Why choose to be miserable? Who likes to be miserable? Nobody. Then why do many people choose misery in their lives?
If we analyze the cause of misery, it is essentially a result of unfulfilled expectations. Therefore, the moment you have expectations, you can be sure there will be misery because all expectations cannot be fulfilled. Therefore, when we create desires and expectations, along with those desires and expectations, we have already planted a seed of misery, which will sprout one day. Is that what we are seeking? If we do not want misery, then what should we do? Ancient scriptures advise that if we do not want misery, then we should not plant the seed of misery, which is bound to sprout one day and give troubles and sorrows that everyone dreads. Instead,if one lives with detachment and renunciation, can there be misery?
So what happens when one is detached or ‘desireless’? One has no expectations. When there is no expectation, there is no unfulfilled expectation because there is no expectation. Therefore, if one accepts everything that comes as a gift from God, as a shower of rain that comes from above, one will never be unhappy; one will never be miserable.
So, do you want to be miserable? If you don’t want to be miserable, you need to to find out: are you chasing desires? Are you passionate about your expectations? Are you seeking with greed things that are beyond your reach? If you are, then misery is not far away. But if you don’t want to be miserable then do you know what you must do? Stop planting the seeds of misery today.
Buddhism teaches that craving in all its manifestations is the root cause of suffering. But while that may be true it is not easy
to give up desire entirely. So to desire less is more practical. But first one has to acknowledge that that is what is making one
unhappy. Something which may not be particularly obvious given that it may be regarded as a positive rather than a negative
This is kinda the basics. Misery sprouts itself, people are seeds, sprouts…they come up from the air…Things you didn’t know you needed till it existed…now you have to have it or else…
Freedom from cravings will not alleviate the misery of boredom and nihilism.
Interesting! Does anyone really choose to be miserable? Of course, nobody would consciously choose to be miserable, but when we choose certain causes, the effect of which is miserable, then we are inadvertently choosing misery. In this case, having constant desires is a cause that will lead to misery and while we may not choose misery, we are choosing the cause that will create misery.
