The Way to True Happiness: Chapters 1-2 of Zen and the Art of Happiness

In the midst of our busy schedules, elusive career plans, and fleeting relationships, we can’t help but wonder: what is the secret to happiness?

Chris Prentiss in Zen and the Art of Happiness explores the challenges hindering us from achieving happiness, and gives the readers useful steps to unlock the secret to living a happy life. In the first chapter, “The Way”, the author presents new ways of thinking about happiness. He urges readers not to dispel seemingly simplistic advice, but to give these thoughts a chance to be verified. He then introduces two questions for readers to answer:

1. Would I want this to be true: “Every event that befalls me is absolutely the best possible event that could occur”?
2. Will I give that a chance to be true?

Instead of negatively (and instinctively) reacting to certain life occurrences, we should adopt a new perspective: every event that befalls you is absolutely the best possible event that could occur—that there is no other event imaginable that could benefit you to any greater degree. Essentially, this type of optimistic thinking will ultimately bring happiness into everything we do. Practicing this new form of thinking requires a Zen approach to life. Zen is a philosophy that promotes experiencing life in the present, in the “here” and “now”. It requires three main things from our minds: concentration, calmness, and simplicity. Applying Zen into our lives will guide us towards enlightenment, which is the key to true happiness. The process of enlightenment, and of happiness, means knowing that everything in the Universe is created from and is part of the same energy, and knowing in what way we relate to it all.

The second chapter of the book, “We are the authors of every next moment,” combines the philosophy of Zen to introduce a practical approach to achieving happiness. In this chapter, the author attributes the state of our happiness to our personal philosophies. A personal philosophy is simply an individual’s own perspective in life, and his/her approach to living. Our way of reacting to life events is essentially what can hinder or further our happiness in life.

“We are the ones who invest seemingly bad happenings with the power to seem bad at the time they occur and to continue to seem bad afterwards.”

As you believe, so it is for you. We should not search for hidden meanings behind every bad thing that happens to us; instead, we need to realize our personal agency in the situation and direct our reaction towards a positive light.

The art of happiness has always been an elusive and insatiable desire in my life. It seems naïve to assume that we are living a happy life, yet the very act of questioning the presence of happiness in itself is counterproductive to achieving happiness. In my experience, happiness has been hard to achieve only because the expectation of disappointment has become a safety net. After an unfortunate event or a bad day, why is it easier for us to surrender to disappointment rather than positive acceptance?

Zen and enlightenment could just be the path to happiness, but I argue that happiness is too personal and unique to each of us that it will take more than these philosophies for us to attain satisfaction. The most important takeaway from Prentiss’ book is to live an empowered life; to know that our life circumstances may be beyond our control, but in the end, as the poet William Ernest Henley states: “We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our soul.”

Post by: Miqi Cos

Daily Word: Dismal

dis·mal

[diz-muhl]

adjective

1. causing gloom or dejection; gloomy; dreary; cheerless; melancholy: dismal weather.

2. characterized by ineptness or lack of skill, competence, effectiveness, imagination, or interest; pitiful: Our team played a dismal game.

3.Obsolete .

a. disastrous; calamitous.

b. unlucky; sinister.

American Cultural Literacy: “Many hands make light work”

“Many hands make light work”

PROVERB

Large tasks become small when divided among several people.

American Cultural Literacy: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained”

PROVERB

If you don’t risk anything, you won’t gain anything.

Chapters 7-8 of Zen and the Art of Happiness: Adaptation and Stress Managment

Chapters 7 and 8 of Zen and the Art of Happiness discuss the importance of adapting to change and managing  stress in order to find happiness. Chris Prentiss, the author, refers to these steps as a personal philosophy that one must take in order to be fulfilled and satisfied with life.  The principle manner in which a person can adapt to change and manage his/her stress is through re-framing his/her outlook or perspective on life, events, and situations from negative to positive.

