Back in 2007 I tried to start a blog on the issue of happiness since I had experienced great happiness in my youth, but it didn't go anywhere so I have added it to my new blog. The following is the text from my former site:
This site deals with the issue of happiness, how to get it and hope to keep it.
Entry for December 1, 2007 The 29 Axioms
After uncovering the 5 Core Needs, and the 9 Primary Needs for happiness, I did a personal inventory of things I had or had done in order to be happy in civilization. After much contemplation, I came up with 29 things which had affected my personal happiness. I turned these things into a list of sayings or axioms which I then labeled the Wellsian Philosophy. The truth was that when all of these things applied to me, I was happy. Interestingly, most of them applied to my closest allies and friends as well, all of whom at the time seemed relatively content.
The 29 Axioms of Happiness in Civilization
1. May you have good physical health
2. May you have good mental health
3. May your basic needs be met
4. May you have good food and drink
5. May you have strong shelter from the elements
6. May your home be warm in the winter and cool in the summer
7. May you have a place to clean yourself and be sanitary
8. May you get good sleep and rest
9. May you have a family that loves you
10. May you have good friends and strong allies
11. Take up a hobby, it can be a lot of fun
12. Enjoy entertainment like plays, films, music, sporting events, games, etc.
13. Participate in sports if you are able, and if not try to get some exercise
14. Don't be afraid of study and learning, learn as much as you can and enjoy it for its own sake
15. Make Love/Find a Good Lover
16. If you have to work, try and find a good job that you enjoy doing
17. If you have to work, try and find at least a decent paying job so your basic needs are met, and there is at least a little money left over for pleasurable activities
18. Engage in some pleasurable activities, it will keep you motivated
19. Try to have a little disposable income utilized solely for pleasurable activities
20. Try not to make enemies
21. May any enemies you do have not be major ones
22. May no one in your family or any of your friends die
23. May no major illnesses affect your family or your friends
24. If you get the chance, travel or go on vacation while you are healthy
25. Try to have a good sense of humor, and try not to take everything personally
26. Defend yourself if attacked wantonly
27. Don't be afraid to turn the other cheek occasionally
28. Try to forgive people (especially family and friends) for their trespasses
29. Don't break the big ones.
When all of these applied to me, I was happy, of that I was sure. True some of them were luxuries, but the reality was all of these things were possible for me so I took advantage of the opportunities for happiness as they came. While it might seem that I have done a lot of pleasurable things in my 41 years of life, the truth is that I didn't let these things detract me from my goals of getting a Ph.D., being a universtiy lecturer, and published author. Rewards are a great motivator, a much better motivator than sticks.
I hope this blog has been of use to those in the pursuit of happiness. The Bill of Rights says we have a right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It is because of things like the Bill of Rights that I was able to actively pursue happiness in American civilization.
Good Luck to All,
Dr. Matthew C. Wells
2007-12-01 18:59:27
Entry for December 1, 2007 The Nine Primary Needs
When I left off, I was talking about the 5 Core Needs for happiness. Now I know people don't like to admit it, but we are basically animals with desires, needs and drives. So, it appears, were my pets. Animals have a lot in common with people but let's admit it, people are a more complex robot. It was true that when my 5 core needs were met I was happy, but let's face it, life in civilization is much more complicated. We live in a money economy and we have to pay cold hard cash for most of the things we need and desire. What I realized was that the 5 core needs were just the tip of the iceberg. It was then that I came up with "The Nine Primary Needs for the Creation of Happiness in Civilization." They go like this:
1. Good Physical Health
2. Good Mental Health
3. A Good Family Life/Caregivers Growing Up
4. Basic Needs Met (Food, Drink, Clothing, Shelter, Bathroom)
5. Good Friends
6. Some Disposable Income (For Pleasurable Activities)
7. When an Adult Having a Good Lover/Mate
8. Some Amount of Education (Reading, Writiing, Arithmatic, etc.)
9. No Major Enemies
In a state of nature, it seems possible that the 5 Core Needs can be met, but with the creation of civilization, things get a little more complicated. Hopefully, for most people it is complicated in a good way. It is civiliation that provides people with a variety of pleasures not readily available in a state of nature (such as Music, Plays, Films, Sports, Alcohol, Academics, Varieties of Food and Drinks, Marriage, Homes, Driving, Shopping, etc.).
I noticed that when the 9 Primary Needs applied to me I was very happy. While I was not independently wealthy or anything, and had been going to school or working jobs since the age of 9, as long as my efforts resulted in the realization of the 9 Primary Needs I was relatively content. I wasn't a millionaire or anything but I was satisfied, even light-hearted and fun. Let's face it life wasn't perfect, but it was pretty darn good.
I knew now that the loss of some of these things was making me unhappy and that I needed to try to get back what I had lost.
To be continued....
2007-12-01 18:24:35 GMT
Entry for December 1, 2007
Hello everyone out there, my name is Dr. Matthew Wells. I have a Ph.D. and have taught at two major US universities, and am a published author. I decided to start this blog because I had entered a period of illness in my life which led to a period of unhappiness. This prolonged period was unusual for me because most of my life had been relatively happy and content. In an attempt to get back to being happy I decided to examine the first 33 years of my life to determine why I had been so happy and to, if possible, find a way to restore that happiness.
One of the first things I did was to think of my old pets. Animals sometimes have an unrecognized wisdom. I had dogs and cats and they seemed pretty content with their lives. Why? It was at this point that I came up with the concept of the "Five Core Needs of Happiness." They go like this:
1. They all had good physical health
2. They all had good mental health
3. Their basic needs were met (eg., food, drink, shelter, place to go to the bathroom)
4. They engaged in some pleasurable activities (eg., going outside, walks, playing, hunting, etc., mating, petting and love from their owner)
5. They had no major enemies
It was then that I realized what it meant to be "King of the Jungle." A contented lion living in a state of nature has all these things, with the possible exception of having an owner. Interestingly enough, I noted that when I had these things as well, I was relatively happy and content. I also noted that when some of these things were taken away from me, my level of contentment fell.
But in examining this issue, I realized that there were a number of basic realities that I was failing to take into account. For one, I didn't live in the jungle. In the jungle, nearly every predator is an enemy, so it seemed to me to be happy in the jungle with major enemies lurking everywhere was at least difficult. And then I realized, that this was why civilization was created, that is, to ensure the continued existence of the five core needs of happiness. While it is true that good physical and mental health are a gift of nature, civilization often provides greater opportunities for the fulfillment of basic needs, pleasurable activities, and the minimization of enemies/rivals.
To be continued....
That is Y we keep asking ourselves: Y R People Messing with happy Americans?
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