Talk:Contentment

Contentment is a paradox. By definition contentment is true happiness with one’s situation in life. Discontentment is a longing for something better than the present situation. There is nothing wrong with wanting to make one’s life situation better. As Carl Jung puts it “while balancing heaven and earth”; in other words, “remaining alive to life’s struggles and others’ needs”. Hinduism points toward learning to live with what we have rather than ceaselessly straining for more. Jesus had no worldly possessions "or place to lay his head". Early Christianity was much more anti-materialistic than it is now and almost communistic in regards to possessions. “Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.”-Socrates / “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you don’t have; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”-Epicurus / “We tend to forget that happiness does not come as the result of getting something we don’t have, but rather recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”-Frederick Keonig / “Unhappiness follows happiness whenever the well of suffering runs dry.”-Mahabharata / “There is no end to craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment.”-Swami Sivananda / Happiness should not be mistaken for contentment for one can have the later in the absence of the former. One can be content in the worst of circumstance, though they may not be "happy". It is a treasure for those who find it.

Mark Powell 80.14.181.162 (talk) 07:54, 15 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Contentment, a "neuro-physiological experience"? Positivist bias, to the point of sounding ridiculous. Why not just write "feeling", for example? Positivists will understand "feeling" as "neuro-physiological experience", others will interpret it as they please. 80.14.181.162 (talk) 07:54, 15 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]