Prentiss believes that “a situation only becomes favorable when one adapts to it” (88). We must make a decision to, for lack of a better term, roll with life when it throws tough situations at us.  Many of us complain about present situations and dwell in this negative sphere of discontentment in an attempt to vent or get rid of the situation; however, the more we complain about challenges, the more power we give to negativity.  Therefore, Prentiss argues that we should adapt to changes and embraces them because they will help us grow and develop into stronger individuals.  This is why he affirms that “Happiness comes from our response to the conditions of our lives” (92). When we adapt to changes in life, we become free from the tyranny of negativity and unhappiness that events oftentimes bring.

Another key point that Prentiss makes is that we should not play the victim to situations or events. If we play victim, then we don’t take ownership of our negative thoughts. Instead, we become trapped in a never-ending cycle of unhappiness that stems from our lack of taking control of a situation. Victimization is a sign of an unhappy individual rather than a happy individual (and I would argue it’s the sign of a weak individual rather than a strong one).  We can persevere through challenging circumstances by recognizing that  “a strong philosophy will sustain you through adversity because you know that the mystery will unravel itself and reveal a happy and perfect ending” (100). Amazing and powerful things can happen when we stop playing victim and we adapt to change. Prentiss uses a personal story about his son to show this.  His son had been severely addicted to alcohol and drugs, but he was able to overcome this addiction by taking control of the situation and discovering the root of his problem. Prentiss exclaims, “He has been reclaimed from the land of the dying, from an addiction to alcohol and addictive drugs that was so powerful at times it seemed impossible to save him. Yet save him we did” (104).

In chapter 8, Prentiss offers helpful tips on how to cope with stressful situations, but first he defines what stress is.  He claims that it is caused by “a feeling in your mind of fear, anxiety, distress, worry, unease, or foreboding caused by using your mind to imagine a bad outcome to a past, present, or future event or situation” (109).  Furthermore, he asserts that “stress comes from the way you relate to events or situations” (110). In order to effectively manage our stress, we must consciously choose to stop worrying, stop distressing, and stop obsessing on the “what if’s” in life.  That is the first step to manage stress.  We can survive through life being stressed out all the time, but in the end we may not feel as content and happy as we would have had we decided to not let life stress us out. Embracing our obstacles in the process is also very important. To deal with obstacles, we must “recognize that the situation or event has a purpose and that it is meant to benefit you” (117-118). Obstacles, therefore, help us grow and improve our lives (if we let them).

Overall, I agreed with many of the suggestions in these chapters; however, there were a few that I disagreed with considering my own personal/religious convictions.  One of those claims was that “We are powers in and of the Universe” (92). I do agree that we have the potential to be powerful individuals in the Universe, but I do not believe that we have power over or of the Universe. Despite some of my disagreements, I also found many similarities between this philosophy and my beliefs, which stem from personal experience and the Bible. Prentiss claims that ”How you conduct yourself along the path that is your life determines how your life unfolds” (94). According to the book of Proverbs in the Bible, which is a book of knowledge and wisdom, people who conduct their life in a righteous way will reap positive things, and those who conduct their life in a bad or wicked way will reap negative things. Therefore, the principle is the same. There were many other similarities, but the most intriguing one I want to expand on is Prentiss’ comment that “Out of our struggle and trials, we can now give hope and life to others” (106).  This is a personal principle that I live by.  I want to inspire others to life live abundantly and richly, to focus on the beauties of life rather than the ugliness that is associated with pain, the past, and present stressors.  My desire is that from my life experience, people will feel encouraged to uplift their spirits and find joy in spite of their struggles.

Post submitted by Casey O’Neill

Tuesday Title: If on a winter’s night a traveler

Looking for the perfect end of quarter distraction/winter break reading book that will expand the way to view the world, but in an enchanting, jocund sort of way?

