2 October 2007

Discussion; Happy with Life?

The last one went well, so we'll do another. I would appreciate everyone pitching in a little, giving some feedback, comments, and discussing the issue. It's pretty open ended so feel free to say whatever you like.

Discussion 2:

How happy are you with the life you are living right now? Are you content where you are, with the people around you? Job? Money? Relationships? Do you feel your life is fulfilling or do you feel some sort of emptiness? If you could, what would you change? Or would you change it completely, be somewhere else doing something totally different?

(Click on "comments" below to read what others wrote or to add your point of view)

27 comments:

RiaMH said...

wow... the ultimate question: are you happy? a few days ago i would have said i want more in life than what i have now, not necessarily with money you see, but with what i'm doing - my life lacks satisfaction and fulfillment. but i just got great news today! i'll be doing something that i've loved doing since i was a kid, so it kinda makes life perfect right now. relationship-less (which i honestly feel i want to have) yes, but happy and giddy-happy at that! i'm gonna be working my ass off for a couple of months but it doesn't matter, i'll be working towards a dream. that will be one off the list after a couple of months. did i make sense? i hope so. and i honestly pray other people get this too, that opportunity to realize a dream. =) yes, right now, happy. very happy.

Dr. Shale bin Agnon said...

You sound like you are recruiting for scientology. First make me think about what I do not have. Then, tell me I am stressed as a result. Finally, try to convince me to go on a personality course to help me deal with the stress.

The economy is only healthy when it is growing. If it stops growing, it grows stagnant, and unwell. I think life is like an economy. We are only happy when we are continually improving our situation.

Ammaro said...

Ria; That sounds good :) Living a dream can make a person happy. Not always about the money, the comfort, or the people around them. I once met a street painter who looked like she was in bad financial shape, but when I asked her how she felt about her life, she said she was really happy. She was doing what she loved for a living, and even though it didnt pay much, it brought her joy.

Shale; You're obviously not happy then! Yes, continually improving is always good, and always makes people happy, but I don't think thats the only way to become happy. Don't you feel you're improving yourself at the moment?

Anonymous said...

Well I’m on and off about my contentment with life….
Because I’m struggling to settle on one character it’s a bit
Confusing… but I’m now at a good place neutral…..
Which means happy because life is just soooo interesting
Sure there are lots of things I haven’t achieved yet
But I’m not in a hurry time is just a number
As for being somewhere else
I know soon enough I will be
I JUST WANT TO EXPLORE THE WORLD
Okay maybe in my
Dreams, but dreams can come true.
So right in this minute I just feel happy
not content just happy ;)

Lamya said...

I am happy. Personally,happiness means being happy with who I am.And striving to improve oneself does not mean one is unhappy,for me it just means I am growing in some way or the other.My happiness does not depend very much on other people.Maybe thats why its easy for me to be happy

Dr. Shale bin Agnon said...

What part of what I said suggested that I am unhappy?

Also, I did not say continually improving myself. I mean continually improving our situation. I mean that we get promoted, we grow up, we finish things and start new things, relationships evolve, children grow up, and life constantly moves forward. If it stays the same, or becomes worse, then we can become unhappy.

(me? unhappy? u cheeky brat)

Anonymous said...

Alhamd llelha
no one totally happy with his/here life
I wanna change my jobe
have more time to do all things I like & improve my self
Layal

Um Naief said...

i think it depends on the day. some days i feel happy, then other days i don't. i'm happy w/ being a new mom, in the fact that i get to stay home w/ him - because if i lived in the States, there'd be no way i could do this - and i'm happy in my relationship and living in bahrain.

some day i want to go back to the states so bad, but then something happens and i feel calmness and a peace about living here. i'm happy for those days because, if you let it, these feelings,thoughts and such can really bring you down if you're not careful.

Anonymous said...

Difficult question my dear!! Very difficult!

Well If I was now newly born and get to choose what I could be and what I could do with no limits; I think I’ll choose to be an F1 driver, single woman, travel the world and date who I like and dump them when I like! :P Too much to ask though! ;)

I’m partly happy with my life! I’m a free woman to do what I want! I live with the man I chose! I work the job I chose! And I’m getting a motorbike as I wanted for long time! I will change things in my body! But the thing I might change if was told me I could change something in my life is my father-in-law!!!! Money, I might like to earn a bit more that £150 a month, but well I’m happy at the place and I know it’ll just get better! So in other words; I believe I have a good life and won’t really change it by wishing! I know every obstacle I face is just another one that I’ll pass!

