People often think that life is short, time is fleeting, life is hard, and pain is frequent... Therefore, if you can be happy, be happy. In 1958, having food to eat was happiness, not going to school as a child was happiness, having a job during economic depression was happiness, having a partner while single was happiness... But once you are full, happiness doesn't matter; once you stop going to school, happiness doesn't matter; once you have a job, happiness doesn't matter; once you are married, happiness doesn't matter...
Happiness, the Essence of Thinking#
Everyone knows that immortals are good, but only fame and fortune cannot be forgotten. Where are the ancient and modern generals? Just a pile of grass on a desolate mound! Everyone knows that immortals are good, but only gold and silver cannot be forgotten. All day long, I regret not having more, and when I have more, my eyes are closed! Everyone knows that immortals are good, but only a beloved wife cannot be forgotten. You speak of kindness every day, but when you die, you go with others! Everyone knows that immortals are good, but only children and grandchildren cannot be forgotten. Foolish parents have been many since ancient times; who has seen filial children and grandchildren! — "Dream of the Red Chamber: The Song of Happiness"
Happiness in "The Song of Happiness"#
"Can you know that all things in the world, good is just good, and good is just good," thus happiness is not good, because once you are full, drink enough, work, and get married, there is no happiness.
Why does happiness disappear once satisfied? Human desires are like rolling stones on high mountains, and the ravines of desire have no end. "The Song of Happiness" points out a structure of thinking, a fall from high energy to low energy. The fall itself is meaningless; what is meaningful is the motivation generated by thinking in the process from hunger to satiety. The countless processes of satisfying desires provide an inexhaustible motivation for thinking and constitute thinking itself.
The Existence of Thinking is Happiness#
The existence of thinking itself is a process of continuously satisfying desires. The desires here are not a value judgment but a structure of thinking that operates from the unknown to the known, from high energy to low energy, from nothing to something. I call myself a "desire core," and everyone may have their own name for it.
If happiness is a state that is continuously satisfied, then active thinking itself is undoubtedly the happiest, meaning that thinking is a joyful activity.
The Difference Between Thinking Happiness and General Happiness#
The happiness brought by going to school, working, buying a house, getting married, and having children is also a kind of happiness brought by thinking. Compared to general thinking, the special aspect of this happiness is that it brings happiness and rewards from the material world, allowing people to maintain social life. However, in terms of happiness itself, the happiness brought by going to school and so on is limited and less efficient. In fact, happiness does not necessarily require too many intermediaries from the material world.
Definition of Happiness#
Some may be very angry and ask, since you pursue happiness, why not use drugs, take some meth. However, in my definition, so-called happiness and the satisfaction of desires are merely an active manifestation of the thinking process. And we can reach this happiness through thinking, which may be the very meaning of the existence of thinking, because happiness itself is thinking in existence.
Explanation of the Meaning of "The Song of Happiness"#
Since the existence of thinking itself is happiness, the so-called "good" is "done," which does not deny all desires and pursuits, but denies some excessive pursuit of "good" behaviors, such as the aforementioned hopes for children to become dragons and daughters to become phoenixes. If all desires for happiness are denied, then "good" as a moment, a point, or a pure goal is meaningless. However, we can infer that "good" is a state of completeness. Therefore, the thinking process corresponding to this kind of life should be very peaceful. That is to say, thinking itself is happiness; being alive is already very happy. Excessively chasing happiness will lead to an incomplete state, thus becoming a slave to happiness.
Thinking, the Method of Happiness#
Thinking is a state and activity of active thinking. It is also an excellent way to gain happiness. The normal existence and operation of thinking is not fundamentally different from thinking; rather, it is a process of quantitative change to qualitative change. It is like smoking and using drugs. For all things in the world, thinking is like using drugs; it can make people very happy. Of course, being alive itself is a kind of happiness, but for modern people, a little strong medicine is still needed to appreciate the wonders of life.
Since people think almost every day, this article specifically refers to conscious thinking. This kind of thinking is intentional, so it is generally in a relatively peaceful state. At least it is not in urgent danger. This is related to the depth of thinking.
My Experience of Thinking#
As a child, I didn't dare to fight back when bullied. My natural dullness made me like an isolated island, neither too influenced by external thoughts nor very puzzled by the strange world. Why don't they like me? Why don't I dare to fight back, and so on. Gradually, I did come up with some answers. Perhaps I absorbed models from books, or perhaps I found an officially recognized truth system, and I quickly entered it, making it a temporary refuge.