If on a winter’s night a traveler by Italian post-modernist Italo Calvino is a jewel of world literature.  Cleverly puzzle-like and witty, the novel remains lyrical, serving as a testament to the author’s love of literature and its capabilities.  This is for all the ‘readers’ out there — those who know what it’s like to go to a bookstore and feel bombarded by all the books one wants to, but doesn’t possibly have the time to, read; for those who sigh that they ‘yearn for a book that…’ (the conclusion of which varies on any given day); who enter into a novel without an agenda, but merely with an open ear and heart.  The enthralling beginning of the novel:

You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino’s new novel, If on a winter’s night a traveler. Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the world around you fade. Best to close the door; the TV is always on in the next room. Tell the others right away, “No, I don’t want to watch TV!” Raise your voice–they won’t hear you otherwise–”I’m reading! I don’t want to be disturbed!” Maybe they haven’t heard you, with all that racket; speak louder, yell: “I’m beginning to read Italo Calvino’s new novel!” Or if you prefer, don’t say anything; just hope they’ll leave you alone.

Find the most comfortable position: seated, stretched out, curled up, or lying flat. Flat on your back, on your side, on your stomach. In an easy chair, on the sofa, in the rocker, the deck chair, on the hassock. In the hammock, if you have a hammock. On top of your bed, of course, or in the bed. You can even stand on your hands, head down, in the yoga position. With the book upside down, naturally.

Of course, the ideal position for reading is something you can never find. In the old days they used to read standing up, at a lectern. People were accustomed to standing on their feet, without moving. They rested like that when they were tired of horseback riding. Nobody ever thought of reading on horseback; and yet now, the idea of sitting in the saddle, the book propped against the horse’s mane, or maybe tied to the horse’s ear with a special harness, seems attractive to you. With your feet in the stirrups, you should feel quite comfortable for reading; having your feet up is the first condition for enjoying a read.

Well, what are you waiting for? Stretch your legs, go ahead and put your feet on a cushion. on two cushions, on the arms of the sofa, on the wings of the chair, on the coffee table, on the desk, on the piano, on the globe. Take your shoes off first. If you want to , put your feet up; if not, put them back. Now don’t stand there with your shoes in one hand and the book in the other.

Adjust the light so you won’t strain your eyes. Do it now, because once you’re absorbed in reading there will b no budging you. Make sure the page isn’t in shadow, a clotting of black letters on a gray background, uniform as a pack of mice; but be careful that the light cast on it isn’t too strong, doesn’t glare on the cruel white of the paper, gnawing at the shadows of the letters as in a southern noonday. Try to foresee now everything that might make you interrupt your reading. Cigarettes within reach, if you smoke, and the ashtray. Anything else? Do you have to pee? All right, you know best.

It’s not that you expect anything in particular from this particular book. You’re the sort of person who, on principle, no longer expects anything of anything. There are plenty, younger than you or less young, who live in the expectation of extraordinary experiences: from books, from people, from journeys, from events, from what tomorrow has in store. but not you. you know that the best you can expect is to avoid the worst. This is the conclusion you have reached, in your personal life and also in general matters, even international affairs. What about books? Well, precisely because you have denied it in every other field, you believe you may still grant yourself legitimately this youthful pleasure of expectation in a carefully circumscribed area like the field of books, where you can be lucky or unlucky, but the risk of disappointment isn’t serious.

This is perhaps the best one can do to convince another to read this novel.  If you’re interested in what the novel is actually about:  it follows ‘you,’ the reader, as you attempt to make it through a fictional novel If on a winter’s night a traveler.  However, due to what is revealed to be a literary conspiracy, your copy is misprinted.  Upon returning it to the bookstore, you meet the ‘other reader,’ who serves as the novel’s love interest.  Together, you attempt to finally hunt down a complete copy of If on a winter’s night a traveler, in the process finding yourselves in a romp through academia, mysterious writers, oppressive dystopias, etc.

Throughout, Calvino plays with the conventions of story telling — that a novel must have a love interest, that a narrative must end in death or marriage, that works are inherently intertextual — exaggerating and distorting such traditions so as to startle, at times shock, the reader with the flexibility and enormous power the novel can take on, especially in its experimental forms.

Check it out from the College Library!

(And if you’re on of those synesthetic types, the novel has inspired an album-length orchestral adaptation [like a movie soundtrack for a book] to listen to while you read!)

