Other peoples ideas

Ester asked why people are sad.

That’s simple,” says the old man. “They are the prisoners of their personal historyEveryone believes that the main aim is to follow a plan. They never ask if that plan is theirs or if it was created by another person. They accumulate experiences, memories, things, other people’s ideas, and it is more than they can possibly cope with. And that is why they forget their dreams.”

Paulo Coehlo, The Zahir

Happy

Yesterday, Irish people wished everyone a “Happy Saint Patrick’s Day” or if in the Irish language, “the blessings of Saint Patrick’s Day”. But what do these related terms “Happy” and “Blessed” mean?

By happiness I mean a deep sense of flourishing which comes from an exceptionally heathy mind

This is not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion or a mood, but an optimal state of being

Happiness is also a way of interpreting the world, since while it may be difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change the way we look at it.

Matthieu Ricard, Happiness

At peace

Peace can only exist in the present moment. It is ridiculous to say “Wait until I finish this, then I’ll be free to live in peace”. What is “this”? A diploma, a job, a house, the payment of debt? If you think that way peace will never come. There is always another “this” that will follow the present one. If you are not living in peace at this moment, you’ll never be able to. If you truly want to be at peace, you must be at peace right now. Otherwise there is only hope for peace “some day.” 

Thich Nhat Hahn, The Sun my Heart