What will make me happy?

So first we have to understand what I mean by “life.”

It must not be simply growing old, it must be growing up. And these are two different things. Growing old, any animal is capable of. Growing up is the prerogative of human beings.

Only a few claim the right.

Growing up means moving every moment deeper into the principle of life; it means going farther away from death—not toward death. The deeper you go into life, the more you understand the immortality within you. You are going away from death; a moment comes when you can see that death is nothing but changing clothes, or changing houses, changing forms—nothing dies, nothing can die. Death is the greatest illusion there is.

Osho. Maturity: The Responsibility of Being Oneself (Osho Insights for a New Way of Living) . St. Martin's Press. Kindle Edition.

Growing old and growing up are two different things. The choice is ours. Many people are in denial and unconscious of the fact that they have a choice. Socrates taught that an unexamined life is not worth living. If most people are asked, "What makes you tick?" they become uncomfortable as if they have been put on the spot.

If you ask people what they want out of life, they will say something like “to be happy.” The bigger question is what will make you happy and most people look to external things. But true happiness is peace of mind and that comes from within. Peace comes from cultivating the virtues of wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice in their lives.

People come to a point in their lives gradually or suddenly when they realize that what they have been taught by society is illusional and that there has to be a better way to live their lives.

This is what is called “the dawning” when it dawns on us that external things will never make us truly happy. What gives a person peace of mind is the cultivation of a virtuous way of being in the world. This way of virtue provides satisfaction, fulfillment, and peace.

The Stoics teach that the four cardinal virtues are wisdom, courage, temperance, and justice. What are these four qualities? How can they be cultivated and practiced? Subscribe to this blog and study with us as we consider these questions in future articles.