Posted by Lee.

Daily Word: Quasi

qua·si

[kwey-zahy, -sahy, kwah-see, -zee]

adjective

resembling; seeming; virtual: a quasi member.

American Cultural Literacy: “Misery loves company”

“Misery loves company”

PROVERB

People who are unhappy may get some consolation from knowing that others are unhappy too.

American Literacy Culture: “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”

“If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”

PROVERB

Don’t take on a job if you are unwilling to face its pressures.

Daily Word: Invalid

in·va·lid

[in-vuh-lid; Brit. in-vuh-leed]

noun

1. an infirm or sickly person.

2. a person who is too sick or weak to care for himself or herself: My father was an invalid the last ten years of his life.

3.Archaic . a member of the armed forces disabled for active service.

adjective

4 .unable to care for oneself due to infirmity or disability: his invalid sister.

5. of or for invalids: invalid diets.

6. (of things) in poor or weakened condition: the invalid state of his rocking chair.

Monday Money: 15 Foreign Words and Phrases People Spell Incorrectly

Here is a list of frequently misspelled foreign words and phrases. Now you can feel confident on using any of these within your writing!

1. A capella: The Italian phrase, literally “in chapel style” but meaning “without instrumental accompaniment,” is two words.

2. Apropos: The French phrase for “to the purpose,” and meaning “with regard to” or “opportune” or timely,” is treated as two words in the original language but as one in English. It’s sometimes erroneously split into two in English, which is not appropriate.

3. Capisce: This formal Italian term meaning “understand” is employed in English as a slang interrogative equivalent to “You know what I mean?” (Notice that capisci is also correct, as it’s the equivalent of capisce in the second person).

4. Chaise longue: This phrase, literally “long chair” in French, is often mispronounced “chase lounge” (the correct French pronunciation is “shez long,” though the vowel sound in the first word is in English closer to “shayz”) and, by association, the second word is sometimes misspelled like “lounge.”

5. Coffee klatch: This half-translation of the German word Kaffeeklatsch(“coffee gossip”) is an open compound (or, in a variant, more faithful spelling, a hyphenated compound: coffee-klatsch).

6. De rigueur: This French word for “proper,” adopted into English, is (likeliqueur) properly spelled with two us.

7. En masse: This French phrase for “as one” is one of several adopted into English as is.

8. Flak: This German acronym — derived from Fliegerabwehrkanonen, or antiaircraft guns, and, by extension, the shells fired from them, and used in English to refer to criticism or opposition — has so often been misspelled flackthat this second spelling is now an accepted variant, though the direct borrowing is preferred.

9. Hors d’oeuvres: The jumble of vowels following the article d’ in this direct borrowing from the French phrase meaning “apart from the main work” stymies many writers.

10. Laissez-faire: This direct translation of the French phrase translated roughly as “let do” and referring to minimal government interference in economic or other affairs is always hyphenated, even when used as a noun.

11. Mano a mano: This Spanish phrase for “hand to hand” refers, in English as well, to two people going up against each other in competition or conflict.

12. Oeuvre: The French term for “work,” most often used in the sense of the sum total of an artist’s output, consists of a bewildering sequence of letters.

13. Per se: People unfamiliar with the origin of this phrase (it’s borrowed directly from the Latin phrase meaning “in itself”) sometimes misspell it “per say” (perhaps as if to write “as said”).

14. Segue: Confusion with the name of the vehicle called the Segway may be responsible for the occasional misspelling of this word to resemble the brand name, though that error may just be the result of a phonetic attempt to produce the borrowed French term meaning “to make a close or smooth transition.”

15. Tchotchke: This improbably spelled alteration of a Yiddish word meaning “trinket” is a spelling bee competitor’s nightmare.

Free Speech Fridays: Irvine 11 speaks at UCLA

A few weeks ago, the Community Programs Office at UCLA hosted a welcome event for the upcoming 2011-2012 academic year. One of the speakers was a member of the Irvine 11. Even though I wasn’t well versed on the incident that occurred, the speaker that presented was amazing. If you have some time, take a few moments and research about the Irvine 11. What are your thoughts on the issue?

