In our society I have found that we do not encourage contentment. We are instead told that we should always be seeking. Seeking for the perfect job, the perfection of ourselves, the perfect spouse, the perfect life, the list can go on and on. This is further complicated by our capitalistic way of life, but I shall save that for another time.
Advertisements on the radio and television give us the image that we would be happier if only we had a certain product or lifestyle, and what is unfortunate is that our schooling and our society are more often than not part of this conditioning. We find that if everything in our minds expectations are not met, we should not worry because something better is out there, and all we need to do is keep searching. Keep searching for something that we will never find. The idea that there is gold hidden away in those hills, and that is what we need to find. We must be searching for that goodie. It is somewhere for sure, but certainly not here with us now.
Unless one has a job that is suited to their personality or preference one must search endlessly to find this unreachable place of employment. For if we one day reached such a place, we may find ourselves either dissatisfied with it, as it may not be all that we imagined, or we may find ourselves wrapped in the fear of losing what we have found.
It is no surprise that most of us have lives full of unmet expectations because we are told that although we may have not found such things, it is out there, all we must be is keep searching. I myself have spent much more time than I would like to admit doing this very thing.
I would like to propose a different idea: that yes that perfect job, spouse, mind state, situation or whatever it is you are looking for is not somewhere else, but right where we are. It can be found at this very minute. It is standing directly in front of us, and all we need to do is stop seeking. All we need to do is open our hearts and open our eyes. We have been conditioned that only through the mind and through thinking can we find happiness, but from my experience the quickest way to finding contentment, which I believe is true happiness, is through the cessation of thought. Simply be present, view the world with an appreciative mind, and have fun.
Consider the possibilities of how our lives as individuals or even furthermore how a society would be effected by just a slight change in perspective.