As I encountered more and more thoughts, I felt this was a quality that could highlight the extraordinary, and it was also a way to gain spiritual comfort. Because I constantly tried to explain my developmental experiences and the reasons for my failures through absorbing new theories.
Once the patchwork of thought systems was built, my habit of thinking became more severe, and I gradually hoped to further improve my thought model. Every new spark of thought would make me feel happy.
The Cheapness of Thinking#
I often reflect on why I have become what I am now; perhaps I like to avoid solving problems. When bullied, I don't fight back; instead, I learn thoughts to make myself unafraid of battle. Not being good at socializing, I don't engage with people; instead, I internalize a "self-talk" model through thinking. When love arises, I don't pursue it; instead, I eliminate desire through thinking... So now, apart from thinking, I just want to think.
This is due to the cheapness and automatic nature of thinking. It doesn't require spending a lot of money and has no risks. Of course, what is lost is the opportunity at that moment.
In today's society, with economic recession, not getting married, not buying houses, and not having children have become choices for young people. They put more energy into other things that can bring happiness. Among all the ways to bring happiness, thinking is the cheapest and easiest to initiate.
In simple terms, thinking can happen anytime and anywhere, without any restrictions. As long as you develop a habit of thinking well, you can enjoy happiness at any moment. Of course, some people find this habit simple, while others find it difficult.
The Rewards and Compound Interest of Thinking#
There are no traces of birds in the sky, but I have flown. Thinking is like flying; you have indeed flown, but it leaves no trace. Thoughts are inherently illusory and subjective; those who dislike thinking may say, what use are these things?
Thinking is intangible, but that does not mean it leaves no trace. On the contrary, its traces are deep. When the products of thinking are exposed to the objective world and discovered by others, it already indicates the terror of thinking.
Error feedback compares our predictions with reality and corrects the models we shape about the external world. — "Precise Learning"
A thousand people have a thousand Hamlets. When we accept any kind of information, the brain constructs unique synapses for it. Because learning is a deep thinking activity, when people think, they are not accepting information from nothing to something; rather, they are constantly correcting information and the models already constructed in the brain. To some extent, learning itself is a creative activity or a thinking activity. Creation, as an external standard, may be the patent of some people, but from the inner world, learning itself is a reshaping of the individual brain, a genuine creation.
Thinking is a deep correction or development of existing models. If we are truth-seeking thinkers, our thinking will create many theories and models. Perhaps for many people, this kind of thought is insignificant, but for us, it is definitely a creation. Understanding itself is creation. Moreover, this level of creation will allow us to obtain the results of thinking plus the methods of thinking.
The Results and Compound Interest of Thinking#
The results of thinking will deepen our understanding of the world and make it easier to correct our models of the world. For example, I have an idea about creation in my mind. After thinking, the next time I encounter a topic related to creation, I will immediately recall the idea I once had and attempt to correct it.
More importantly, the things people love to think about are generally important to them personally. That is to say, there is a close connection between the products of thinking and the individual. Thinking is not like disposable chopsticks, used once and thrown away. As "Precise Learning" explains, it is a continuously improving model. A small thing we have thought about, such as a certain dimension of creation, will become the foundation of all our thinking, playing a dual role as both a cornerstone and a scaffold.
Compound interest means interest on interest. Their expected effects on us personally will grow exponentially over time. Of course, our thinking does not necessarily bring us economic benefits, but only the benefits of thinking.
The results of thinking are more like the domain of gold and Shirou, containing countless treasures; as long as they have been collected or seen, they can be recalled at some future moment.
The Methods of Thinking#
Valuable Ideas Can Be Mass-Produced#
I have a habit of putting valuable ideas I think of each day in one place. If I find the topic engaging enough or have a deep understanding of it, I will use logic to deduce and then correct the model. I mentioned this feeling in my short article "The Art of Inspiration":
So this time is about the assistance of feelings. Extracting the original subtle feelings with logic. I found that pulling out what is inside indeed increased my understanding of myself and the world. It's like having many vague crushes; you always miss the chance to pursue them. Now, we want to catch up with them and engage in some deep communication.
However, after my recent understanding, I found that these valuable ideas can be mass-produced.
This can be referred to as the idea grafting method. That is, based on different understandings each day, thinking can graft two seemingly unrelated things together. The deeper the understanding of the two things, the more discoveries of new things will occur.
