From articles with titles which blatantly make the proclamation that there is “Scientific Proof That Happiness Is A Choice” (http://ift.tt/1XfFVlF), to books titled “Happiness Is a Choice”, a misconception has taken root. The idea that happiness is a choice is repeated so often that it has become accepted as a fundamental truth. The problem is that when you dig deeper into this topic you find the word “choice” is being used very loosely.
Choice means that at a given moment you have options available to you, and the will to consciously decide which option suits you best. When you read the article linked above, or in general look into this topic, you see the “science” is not about choosing in the moment, but cultivating feelings of happiness when they occur. This enables our base mood to lean more toward a state of happiness and contentment.
It’s similar to our physical health. At any particular moment we cannot choose whether we are in good shape or not. A commitment to regular exercise, and making wise decisions regarding our diet, are habits that keep our bodies in good health over time. To put it another way, we cannot decide in the moment that we’re going to benchpress 300 pounds. We could try to push ourselves to lift that weight, but if we haven’t trained in order to do so we’re likely to injure ourselves.
Our mood is similar, and yoga speaks to this. As creatures of habit, we operate on tendencies. Future tendencies are affected by our current actions, and our current tendencies are affected by our past actions. If in the past, our moods have leaned toward frustration, anger, or sadness, we are more likely to react with these emotions when met with challenges. If, on the other hand, we have cultivated the moments when we have felt happy, if we have spent time in reflection and self study, and we have worked on letting go of frustration and fear, we are more likely to face challenges with a more positive attitude.
Fundamentalism of Thought
Whether we are constantly frustrated and complaining about things that happened to us or don’t turn out the way we’d like them to, or we are constantly looking at the bright side of things and never allow ourselves to feel frustration or grief, we are in a delusional state. These are two extremes, and somewhere in the middle is where a balanced, healthy attitude resides.
What Does Yoga Say
In yogic thought, there is an understanding that our current inclinations of thought and action are effects of our past thoughts and actions. Mastery of the present only happens when we not only understand this, but work to exonerate ourselves from these past tendencies, and cultivate an awareness of all the effects of our current actions. This awareness is the goal of all yoga practices.
Awareness creates the freedom which allows real choice. Real choice is free of the bonds of past tendencies or conditioning. And this freedom is what is referred to as enlightenment, or liberation (moksha).
In short, the fact that we can take actions that promote our default state and response to life to be more positive, does not mean that in any particular moment we can choose happiness.
What actions are you taking today to cultivate those moments of happiness and exercise that part of your brain?
May we all be open and receptive to our highest good,
Chris
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