Sustenance abuse

An individual never truly possesses a thing as long as he keeps his possession private. He will spend time guarding his store and counting his coins. Yet all worldly goods are possessed privately, for if the one possesses part of a worldly good, no other can possess the whole. Moreover, whenever we possess a part of the world, we must inevitably relinquish it, for we inevitably perish. The many have thought they would be ready when this time came. The few knew they could never be. This is the reason for the monastery. It is also the reason for community. It is also the reason for communion.

To be happy is difficult, yet happiness is the end we pursue. Every movement seeks fulfillment in happiness, yet movement seldom delivers what can satisfy. Now and again we are happy today, only to wake up tomorrow unhappy. Now and again we are unhappy for a moment, when an idle word strikes a new bounty. The spirit endures such confusion when it is beholden to whim. But it has never grown rich in itself.

Still the ambitious spirit seeks riches, power, fame, position and pleasure. If grasped they are a snare and an illusion. One who values wealth alone will never acquire enough. Amassing power or position leads to insecurity, as nothing is so susceptible to intrigue as a throne. Fame gratifies as it is acquired, but the inevitable lapse is intolerable. Pleasure perhaps approximates true happiness the best, for it alone is under the self’s control and gratifies the self alone, yet no one is so withered and used up as the selfish pleasure-seeker past his day.

To be happy is difficult, and to be happy we must know both what it is to be happy and how to tell when one is happy. In this inquiry, as it so often is, we can easiest understand what happiness is not. Happiness is not something found or something done, for things can be lost and actions can be frustrated. The objective study of things will not uncover happiness because the world as object is neither happy nor unhappy. And the world understood as an object is often what ails us. The world rightly apprehended is the exterior wall of our subjectivity. When this is understood, happiness can be found in things, rightly apprehended.

Again this paradox can be best understood only in the negative, by comtemplating the reverse. There are men who cultivate the flower of unhappiness and acquire taste for the sick sweetness of pity. Luckily, they are few. Our milder perversity is to strike out to win happiness in full, only to dispossess oneself of happiness by grasping it, by holding it in private. That is the true fruit of riches, power, fame, position and pleasure. The world is not just an object, but also a subject.

To be happy is difficult, yet happiness is the end all men pursue. Each movement seeks its fulfillment in happiness, yet it seldom delivers what can satisfy. Now and again we suppose we are happy, only to wake up tomorrow unhappy. Now and again we suppose we are unhappy, when an idle thought strikes a new bounty. The spirit endures such confusion when it is beholden to whim. But it has never grown rich in itself.

Nevertheless the ambitious spirit seeks riches, power, fame, position and pleasure. If grasped they snare the spirit in illusion. One who values wealth alone will never acquire enough. Amassing power or position leads to insecurity, for nothing is so susceptible to intrigue as a throne. Fame gratifies on the way up, but the inevitable lapse into history is intolerable. Pleasure perhaps approximates true happiness the best, for it alone is under the self’s control, yet no one is so withered and used up as the selfish pleasure-seeker past his days.

To be happy is difficult, and to be happy we must know both what it is to be happy and how to tell when one is happy. It is easiest to understand what happiness is not. Happiness is not something you catch or something you do, for things can be lost and actions can be frustrated. Yet happiness is found in things, rightly apprehended. Observing things will not uncover happiness because the world itself is neither happy nor unhappy. And the world is often what ails us.

There are men who cultivate the flower of unhappiness and acquire taste for the sick sweetness of pity. Luckily, they are few. Our milder perversity is to strike out to win happiness in full, only to dispossess oneself of happiness by grasping it, by holding it in private. That is the true fruit of riches, power, fame, position and pleasure.

To be happy is difficult, yet happiness is the end all men pursue. Every movement seeks its fulfillment in happiness, yet one seldom delivers what can satisfy. Now and again we suppose we are happy, only to wake up tomorrow unhappy. Now and again we suppose we are unhappy, when an idle thought strikes a new bounty. The spirit endures such confusion when it is beholden to whim. But it has never grown rich in itself.

Nevertheless the ambitious spirit seeks the fruits of riches, power, fame, position and pleasure. If grasped they snare the spirit in illusion. One who values wealth alone will never acquire enough. Amassing power or position leads to insecurity, for nothing is so beholden to intrigue as a throne. Fame gratifies on the way up, while the lapse into history is intolerable. Pleasure perhaps approximates true happiness the best, for it alone is under the self’s control, yet no one is so withered and used up as the selfish pleasure-seeker past his days.

To be happy is difficult, and to be happy we must know both what it is to be happy and how to tell when one is happy. Observing the world will not help because the world itself is not happy. The world is often what ails us.

It would be perverse to cultivate the flower of unhappiness and acquire taste for the sick sweetness of pity. Luckily, few prefer despair. The perversity that is so worldly is to strike out to win happiness in full, only to dispossess oneself of happiness by grasping it, by holding it in private. That is the true fruit of riches, power, fame, position and pleasure.

An individual never truly possesses a thing as long as he keeps his possession private. He will spend time guarding his store and counting his coins. Yet all worldly goods are possessed privately, for if the one possesses part of a worldly good, no other can possess the whole. Moreover, whenever we possess a part of the world, we must inevitably relinquish it, for we inevitably perish. The many have thought they would be ready when this time came. The few knew they could never be. This is the reason for the monestary. It is also the reason for community. It is also the reason for communion.

(:title Sustenance abuse:)

(: Sustenance abuse :)

Felix qui potuit rerum cognoscere causas
Happy is he who understands the causes of things.

To be happy is difficult, yet happiness is the end all men pursue. Every movement seeks its fulfillment in happiness, yet it seldom delivers what can satisfy. Now and again we suppose we are happy, only to wake up tomorrow unhappy. Now and again we suppose we are unhappy, when an idle thought strikes a new bounty. The spirit endures such confusion when it is beholden to whim. But it has never grown rich in itself.

Nevertheless the ambitious spirit seeks the fruits of riches, power, fame, position and pleasure. If grasped they snare the spirit in illusion. One who values wealth alone will never get enough of it. Amassing power or position leads to insecurity, for nothing is so precarious and beholden to intrigue as a throne. Fame gratifies only on the way up, while the lapse into history is intolerable. Pleasure perhaps approximates true happiness the best, for it alone is under the self’s control, yet no one is so withered and used up as the selfish pleasure-seeker past his days.

To be happy is difficult, and to be happy we must know both what it is to be happy and how to tell when one is truly happy. Observing the world will not help because the world itself is not happy. The world is often what ails us.

It would be perverse to cultivate the flower of unhappiness and acquire taste for the sick sweetness of pity. Luckily, few prefer despair. The perversity that is nearly universal is to strike out to win happiness in full, only to dispossess oneself of happiness by grasping it, by holding it in private. That is the true fruit of riches, power, fame, position and pleasure.

An individual never truly possesses a thing as long as he keeps his possession private. He will spend time guarding his store and counting his coins. Yet all worldly goods are held privately, because if any other possesses a part, no one can possess the whole of it. And whenever we possess a part of the world, we must inevitably relinquish it. The many have thought they would be ready when the time came. The few knew they could never be. This is the reason for the monestary. It is also the reason for community. It is also the reason for communion.

An eye can be made to open, but it cannot be made to see, nor can an ear be made to hear. Even if it opens, there is much in the world to distract. We mistake that which sustains us for our sustenance. Man does not live by bread alone, but by that noble pearl which to the children of wisdom is everything. He who has eyes should see. He who has ears should hear.