If you want to be happier, live according to your own will.
If you want to be happier, live according to your own will,Life is a thick book, and each of us will have different feelings when reading this giant work. Every reading method is not consistent. Some people look at the surface of a flashy and happy life, but these are only external manifestations. Do the shoes have small stones, do the shoes fit their feet? Only their own feet know. Many people live according to the wishes of others, such as the wishes of their parents, the wishes of their children, and external standards. Underneath the external happiness is the and hate of living. They haven't felt any happiness at all.
Regarding this issue, the words of German great writer, thinker, philosopher, founder of will theory and modern pessimism, Schopenhauer, are resounding and penetrating: 'If you want to be happier, live according to your own will.' Yes, whether we are happy in life has nothing to do with external money, beauty, honor, or official positions. Or it is not related at all. Our happiness comes from within. Therefore, any path of pursuing happiness from the outside is a wrong path. Happiness cannot be obtained from the outside; it must 'appeal to oneself,' which means we must live according to our own will.
'Living according to your own will' does not mean doing whatever you want to do, but rather obeying the yearning within your heart and doing things and living life according to inner guidance, without over-burdening yourself, and maintaining harmony with your inner self, which can bring happiness and well-being. Adam Smith, the author of *The Wealth of Nations*, pointed out that the ultimate purpose of philosophy is to achieve inner harmony and tranquility for people. If we can do this – live according to our own will, rather than according to external standards or the wishes of others – we can maintain our peaceful minds and observe the world in a 'cloudy and light wind' state, scrutinizing everything we have experienced. Then, even if we haven't studied much philosophy, such a person can be said to be a philosopher of happy life, because he has already achieved the ultimate purpose of philosophy, and whether he has studied philosophy or not is no longer important.
Unfortunately, in today's materialistic and corrupt society, many people practice hedonism and worship wealth, evaluating the value of life by the amount of wealth and enjoyment. This is a big mistake.
I do what I want, and I do what I want to do—this is not 'living according to your own will,' but rather going to the other extreme. Everyone of us is influenced by external factors and has to face problems we don't want to face. In fact, we still need to face these problems calmly and deal with them effectively. However, in the process of living and dealing with problems, we must follow the guidance of our inner hearts, and we can even follow the guidance of dreams or the guidance of the subconscious. This will prevent us from regretting too much.
Dante said in *The Divine Comedy*: 'Walk your own road, and let others talk about it.' Walt Isaacson said in *Steve Jobs* : 'Those who don't care about comments only follow their inner people, that's remarkable.'
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