevitable, just the way of nature. Pleasure is just like eating, to much pleasure is self-destruction and dangerous. In this sence, indeed no one is more fortunate than others. For example, I have nothing to eat today, and someone has everything, a party. Then tomorrow we have the same meal, which one will enjoy the meal more? Pleasure is short live and easily forgettable. Good fortune will not help anyone to be really happy, if it's not already inside him or her, it's just a momentary sensation, just like a good lunch, soon will pass and be forgotten. Pleasure and pain are within us, It's the nature of human being.

0 Give All Take Nothing

People always want to have more so they take more. They become greedy. Little they know that it's the direct path of unhappiness. Sidha warned us long ago that the root of suffering is attachment. The opposite of that is happiness, detachment. Detachment means to give all, take nothing, fear and worry nothing, ignore pain, in short it's the way of power. In marriage, when two people need each other, they can only have conflict, conflict of need, they become needy, when they need they take. As long as one needs, one will be unhappy. In reality we need nothing, we don't even need life itself, not to say just pleasure, fame, luxury. Wise people do not think those are necessary for happiness. What necessary for happiness? According to Epicurus the hedonistic philosopher, they are friend, freedom, and wisdom. Friend can only just yourself, if you are kind, your life is peaceful. Freedom is freedom from want, worry and fear. Wisdom is knowledge to know what necessary and what is not necessary. Everything else comes from poor judgement. Further he said that needs can be categorized into two, necessary and unnecessary. Necessary for life: simple food, necessary for comfort: simple cloth and house, necessary for happiness: friend, freedom, and wisdom. His dogma is simple, life is easy, it becomes difficult because of poor judgement. Most people today aim to be successful, it means having much more than needed. Little they know it brings more misery than true happiness. They forget about life itself, they become the slave of pleasure. Their mind is full of worry, fear and dissatisfaction no matter how much they have. They always want more. If other people tell you what to wear, when to work, how to behave, you are a slave. They bribe you to forget your dream, they give you pleasure. You are in constant worry and fear because you don't have real power. Little power you have is given by them and it can be taken easily any time. You need them, they are your master. If you think clearly, you need nothing, not even life itself. Fear and worry are the sign of weakness of mind. You should live this life and die bravely. This is Buddha's enlightenment, life is suffering, and it's okay because you can let it go, take your own path to detach from wants and desires which are the root of suffering itself. Do not think that life is about pleasure vs pain, it's actually about pleasure vs power. Power equals happiness. If you take pleasure, you will be punished. Power is not conquering others, power is conquering oneself. Power is giving not taking, if you take, you are weak because you need, you are a slave, if you give, you are a master.