| Whenever we buy new clothes we feel excited. But after a while the clothes we bought lose their allure and we no longer feel anything special about them. In the same way, when we buy a new car, or build a new house, we only feel excited for a short time. It is human nature that whatever happiness we obtain, we soon start to take it for granted. We can't stay excited about it forever. However, if we can learn to maintain our enthusiasm about things all the time, our lives will become full of happiness. I believe that the mental function by which we tend to take happiness for granted is to blame. We are moved by sympathy and sincerity when they are shown to us, but if after a while we start to take them for granted and stop feeling appreciation for them, we can never be happy. Why is that we end up taking for granted all that makes us happy? It's because of our arrogance within. If we live a modest life with a humble and gentle disposition, we become surprised and moved by even a little happiness. If we maintain a humble and unassuming spirit, with the feeling that we don't fully deserve the goodwill and good fortune we receive, then even little things can bring us much happiness, and we will be able to maintain a fresh, enthusiastic spirit throughout our lives. If we can't feel joy or gratitude it is because we have started to nurture pride and arrogance in our minds. |