I don’t know if this is what you were looking for!?

Manutdfanatic said...

A couple of months ago; my answer would have been along the lines of either a very dejected "Yeah, I'm happy...or so I think..." or a big fat no.

Fortunately, I've reached a point where I'm content and fully satisfied with the life I'm leading; each day brings new revelations and realisations to me; each day I'm evolving as a person.

The discontent stage was basically a phase where I was under the impression that the person I was then was the real ME; that the life I was leading then was my actual life, something that would never change. A lot has changed since then, but what has changed most is how I see myself now, and my outlook on the life I'm a part of.

Right now, I would say I'm in the process of rediscovering myself as a person, and it's full of all sorts of exciting possibilites; hence the high level of contentment. :)

P.S:- Please visit; there's something I want everyone to answer up on my blog right now. Thanks.

Amjad said...

hmmm.. I guess I'm quite satisfied with my life. Well, it's true that I'm away from my homeland but still the place where I'm currently living in is really great. I've always liked living in Oman.

I'm too sad that I will be leaving Oman soon for higher education studies. I'm not even sure if after completing my studies will I be able to live in Oman again or not. It all depends on if my father will still be working here till then or not.

I've got quite a number of very good friends and good people around me. I guess I can say that I'm happy.

Anonymous said...

ah, tricky, now we're really getting down to some serious stuff.. Out of all the possible questions, I actually fear this one the most, just because the US is so focused on the achievement of permanent happiness and my favorite negative answer to this question (which in my book doesn't necessarily mean that I am about to jump off a bridge pretty much immediately after I finish writing this post) always remind me that I'm a stranger in this land. Here it is extremely important to be happy, cheerful, enthused and the like in this society, otherwise: shrink, lithium and support groups. No one "bothers" friends with their problems anymore. We're experiencing a major societal upheaval with this strive for happiness, regardless whether it's actually a good thing to be happy here. So it's funny for me to read the comments above that some people would want to be in the US, well, I guess the grass is always greener. In any case, no, I'm not super happy with my life at the moment, but I am not too sad about it, either. I'd say most of the times I feel a bit indifferent about it all. Shocking, I know. It's because I have only really begun thinking about the way I live my life recently, and I'm taking the "crunchy with the smooth, I suppose"* as I go. How do I know if I'm happy if I don't know what happiness means? Well, I'm guessing the majority of the peeps here don't have a problem figuring it out so that's admirable. But for me-I'm gonna stick around and watch for a while. Just a phase in life, I guess.

*from a great song by Billy Brag called "Walk Away Renee"

Taqo said...

Am I happy with my current life?
-No. Not really.

Are you content where you are, with the people around you?
-No. I miss having friends around. I miss my old life. I wish I could go back to Riyo..
:(

Do you feel your life is fulfilling or do you feel some sort of emptiness?
-Not fulfilling at all. Extremely empty...I don't really have a life (or friends) anymore.

If you could, what would you change? Or would you change it completely, be somewhere else doing something totally different?
-I'd change it completely. First, I'd be in a different Uni. And if it was up to me, I wouldn't be in The US at all! And I wouldn't have my parents around...
And after I finish my Uni. degree, I'd move back to Saudi...where my heart (and life) currently still is..


I wish I could travel more. Learn more. I wish I knew more than I know know. And I hate the control that my parents exercise over me..and how there really isn't much that I can do about it..

Ya Allah, I miss my friends so very much.

Anonymous said...

Difficult question...I am happy?? mmm at present No..things changed a few screwups in life has changed alot of things....I just want to settle down so i get those happy days back...

Unknown said...

I'm happy with the current situation? No. Happy with people around me, money, job, relationships? No.

I want more, why? I have high aspirations. I do not mean material things, but a higher quality of life and a higher spiritual state. I am not happy, but I am grateful for the blessings bestowed upon me by God.

I seek change, I seek improvement, I seek knowledge, I seek many things. This is my purpose.

Ammaro said...

interesting points. im feeling pretty wierd right now, i want to change almost everything, so im not really happy. the job, i dont enjoy. the family, dont feel close to. the friends, i hardly see. and im not doing what i want. im not where i want to be right now. so yes, drastic changes need to be done.

CG said...

