Two ways

There are two ways

to avoid suffering:

The first is to have

everything that makes you happy.

The second is to be happy

with everything you have.

The first requires everything that happens

to be for the purpose of making you happy.

The second requires you to simply be happy

with everything that happens.

The first is impossible.

The second is up to you.

Reviews

[R. L. Hill]

The first is the result of striving for happiness. The second is the realization that "happiness" is unattainable, thus leaving you with the understanding that you must be content in order to find joy. Joy is an all-together different experience because it does not need "good" circumstances to stand strong.

[Sharon L.H. Kelly]

Excellent insight and advice very nicely presented. Enjoyed!

[AprilRN1210]

So cleverly written yet should be common sense... I thoroughly enjoyed this matter of fact, in-your-face expression of what it means to be happy and how to get there... very nice...

[Shaquana Adams]

Nicely put. Great poem! ^-^
-QuanaWana

[radio raven]

I feel happy reading this.

[Rogie-Dodge]

Now I have that "I feel happy" song going thru my head :D :D

[Brittany Zedalis]

I choose the second one. This poem is great!

[Rogie-Dodge]

Good choice ... and thanks !! :D :D

[Vidya Bacchus]

Makes sense to me.Why worry about the things you can't change? Accept all that you have and be thankful for it .Awesome RD :)

[melissa]

This is a really great poem i really enjoy reading it keep up the great work i hope you get all of your poems published because I want a copy of them

[Aethereal]

Happy is the tranquil mind. We can't change the world, but we may change the way we feel about it. Nature must place the instinct for self-preservation in all life forms, and back it up with both negative and positive motivations. Moods, pain and pleasure motivate us to continue to exist or otherwise we would not. There's no logical reason to continue to exist outside of the driving force of these evolved forced motivations, nor is there a logical reason not to exist. If we’re surviving, then we should be happy; if we don’t survive then we should be grateful that those motivations die with us. Either way we have noting to lose. We’re both in a state of Being and Nothingness at all times, a balanced dichotomy.

[Einstein Noodle]

yep ... we wear ourselves out chasing the happy bird of Corvette or Mansion or Hollywood ... yep .. you put it true and succinct ..
E.