Hello everyone!

Contentment......... do you think we as humans can ever be content with anything? With so much to have around us, do you think we can ever be happy?
E.g If now, i go and buy a new cellphone from Motorola or Sony Ericsson or Nokia or anything, i will be elated now, but by the time i get to know just half of it's functions there will be another model in the market which would have a million more features.
Do you think with this ever increasing pace of tech and requirements and needs and desires, humans can ever achieve happiness through contentment?
Are we gradually slipping away from happiness and contentment in the pursuit of technological advancement?

What do you think??

Warm regards,
The Firestorm.

I can still be contented with some things. My phone is good enough for me, even though it was an older model when I bought it two years ago. The key is to learn to not care if it doesn't have a bunch of functions that you will almost never use.

Some people feel the need to be on the cutting edge of technology, and I can see where they would have trouble being happy with new equipment for more than a week. That's just not me.

At the same time, I don't believe it is human nature to be completely contented with our lives. That's why even the rich strive to get richer. In general, humans always seem to want more of something. More power, more money, more technology, etc. We didn't build all these huge cities and structures because we where content with how things where before, we did it in an attempt to bring fulfillment to ourselves.

That's what I think anyway.

I think there are people out there who are content. I actually know a few of them. They are just happy. Not deliriously, or fake-type happy, but all around satisfied with life. And it isn't because life has been so simple. These people have had their share of rough times, but they don't let it get them down. That is how I strive to be one day. All around, I'm pretty happy with my life- but I could stand to be more gracious.

In regards to technology: No- not for most people. We always need the next best thing, and people are willing to pay anything for it. I can't believe the ludicrous people who waited days in line and paid $600+ for a PS3. So many people could have benefited from a donation of those funds for something worth while- like food. I get so angry at people who waste their money on frivolous things like that. I understand people need to have some fun, but to me- that is over the top. And that just shows that a lot of people can't be happy with what they've got, they need the newest things.

I do apologize if that drifted off topic a wee too much. I'm on serious doses of meds. *sniffle*

Hi!

No need to apologize LenasLover, i think you were quite on topic.
I agree with you that people should not waste money like that but that is exactly what i am talking about; Why does this need and/or desire for the next best thing overwhelm us? Why do we agree to lose happiness in the process?

Warm regards,
The Firestorm.

FirestormII

Hi!

No need to apologize LenasLover, i think you were quite on topic.
I agree with you that people should not waste money like that but that is exactly what i am talking about; Why does this need and/or desire for the next best thing overwhelm us? Why do we agree to lose happiness in the process?

Warm regards,
The Firestorm.

I'm not sure why. It seems like people are just so materialistic they can't break the cycle.

LenasLover

FirestormII

Hi!

No need to apologize LenasLover, i think you were quite on topic.
I agree with you that people should not waste money like that but that is exactly what i am talking about; Why does this need and/or desire for the next best thing overwhelm us? Why do we agree to lose happiness in the process?

Warm regards,
The Firestorm.

I'm not sure why. It seems like people are just so materialistic they can't break the cycle.

Yeah, it's definitly a materialistic world we're living in. Americans tend to be raised as consumer whores and most of us go our whole lives without breaking free of it.

Speaking of commercialization, I hate christmas. I like the idea of a holiday built around giving and good will toward men. I just hate the commercial holiday it's become. So many people measure how much other you care about them by how much money you spend on their gifts. Apparently, I don't care too much about anyone since I don't have thousands to spend on great gifts for everyone I know.

Speaking of commercialization, I hate christmas. I like the idea of a holiday built around giving and good will toward men. I just hate the commercial holiday it's become. So many people measure how much other you care about them by how much money you spend on their gifts. Apparently, I don't care too much about anyone since I don't have thousands to spend on great gifts for everyone I know.

I love Christmas. It is my favorite time of year. But I couldn't agree more with you. That post on this board about 'What are you getting for Christmas' is a fine example. Look at all the kids drooling over the expensive things they think their parents will buy for them. Shame on them.

If you aren't Christian, you should not be celebrating Christmas. If you are Christian, you need to celebrate it for which it is intended. But this is my opinion, and there I go drifting off topic again. ^_^'

Hey...... thanks you guys! i just got the idea for my new discussion topic!!

However, i agree with you LenasLover, I think people have lost their way coz they are becomming more and more materialistic nowadays. Yeah, that's definitely an important reason.

But are there any other reasons to it?

People arent' content with things because they seek some sort of fulfillment in material things that only destract them from their lack of contentment. And by that it scales in all directions. A poor man may seek more "things" despite the fact that they do not really fill any real need in his life. The millionare is not satisfied with his expensive possessions. So how is it that a Buddhist monk can give up possessions and be fulfilled and enlightened? It's not because the monk is not materialistic, because "materialism" is simply another form of chasing the frivolous things in life that do not nurture a better spirit.

Contentment is simply a mindset. But as you grow away from the harshness of some realities, you become desensitized to what is really important. Believe me, you're not such a picky eater after you've starved for weeks at a time. That said sometimes it's a personality quirk that prevents people from being content. Society at large isn't helping that's for sure.