Creating Without Dilemma#
When talking about this, we must rethink creation, referring to "The Dilemma of Creation". Creation, as Fan Zhongyan said, is the grandeur of the Yueyang Tower, "the predecessors have already described it." But since Fan Zhongyan wrote "The Record of the Yueyang Tower," he must have created something new, which can also be called creation.
The Essence and Relativity of Creation#
I used to think about where new things are, but now it seems that new things lie in constructing more connections. It's like stewing a pot of meat, adding a bit of sugar, a bit of fruit, etc.; everyone stews it differently. The accumulation of quantity reflects not just simple stacking but also reveals the inherent connections between things.
From a negative perspective, understanding is a form of creation for individuals. The description of Hamlet illustrates this principle. However, creation is relative; what is new for you may not be for others.
The Method of Creation#
This method of thinking is learning, not in the narrow sense of learning from books, but learning in a way that reflects the objective world and corrects models. The essence of this meaning is to create new connections based on the original foundation.
So-called Creation is a Kind of Luck#
When we discover the connections between different things and correct models, we find new things for ourselves. Of course, if you are lucky enough, you will discover things that are new to everyone. These thousand Hamlets are not just the privilege of certain authorities; luck is also a part of strength.
In simple terms, "Learning without thinking is labor lost; thinking without learning is perilous." Learning from various things is the most important bridge connecting the subjective and objective. Thinking is the process of correcting models and constructing connections. As long as you learn along the established track, you will correct the original errors in the model.
Creation, Examples of Idea Grafting#
Example of Unsatisfied Constituent Elements#
For example, "Records of the Grand Historian" records Xiang Yu saying, "Books are only enough to record names." "A Journey to the West" also mentions that when Sun Wukong studied under Bodhi Patriarch, he complained that the spells taught by Bodhi Patriarch could not grant immortality, and thus he said, "Based on this, it won't last long. I won't learn! I won't learn!" I suddenly recalled these two similar scenarios, both with a strong purpose for learning. But I did not reach further conclusions; I just felt there was something in them.
Example of Satisfied Constituent Elements#
Another example is that the U.S. Constitution emphasizes the separation of powers. After the Supreme Court gained the power of judicial review through case law and legal principles, the American democratic system was praised. However, the transplantation of judicial review in European countries has been successful. Japan's transplantation of the Supreme Court's judicial review system after World War II was also not ideal; the court's constraints on power were insufficient, and there were not many significant precedents.
In this example, you may be puzzled without understanding, but once you understand, your brain will naturally think about why the transplantation of the U.S. judicial system, the first in the world to have judicial review, is so difficult. My brain suddenly reached a conclusion: because the U.S. judicial system is a place where the judicial review system is automatically generated. The reason judicial review can operate is not merely due to the form of American justice; it is not just the court's ability to review laws, but because of the reasons of the entire American society. You could say the entire system needs a court for judicial review. In the process of transplantation, not only the surface system is transplanted; it is like planting flowers; flowers with soil tend to survive better. This soil is the foundational element that allows the judicial review system to survive. Originally, the Supreme Court's review was merely a formality; some means must be employed to increase the intentionality of this review and gain more attention. Thus, the constitutional court system was established, merely setting up a system. This is akin to a flower with soil.
These examples aim to illustrate that a new idea requires many connection points. When we possess many of these points and satisfy the objective requirements for the emergence of new ideas, new ideas will naturally arise. This is the method of thinking: learn more to gain new connections, think more to summarize new connections.
Conclusion#
I originally wanted to write about the methods of thinking, but I kept recalling "The Song of Happiness," so I started from happiness and then constructed the connection between happiness and thinking. This construction can be said to be a method of thinking grafting.
Life is not meant to pursue suffering, even though we cannot help but cry when we arrive at this grotesque stage. Happiness, as something people pursue, can be said to be the most core concept, and it is a relatively objective concept, much better than the word happiness. Human thinking itself arises between existence and non-existence. If there is no such difference, thinking does not exist; we can hardly imagine a world that is entirely known. This kind of thinking, this will, has already merged with the world; it has truly become the "done" in "The Song of Happiness." Whether people are born or not, or only exist in this world, it is all based on people, on thinking, on being alive as a premise. If there is no self, there is no being alive, and this so-called completeness has no motive for pursuit.
Thinking, like other methods of happiness, is an activity of thinking; it is just that thinking is purer and less dependent on others, like a pure command line rather than having a UI. Thinking itself is also a form of creation, and creation itself is also an objective, incidental thinking activity. As long as certain conditions are met, new things will inevitably arise.
In today's society, perhaps thinking is our cheapest way to find happiness!
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