All that lives is striving for happiness; yet a thousand and one pains and fears attend upon every pleasure which man seeks through the ignorance of exclusiveness.
Interpretation
The pursuit of happiness is universal, but it is often accompanied by challenges and fears stemming from a narrow perspective.
In this quote, Meher Baba emphasizes that the desire for happiness is a fundamental aspect of life for all living beings. However, he points out that this quest is frequently marred by various pains and fears, which arise due to a limited understanding of life that fosters exclusiveness. Essentially, he is reminding us that while we all seek joy, it is essential to recognize the complexities and struggles that often come with it, urging a broader and more inclusive perspective in our pursuit of happiness.
In practice
This quote could be used in a motivational speech about the challenges of pursuing happiness.
The experiences are so innumerable and varied, that the journey appears to be interminable and the Destination is ever out of sight. But the wonder of it is, when at last you reach your Destination you find that you had never travelled at all! It was a journey from here to Here.
Love has to spring spontaneously from within And it is no way amenable to any form of inner or outer force. Love and coercion can never go together; But though love cannot be forced on anyone, It can be awakened in him through love itself. Love is essentially self communicative; Those who do not have it catch it from those who have it. True love is unconquerable and irresistible, And it goes on gathering power and spreading itself, Until eventually it transforms everyone whom it touches.
Suffering is essential for the elimination of the ego, just as it was necessary for you to scrub and scrub in order to wash the stain from my coat.
There is no greater romance in life than this adventure in realization.
What I want from my lovers is real, unadulterated love, and from my genuine workers I expect real work done.
Happiest is he who expects no happiness from others. Love delights and glorifies in giving, not receiving. So learn to love and give, and not to expect anything from others.
Character is the basis of happiness and happiness the sanction of character.
Remember laughing? Laughter enhances the blood flow to the bodyβs extremities and improves cardiovascular function. Laughter releases endorphins and other natural mood elevating and pain-killing chemicals, improves the transfer of oxygen and nutrients to internal organs. Laughter boosts the immune system and helps the body fight off disease, cancer cells as well as viral, bacterial and other infections. Being happy is the best cure of all diseases!
I know for sure that's what we're here to do: Keep the joy thing going for all seasons.
What Western society teaches us is that if you get enough money, power, and beautiful people to have sex with, that's going to bring you happiness. That's what every commercial, every magazine, music, movie teaches us. That's a fallacy.
Maybe happiness too is a metaphor invented on a day of boredom
The happiness of those who want to be popular depends on others; the happiness of those who seek pleasure fluctuates with moods outside their control; but the happiness of the wise grows out of their own free acts.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.