Hello
Thanks for visiting my blog. I have been inundated with visitors today, I think the Gulf News ran a very short, tiny, weenie article with an eansy weansy portion of my blog quoted. Which in turn will increase traffic to your blog. we go around in circles.
anyway I am blabbing, just wanted to say I don't get many visitors from Bahrain and it is sad because I used to live there when I was little (moons ago) and still consider it home.

Anonymous said...

How happy are you with the life you are living right now?
I have to say, that's a very difficult question!
First, I must say that for me, to be content with my life is different than being happy with it. I am content with the life I'm living, which is good!
but am I happy with it? I suppose I'm not happy with my life unless I reach somewhere higher (in any way), or if I achieve something (it doesn't matter if it's something big or small or even tiny, the important thing is this feeling of achievement). That always makes me sufficient+content which (for me) is = happy.

Are you content where you are, with the people around you? Job? Money? Relationships?
I already said I'm content with my life. With ppl around me? well, I wouldn't change anyone around me, being it family or friends, but do I sometimes wish they'd behave differently in certain situations? yes... very much sometimes, but I wouldn't tell them that to their faces ;p
Job & money? I don't work, I'm still in Uni, so I don't have a regular salary. But if u ask me if I'm content with Uni, I'd say no! big NO! not cuz it's hard, because that's something I was prepared for from the beginning. It's the fact that I'm studying something I don't much enjoy.
I know, u'd say who enjoys their study?!! but for me, it's important to at least be interested in your major, otherwise it just becomes boring. I wanted to study something but I had to choose something else for reasons true but totally unjustifiable. like everything else in this coutry!

And relationships?
yes, I am content with my current relationships.

Do you feel your life is fulfilling or do you feel some sort of emptiness?
I used to feel some emptiness, but thank God, now, I feel it is fulfilling, or going there to be more precise.

If you could, what would you change? Or would you change it completely, be somewhere else doing something totally different?
I don't really like to dream more that what I can get! If I could change something, I would like to change my relationship with my extended family. I would like to improve it a little, as I think it's poor! other than that, I would love to improve my self and personality, but it's not too late:D
If I allow myself and imagination to go faaaaar! I would like to be a manager in an Italian football club :D or maybe a journalist that works for an Italian football channel! anything that allows me to speak Italian and be in connection with football clubs and figures there! I'd be over the moon then heheh. I'm simply in love with Italian football!

Anonymous said...

sorry about that loooooong comment:p I didn't realize I liked discussin that much!

Woozie said...

I like mine...High School's pretty awesome when you're a senior, but I do wish I had a job and a steady income but that's no big deal right now. If I could change something I'd have a solid gold toilet and toilet paper made of Canadian $20 bills, because U.S. $20's are now worth less.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm.....

Well I am quite 65% content with my life, job-wise,that is.

I like the people around me.

I feel a need to make life more fulfilling...

Relationship-wise, I am not happy.

I need to do a constant overhauling in my life, I guess.

M said...

ahhhh noooo!! I got the ERROR THING and the page closed, while me almost done typing my comment. I will be back. :@:@:@:@:@:@

KJ said...

I believe being content will lead to everything else. Although I am probably going to lose my job next month, I am content with what I have now and I have faith in Allah, so in general yes I am happy, but on a day to day basis I am not... if that makes sense

Anonymous said...

well lets say i just recently found out what im worth, before which i was very negative bout myself so thats a big big plus

money wise...plays a role in happiness would use better income

job: ho hum, i deserve and can be in am uch better place

people around me: dont have a social life at all or at best a very poor one cuz i rarely find those people i feel i could just click with

Islander said...

duno about you guys, but happy to me is different that content.. i'm happy where i am right now, with my relationships, uni, money, and people around me. but i am not 100% content..
I'm happy, and i will remain to be happy if i am still here for another few years, but i am not content because i want more out of life than just what im having at the moment..
i hope that makes sense.. cuz i read it again and i think i got a bit more confused..

Reem B. said...

Happy?? well... personally and financially I am satisfied... if I'm satisfied then I'm happy and I am going through hard times now but "BECAUSE I KNOW" that it's "TEMPORARY" it makes me "HAPPY" enough to say I'm happy.

Also happy because I like the "me" that i am.
- el 7emdilla -

Anonymous said...

Hmm... My life is a mix of satisfaction and its opposite...

I am pleased with my job, which is in my field and will help me get a better one, once I graduate next year. But I am completely unsatisfied with everything else.. I want more money.. want to look better.. wish for better friends..
I guess it is a matter on not being satisfied with what I have.....