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Old 03-26-2012, 06:59 PM   #27
oisin bourke
 
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Re: G: Gift, Giving, and Growth

Quote:
Lynn Seiser wrote: View Post
Then how many people do we know who is "unconditional" in their happiness?

Certainly not me.

So, if we can have unconditional happiness, can we also have unconditional grief and sadness?

And if so, how would we tell them a part?

And if we can tell them a part, there must be some distinction/conditions that define them as different states?

Perhaps I just unconditionally accept (and appreciate) that I have conditions.
Not me either

Still, we can all think of examples of people who thrive and are very happy under the most adverse conditions (the opposite is also the case). So, it would seem that people's capacity for happiness is, at the very least, extremely elastic: i.e it's not completely bound up in external conditions.

Regarding the query about unconditional sadness, well, if one chooses to be unhappy as a result of one's expectations not being met, this defines them as different states, does it not?

I'm not suggesting that people should be blissed out regardless of the situation, BTW. It's certainly appropriate to feel grief and sadness in the event of, say, someone close to you dying. In fact, being aware of one's own responses is probably necessary in order to understand one's response is a passing thing, i.e it's conditional.

Thanks for the conversation.
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