This is a nice thread with interesting insights. A pity it was not started 2-3 weeks ago when I was looking for some thoughts on happiness and the deadline was the end of July...

a deadline?? what happened???

Oh, I did send my thoughts... But for a few days I was blank, like Angelina when she was staring at the screen. I just stared at the screen too and couldn't think of anything.

for some reason music by Strauss always seems to get me happy (probably due to the fact that all he ever seemed to compose was waltzes). especially the acceleration waltz!

C.P.E.

J.S.

A.M.

And outlook on life is determined by life experience.

Actually, given the suicide rates, I think you are not on very firm ground saying that (and of course, the suicide rates are only a tiny fraction of the total number of people who are not really all that thrilled to be alive).

I remember a comment from a wise old person a long time ago (possibly a Zen master, but I don't really remember for sure) who said people had it backwards when they celebrated births and mourned deaths; the grief should be because of the birth and the joy should be over the death.

But then, as another possibly wise person said, living well is the best revenge...

so are you saying people should live out of spite? a very selfish thing to do in my opinion considering the amount of people that have life snatched from them.
and in respect to zen masters, that statement sounds more ambiguous to its meaning as most of them make whimsical statements not to be taken too seriously. And anyway, taoism teaches the three great virtues of humanity: compassion, moderation and most important, humilty.
why not read up on Albert Schweitzer's "reverence of life".

"the grief should be because of the birth and the joy should be over the death."

Let me put a bold opposite thesis: this life is exactly what we want.

Ok now I'm just confused.

Does this imply that life is whatever you want to make it?

I'm always happy and thankful during those final few minutes before I walk out to perform. Even if I was a nervous wreck in the hours leading up to that.

Speak for yourself : /

By its very nature, being alive is being selfish. And of course, that business about having "life snatched from them" is just one way of seeing things.



Ha!



And what does that have to do with anything I wrote?



Because it doesn't interest me.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't say that I was not happy to be alive, personally, or that I don't have reverence for life - I just want to point out that having generalized expectations about how everyone is "supposed" to understand life is probably a mistake.

taoism and zen is a very closely related subject as they share many of the same philosophies.
I don't see what's funny about the other quote.
How is being alive selfish?
And as with Albert Schweitzer: if it doesn't interest you then very well, it was merely a suggestion

oh, and the whole idea of the taoism was to point out that people who show appreciation for being alive tend live much more fulfilling lives. and thus life is a state of mind

Seeing how I just told folks who are tired of being "Unhappy..... " current marathon thread on the 'piano forum'
and might find some "Happiness" on this thread,
thought I might as well bring it up to the top of the page again so folks can find it...

"Speak for yourself : /"

LOL my thesis says I can't :-)

"Does this imply that life is whatever you want to make it?"

Ummm I just post some thesis, not the consequences... but let me guess some answers for you

I suppose so. Note that "life" in the common use of the word seems to be a mental construct anyway.

Furthermore most people are confused about "what they want" to start with.

very true

Aw shucks...I would love to discuss the meaning of life, but not on a piano forum...however, here's my 2 cents (stolen from another thread)



Speaking of happiness though, another thing that makes me happy is when I hear pieces I can play on the radio (yay, I can actually play stuff that "real" pianists play!)

Ah, you measure your achievements against specialists?
That can also bring depression if you're not careful. When the view is that a certain level of repetoire is the sign of a 'real' pianist, it can quickly make one feel their playing is inadequate - when it is actually quite skilled and pianistic. I'd hate to feel that I'm not a real pianist, because I cannot play the complete Iberia Suite - using an example from recent threads.

Ah I see what you mean there. But I don't think I really "measure" myself...I don't even think about it usually. I enjoy playing piano no matter how hard the piece is I'm playing. Harder doesn't necessarily mean better. I just feel connected to other people who play/listen to the music that I play when I hear it on the radio I guess.

I know what you mean though Mattardo. Was watching Barenboim's masterclass with the weird kid David Kadouch, and he is 22, same age as me. It was depressing, and I'm not just talking about his facial expressions.

When I open my iTunes and listen to my "Classical" play list on shuffle. JOY!

Me too! Except it's my "Ultimate Piano Favorites." Or my "Favorites" playlist, which has stuff from a whole bunch of music styles in it, like Bach, Skillet, Enya, Smetana, and even Taylor Swift!

Oh goodness...that kind of stuff depresses me too. But I think by now I'm used to it. I know I'm not that good at piano and that I don't know much about it, but I accept it and just try to learn. Most of the time.