Almost everyone still lives with their parents until they hit the age of 20. Their brothers and sisters get older and move out to attend college and get married and begin their own family . You yourself have left your parents. As we transition into adulthood and get married, we see that our friends begin to fade away as we get older.
Our emotions as we get older shift from just thinking about our own goals and our own wants and needs to our own family situations. We see that things we used to hold dear to us also fade way or now have little value.
Then as we get even older, our parents may pass away and our relatives and friends who we have loved will also separate from us. Even in our own homes, we may not experience a smooth and happy life at all times. We may be at odds with our spouse and children. In other words, the path of life can be bumpy.
Those who are advent fisherman along the seacoast or riverbank are familiar with the different waves at the surface change many times.
At night while fishing we want to embrace nature in deep solitude and peace at such a time. but then a gust of strong wind comes up all of the sudden and changes the waves. The water can seem to be angry at you and come to the shoreline briskly toward you. Nature can be wondrous, stormy and beautiful and peaceful to violent from moment to moment.
No one likes the fact that as we are deeply indebted for life, we want to mature, but we don't want to get older and closer to death.
No one, no matter how rich or famous, stays in the prime of their life forever. As they say, youth is wasted on the young as they do not know the blessedness of being youthful. It is understandable, because if one always eats nourishing and lavish food all of the time, they lose appreciation for its value and goodness after awhile.
Our taste buds distinguish the different flavors between sour, salty, sweet and other taste. The seasons change automatically from spring, summer to autumn then to winter. What if these changes were not part of the natural order?
What if it was all of the sudden daylight for 24 hours, what would happen? Well, in the Arctic, there are longer days and sometimes because they are positioned at a certain place on earth, they experience sunlight for three months or more. This may seem like a dream for those who enjoy playing a lot of outdoor activities that require the sunlight. But after awhile, it would be normal to long for the darkness of the night to come.
The beauty and wonder of nature come about when these kinds of changes occur.
The most difficult things that bring about change can also bring about joy. For instance, one may join an organization with a new ideology that requires a lot of effort and change for them to keep up, yet they are happy at the end of the day after much work.
It is natural as we get older that we get set into a certain pattern or ideal and stick to it and are stubborn about disrupting the 'natural' order. We as a people must shift our thinking to where we feel happy even though there are changes all around us.
Before one practices any faith, they were headed in one direction. Usually it is a destructive path. But after joining, they are headed in a more glorious direction toward God's will.
In the secular world, two people who experience a disagreement will separate and end the acquaintance. But once joining a mission in your church, you have to mingle together to become one in harmony. However hard it may be, you must succeed in that.
When it comes to applying the teachings of the Divine Principle, the Completed Testament, there is a certain price of indemnity that must be paid in order to turn the wrongful history into the right direction. In restoration, Gods providence, everything is turned around in the opposite direction of hell.
In order to pay the indemnity, you must search out your enemy first not your friends in order to pay the debt owed to God for our partnership in the sinful history of humanity. How can this kind of mission and lifestyle be called happiness when paying indemnity can feel like a punishment?
The real question is: Where is there any true happiness on earth?
The kind of happiness that is everlasting and can be enjoyed by God as well. You want to put all of your effort into what you learn and put it into practice, but may not experience happiness there. True happiness comes after the indemnity has been paid and victory is won in the Divine Principle.
Even though one finds the truth and it brings them happiness in the beginning, it does not mean that you will find it all the way through your journey in your mission.
Unless you actualize what you learn in daily life, you cannot feel happy.
Only after hard work and obtaining the goal will you feel real happiness and find yourself the victor. You must be steadfast against any obstacles along the way and endure any difficulties which you encounter. Obtain the goal and then look on the past and you will feel real happiness.
Then in conclusion, our happiness can only be felt after winning the victory. Isn't this true in any sport? Athletes train everyday for long hours to perfect their ability and they find more unity and happiness with their teammates after winning a championship. This is the goal in any competitive sport.
If this is the definition of happiness, then what is unhappiness?
It is when you are a failure. There isn't some place built of happiness or unhappiness. Your actions are the sole determinants of your happiness or lack of it. This is where the boundary line between happiness and unhappiness lies.
Every moment that you spend on this boundary line, the moment you step to your right you become happy. But the very moment you step to the left you fall into unhappiness. So, it is very important that each step by step you walk on the path of life is propelling you forward.
When you want to step forward, it is always your mind that controls the direction.
When you are searching to be happy, you must look into your own mind because it is the subject to everything you do. Here, you will decide where to go. You know when and what makes you happy and you also know which direction to follow in order to gain that happiness.
Return for Tomorrow's Post: Reversing the Fall
This post was rewritten and derived from Opportunity for Happiness or Unhappiness.
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