LenasLover

If you aren't Christian, you should not be celebrating Christmas. If you are Christian, you need to celebrate it for which it is intended. But this is my opinion, and there I go drifting off topic again. ^_^'

I disagree there. Christmas is only partially a Christian holiday. Just as Easter is only partially a Christian Holiday, and just as Halloween is only partially a wiccan holiday. If there are parts of the holiday you don't like, then don't partake in them. I see no reason to prevent Christians from giving gifts, or decorating Christmas trees (something that has nothing to do with their religion). Nor do I think that non Christians should recognize the birth of Jesus as anything special.

I take the Japanese attitude: We don't care who's holiday it is as long as it gives us an excuse to party.

*pushes his glasses up and smiles*

Well . . . that, my friend, is the very essence of my mission in life. Contentment is a topic brought up in every single sutra and text of Buddhism. It is one of the facets of Nirvana, and the end game for the cycle of reincarnation.
There is a key concept in the search for contentment that is a focal point for the works of Pema Chodron. It is a Tibetian word "shenpa", which means "the itch that scratches" in context. The term refers to a deep-seated yearning, but it is not defined by sheer materialism. It also includes things that satisfy psychological needs.
Example: You are bored and wandering around your house, so you sit down and surf the net, looking for something to do. You read a thread in the forum and decide, instantly, that you don't like someone's post and type a nasty reply to them. Shenpa. You feel the tightness in your chest, and a rush of euphoria as you type out the nasty message, you heart racing and excitement coursing through your body. You have just scratched an itch you didn't know you had. You needed to feel bigger and smarter than someone, and that itch made you want to type that more than anything.
These types of things endanger contentment just as much as the need for an iPod or a piece of chocolate cake. The teachings say that the best any of us can do is to face a desire like this, be it for electronics or inflicting pain, and greet it with a curiosity and eyes open. Is this thing that we are about to do, eat, or buy really important? More important than anything else?
It might not matter to anyone else . . . but your decision will matter to you!

Regards, Aaron

fluxbox

People arent' content with things because they seek some sort of fulfillment in material things that only destract them from their lack of contentment. And by that it scales in all directions. A poor man may seek more "things" despite the fact that they do not really fill any real need in his life. The millionare is not satisfied with his expensive possessions. So how is it that a Buddhist monk can give up possessions and be fulfilled and enlightened? It's not because the monk is not materialistic, because "materialism" is simply another form of chasing the frivolous things in life that do not nurture a better spirit.

Contentment is simply a mindset. But as you grow away from the harshness of some realities, you become desensitized to what is really important. Believe me, you're not such a picky eater after you've starved for weeks at a time. That said sometimes it's a personality quirk that prevents people from being content. Society at large isn't helping that's for sure.

LenasLover

If you aren't Christian, you should not be celebrating Christmas. If you are Christian, you need to celebrate it for which it is intended. But this is my opinion, and there I go drifting off topic again. ^_^'

I disagree there. Christmas is only partially a Christian holiday. Just as Easter is only partially a Christian Holiday, and just as Halloween is only partially a wiccan holiday. If there are parts of the holiday you don't like, then don't partake in them. I see no reason to prevent Christians from giving gifts, or decorating Christmas trees (something that has nothing to do with their religion). Nor do I think that non Christians should recognize the birth of Jesus as anything special.

I take the Japanese attitude: We don't care who's holiday it is as long as it gives us an excuse to party.

It shouldn't be a partial holiday. It is the celebration of Jesus' birthday. I don't think we should be dancing around choclate eggs as the celebration of Christ's death and resurrection, either.

LenasLover

It shouldn't be a partial holiday. It is the celebration of Jesus' birthday. I don't think we should be dancing around choclate eggs as the celebration of Christ's death and resurrection, either.

Then what qualifies as a full holiday? Unless your advocating that we just sort of "ban" everything but what the core meaning of the holiday is. I guess that's a very... correct approach, but not much fun =P

Actually a lot of the "other" stuff from these holidays is sort of the fault of the Catholic Church. Many holidays were an attempt to make pagan celebrations into Christian Holidays. Easter in particular comes to mind.

Humans will always have a desire. Once a desire is satisfied, there be another one to take its place, and then another one, and another one ..................

Contentment is possible, it all depends on how you personally look at things. The things you choose to be satisfied with or disappointed with. Me, sometimes I'm content, like right now, I'm warm, I have food and drink in front of me, workload's not horrible, and life's better for me now than it was before.

So yeah, you can be content.

I will sae you from reading God forsaken f*cking long posts and leave you with one word: "No"
and a sentence: "Perhaps till Kingdom comes"
there shall never be contentment, there are too much to be content with, even a monk must look for better robes to wear on a cold night, and when the birds are bombarded by the cold north, they must head to warmer south.

At every turn of time and every turn of aspect, we must look for better things to suit our lifestyle and better things to better satisfy our needs and wants and then egos, as long as we have the need and want, we shall not stop.