Spinoza gives us a very interesting insight into Joy and sadness: “Joy is never directly bad, but it is good; on the contrary, sadness is directly evil. Joy is never excessive, it is always good; on the contrary, melancholy is always bad” .
Spinoza, with this phrase, makes it clear that joy is good and sadness is bad, this statement is very interesting, because we are conditioned by culture, and even by the teachings of our elders, that when we are sad we learn more than when we are happy, even the church itself teaches this, when it says that: “If you don’t come for love, you come for pain”. I believe that joy is part of the happiness and development of the human being and that sadness is always the result of a bad management of life, that is, when we seek the good things and avoid the bad things we live better and with more quality.
The question is how to achieve joy and escape from sadness?
1- Be creative and proactive, that is, look inside yourself for motivations to continue living, never make decisions by other people’s words, believe in yourself.
2- Learn to manage your time, ”... because it is from this raw material (time) that life is made” , B.Franklin. When we make good use of time we better manage our problems and difficult situations, thus avoiding sharp “arrows” from this so evil “sadness”.
3- Having a good list of friends is a key factor for us to be happy, because loneliness is a great weapon for sadness, whereas the more friends the more support you have.
4- Avoid internal and external fights, do your part well and do not require others to do what you do, as this is stressful and will lead you to a deep sadness.
5- Value what you have already achieved, or everything around you. For example: the air you breathe, the sun, the earth, your family, your friends, your job, your vision, your taste ... when we do that we attract good things to us, that is, joy, when we do not perceive these things we sink in sadness. What you want? So start right now.
6- The decision to be happy or sad is always in your hands, because as the bible says: ”..as you imagined in your mind it will be like this ...” , this means that happiness or defeat is born in the mind, that’s why it is that thinking good things is fundamental for physical, psychological and spiritual development and growth.
7- The fear of getting it right makes you stop living intensely. I have seen many people living on average (being born, growing and dying) and why is that? Because many people do not accept to live a dream, or a challenge, because they think they are weak and powerless, but know that every human being is strong, lively and with the best of all, creative. Develop this within yourself, say no to difficult situations, say no to everything that makes you go back, say no to sadness and always believe that you can be happy.
