the pursuit of happiness

 i feel like i have things to say. so i will try this blogging idea.  i'll be saying what i want, and if anyone cares to listen, terrific, and if not, well so be it.
what i'm thinking is that i'll post daily, and just mention what's on my mind. 
being that the most important thing to me is my spiritual awakening/journey this is what i'm most likely going to be sharing; insights, thoughts, questions, quotes, etc.

so today, today.  i had a great coffee meeting with a recent-past coworker.  and i am always amazed by synchornistic happenings.  explanation: I was thinking yesterday about the buddhist teaching that suffering is a result of attachments.  and i was pondering western society's severe suffering, and equating that to the enormously outrageous drive for attachments.  these attachments can be anything, materialistic commodities, plans, beliefs, anything that you might feel a drive to attain or hold on to and would feel some discomfort were it removed or blocked from your consumption or attainment. i was thinking about myself and my attachments, primarily to having my day go strictly according to the time table to which i have allotted it and how this creates anguish.  i then have to remember the 1st of the 12 steps and that is that i am powerless over people, places, situations, and pretty much everything. then the peace comes.  but i was thinking about our country and the need for the people to return to their divine nature, because that is when life automatically simplifies and the attachments will decrease, thereby decreasing suffering and increasing happiness.  okay, so i was sitting with my friend and she begins discussing her experiences as a victim advocate in the court system and how the focus is so much on "things" rather than people, that everybody just wants things.  this of course lead me to talk about the notion of attachment and needing to return to our spiritual/divine nature.  the next question posed then is how to do this? how does change occur? how can i/we help?  and i thought, write.  write about what i think about. write about my experiences and endeavors, my joys and my pains.  and maybe someone will hear something.

after leaving my coffee date, i was listening to a message from the dalai lama at an interfaith summit, which was on happiness.  and he stated that it is a shame that we/humanity have been fooled to believe that what actually causes our unhappiness is going to bring us happiness. and this is true.  we have forgotten that our happiness is in living in alignment with our true selves, by going within to find that source of happiness.   and we reach out and grasp at anything that we think will bring a bit of happiness, only to find that the bit that we do recieve from it fades soon after, and we are then left with a suffering over having lost that momentary happiness and so we reach out and grasp the next best thing.   how often do i read in various places the verse from the bible "the kingdom of heaven is within."  my goal is to go within, to find that peace and lasting happiness, to remember that it is not in controlling my circumstances or purchasing something new or in maintaining such a level of busyness that i neglect my true self.  if anyone reads this and cares to join me in this goal, please respond, as there is power in a shared purpose.  i am extending all my love....