Contentment

     Hundreds of millions of people worldwide are struggling with depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anger, fear, guilt, and hate.  And they suffer despite having all of their needs met – they actually have things pretty good in life.

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     While libraries and bookstores are full of self-help books on Happiness, the author of Contentment: How to Attain Lifelong Peace and Well-being, argues that a lifetime of happiness cannot be achieved.  However, while a lifetime of happiness is not attainable, a lifetime of contentment is.  So, how is a person to achieve lifelong contentment?

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                                             An individual can completely liberate themselves from all unnecessary suffering, and have

                                             a life of peace and well-being, if they stop all wanting.

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     The methods outlined in the book are not that of the author.  The paradigm is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama – the Buddha.  (However, there is nothing in the book or on this website that suggests you need to become a Buddhist.  The strategy and philosophy works within the confines of all spiritual beliefs.)

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     To give up all wanting does not include altruistic wants (I want my friend to beat cancer) or the wanting of needs such as food, water, or shelter.  These desires (chandaic wants) do not contribute to our suffering.  All other wanting (tanhic wants), whether we get what we desire or not, causes our discontent.  It is important to note here that the Buddha, when he spoke of wanting, was not only talking about materialistic, sexual, or other wants that we typically look down upon in today’s world.  Of course these contribute to our discontent, but far more importantly – it is the wanting of and from ourselves, and our wanting of and from others – that is the cause of our greatest suffering.

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     To give up all wanting sounds extreme.  And it is.  Fortunately, the Buddha provides tools to assist us in our path toward liberation.  To be fair, many thinkers and religions have suggested similar principles and techniques for thousands of years.  The book also considers what other philosophers, prophets, and the sciences have said on the subject – both those that support and those that contrast with what the Buddha was saying.

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     Instead of just another book on theory, based on the teachings of the Buddha, Contentment offers advice as to how we can actually make these changes in our daily lives.  The bonus is, modern neurosciences have proven that these methods truly work.

 

     We can change our lives.  An individual can fully liberate themselves from depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behavior, anger, fear, guilt, and hate – and achieve a lifetime of peace, well-being, and contentment – if they stop all wanting.