Brilliance from “New Atheist” Sam Harris. I invite you to enjoy this short excerpt.

Question

Sam Harris:
“[C]ertain truths about the nature of our minds are well worth knowing. For instance, the anger you felt yesterday, or a year ago, isn’t here anymore, and if it arises in the next moment, based on your thinking about the past, it will quickly pass away when you are no longer thinking about it. This is a profoundly important truth about the mind — and it can be absolutely liberating to understand it deeply. If you do understand it deeply — that is, if you are able to pay clear attention to the arising and passing away of anger, rather than merely think about why you have every right to be angry — it becomes impossible to stay angry for more than a few moments at a time. Again, this is an objective claim about the character of subjective experience. And I invite our readers to test it in the laboratory of their own minds.”


TyVig:
My wife and I have been married for almost eight years and we never fight.
You read that right: We never fight.

Many of you have seen me write that happiness is a decision. Nothing can make us happy. We have to choose to be happy first then, other things and people can make us happier.

Just like with happiness, getting along with another person is a choice too. Our philosophy goes right with Sam's position regarding anger. If we're not going to remember what the fight was about two weeks, two months or two years from now, is it really worth having? We've declared NO, it's not worth having and we always drop fights before they even begin.

I invite everyone else to begin doing the same.

Answer 1

Develop a personal support plan and avoid non enhancing forces in life and life will not be about living, but how you make the journey.

Answer 2

Good points for the part of society that resides in relatively well protected neighborhoods, have a living-wage income, and were raised in a caring family, but happiness is quite difficult for many who live in poverty on the mean streets of America, shackled by a cycle of poverty and a large part of society that does not care to help them.

Sorry to toss in the thorn with the rose. It is true that attitude is everything. It is unfortunate that this simple idea cannot be understood (or not taught) to young ********. Not everyone is lucky enough to be born to a nurturing family. We need to remain aware of others and help them where we can. That makes me feel good.

Answer 3

I agree.

Each of us should give generously of our time and money to charity and as a society we should celebrate and elevate those who do. We should not become lazy and ask a cold and faceless government to do what we should do as a people.

Answer 4

I agree with personal giving, but that will never go far enough. Most people live on the edge of their income and giving to charity is not a high priority, and even then it's often a dollar here and a dollar there--not nearly enough. Besides that, there are many millions of people who simply believe the conservative mantra, "I made it without help, to why should I help those lazy people? If I made it, anyone can." That is false.

Since a large part of the public simply will not help, I approve of the government taking a little out of my income to help others. After all, I, like so many millions of Americans, am one serious illness from poverty, and I've worked **** all of my live and played by the rules. It is a great thing that we have a government (at least a segment of government) that understands that everyone isn't born with the same abilities, opportunities, and good family nurturing.

Answer 5

We differ on this but, they're sound words with good intent nonetheless.

Answer 6

This is the part of the above from Sam that was most profound to me:

"...rather than merely think about why you have every right to be angry — it becomes impossible to stay angry for more than a few moments at a time. "

I consider his words from the viewpoint of personal relationships.

Answer 7

Yes, that is true. Yet, even though the anger does not last, the source of the anger is still there and will likely return. Too, anger can turn to hatred. That is how nations get their young men and women to kill each other in war. That is why we have such a great amount of prejudice against others who think differently because of their genetic predispositions.

The answer, I think, is to teach ********, not religion, but empathy for others. That is the only way to root out the source of anger. But, I'm not betting the farm humanity will understand the logic at least for another millennium--if we survive.

Answer 8

As a Christian this is something I practice daily. My fiancé and never agree either. What's the point? It leads to **** feelings and as was pointed out it usually not remembered later on.

Answer 9

Interestingly, if not ironically, both your examples are very close to what the Apostle Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians, concerning the teachings of Jesus and the will of ***.



...i'm not trying to stir controversy, ...only pointing out that excellent ideas and superior behaviors don't have to be developed and successfully employed only in the absence of Christianity. (...or vice versa)



(...and I am definitely not an apologist for those who cloak their judgementalism in some form of religiosity, pretending their actions are holy and noble... then claim to be Christians.)

Answer 10

Everyone should try being happy instead of angry at anything and everything in this world.

Answer 11

This guy is cool