What is it that we are trying to discover? I think most of us would answer that we are trying to discover things like peace, contentment, happiness, etc. Having enough to survive..e.g...food and shelter, is one thing, and that certainly brings a certain sense of contentment. But beyond that? What else...and why?
My old beliefs promised me that a permanent sense of happiness could be had......well, under the right conditions, of course. But think about that for a minute: A perpetual existence where there's never a conflict, never a set-back, never a thing over which to have anxiety, never any loss, whatsoever? Never one single problem, and thus, nothing to solve........ever?
Borrrrring.
If we put feelings and opinions aside, by nature, we are pattern seekers and problem solvers. That's a fact. Remove problems in their various forms, and I contend that we'd become automatons with that part of our nature completely missing. More damaging than that considering some people's worldview, problems are necessary for free agency to exist among us humans. Without any contending negative thoughts and/or without any negative circumstances, we'd be the equivalent of robots that were programmed to be content.
It is for the aforementioned reasons that I would contend that seeking to impose a permanent sense of happiness on one's self is in-flippin'-sane, and furthermore, the sort of "Utopia" that religion offers, and as well, that of what other spheres of thought centered around seeking "fulfillment" and "Oneness" offer, we would ultimately be in a living "hell" if ever achieved.
'Good thing no human being ever achieves it. Can you imagine never being able to turn "off" your thoughts? Of course, as it stands, we do this for several hours every night because our survival as physical beings who burn energy(physical energy, that is) depends on it. To exist atemporally as non-corporeal beings, we would not require "rest"(sleep) because we wouldn't burn any energy. Good grief, can you imagine never sleeping? No naps?!?!? Such an existence would be one long run-on thought, never deviating from a perpetual state of "bliss". Never needing to contemplate the good and bad ramifications of any "choice" would make "choosing" obsolete. IOW, arrivederci "free will", and just one more reason why my former belief in "Heaven" was misguided, at the very best.
Moving away from a "hereafter" and focusing on here and now, it's really the same misguided sphere of thought when we examine the ceaseless optimism being peddled from certain communities and their philosophical standpoints. I can see bits of truth in wanting to have a positive outlook, as in, at least knowing the pluses and minuses of a situation or future event. But there is now compelling evidence that ruminating on, or better, imagining a positive outcome can actually lessen your chances of achieving that outcome. One of the reasons is because focusing too much on a positive outcome dulls the need to achieve that outcome in the first place.
It makes sense: If I want something from someone while putting it out of my mind, but then at a later time I get what was sought from that person, it can be a quite shocking surprise, in contrast to it being a much greater shock to not get it after ruminating on it 24/7 for months or years.
"The Secret" got it wrong, I'm afraid. There is no evidence that the "Universe" is conscious and/or that it is aware of our thoughts, much less that it will return that on which we intently focus, be it positive, or negative. Was the child who felt uncomfortable around his or her new step-father asking for it on the day that his or her step-father decided to molest them? Did the child do something horrible in a past life and this his or her payment, a cosmic "justice" meted out by a conscious "Universe"? Bull'.
As reasonable adults living in the 21st century, we must answer "no" to these questions. The aforementioned concept of "divine justice", while it might make us feel better to know that people who do bad things are "punished", it is, yes, legendary thinking that has carried over from days gone past and it has no basis in reality.
None of this is to say that there's necessarily anything wrong with submerging ourselves in "fantasy" at times, but it should be done with caution. There's times when lines can be crossed. Reality is bound to become dangerous at some point if one lives in a fantasy world 24/7. Ethical lines can also be crossed in instances where people are given false hope when they are desperate and/or at their most vulnerable. Yes, some people can find comfort in false hope(provided of course they don't know it's false). But this is nothing more than the type of "faith" that religion offers. The self-help book "The Secret" even uses scripture, alluding to the idea that people of "faith" will get what they ask for in prayer. Not only is that type of "faith" an intellectual cop-out, it can prove deadly.
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