 

Post submitted by Lauren

Thursday Take-Off: What is the meaning of Thanksgiving to you?

Today is Thanksgiving! Many of you are probably home visiting family and having a feast, while others may be spending Thanksgiving with friends, or there may be others who do not even celebrate Thanksgiving.

But to those of you who do celebrate, what does Thanksgiving Day mean to you? How do you celebrate it? What is your favorite dish to eat? To cook? What is your least favorite? Are there any unique family traditions that your family does in memorandum of Thanksgiving?

Enjoy this day (even if you don’t celebrate) as we get a couple days off from school

Post submitted by Casey O’Neill

Wednesday Word: Occupy Movement Has Gone International

Occupy Denmark protest

So I am sure by now all of us are knowledgeable or at least aware of what is going on with the ‘Occupy’ protests. What started out with a protest of big business by ways of “Occupy Wall Street” has now turned into a full fledged nation-wide  movement.  There are protests going on all over the country including on university campuses such as UC Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, and our very own UCLA.  The people are fed up and are turning out in masses to fight for what we deserve as tax paying citizens; it is a modern day dismantling of the establishment. The Occupy Movement is turning in to a windstorm that has now spread all the way across the ocean to Europe.

Check out this article which tells how the Occupy protests have spread globally, and in some cases have even turned violent.

Post Submitted by Jadessa

American Cultural Literacy: “Love conquers all”

“Love conquers all”

PROVERB

Love overcomes all obstacles. This saying is found int he works of the ancient Roman poet Virgil.

Daily Word: Gaffle

gaf·fle

[gaf-uhl]

verb, -fled, -fling.

verb (used with object)

1. to take hold of; seize.

American Cultural Literacy: “Once bitten, twice shy”

“Once bitten, twice shy”

PROVERB

An injury makes a person wary of its cause

Daily Word: Contingency

con·tin·gen·cy

[kuhn-tin-juhn-see]

noun, plural -cies

1. dependence on chance or on the fulfillment of a condition; uncertainty; fortuitousness: Nothing was left to contingency.

2. a contingent  event; a chance, accident, or possibility conditional on something uncertain: He was prepared for every contingency.

3. something incidental to a thing.

Monday Money: 8 Common Technical Mistakes in Essays

When reading students’ drafts, I often encounter these same technical mistakes (linguistic problems rather than problems with arguments/ideas).  Here is a partial sampling of what to avoid:

1. Won’t, Can’t, Couldn’t, We’ll, They’re or any other contractions:  Contractions dilute the credibility of your argument with informality

2. Get/got: These are ugly, informal words.  Use words like ‘acquired’ or ‘obtained’ instead.

3. Very, really:  These intensifiers do not modify the meaning of a statement in a substantive way, and instead interrupt the flow, decrease the brevity, and disturb the eloquence of an argument.

“The character really demonstrates mid-century ennui” is not semantically different than “The character demonstrates mid-century ennui,” but is less direct and sounds more informal.

4.  Repetitive syntax:  Using the same grammatical formulations in sequence makes your argument sound tired and redundant, boring the reader and obscuring your exciting arguments/analysis.

“Whereas Wordsworth struggles towards a resolution with external truth, Keats outright rejects such communion as impossible.  While Keats strives to commune with external, natural beauty, he fails to transcend himself. While Wordsworth finds truth in the natural, Keats is resigned to indeterminacy.”  Here, all three sentences are similarly constructed.  Moreover, words like “commune”/”communion” are repeated within close proximity to one another.

5.  Kind of, sort of:  Not only are these informal, but they also impose uncertainty into your argument, making it sound unsettled and weak.

1. Perhaps:  Perhaps is similar, in that it weakens one’s argument, but sneaks its way into an essay much more easily, as it is more formal and flows better.

6.  Lots, a lot, tons of:  These are incredibly informal.  Moreover, there is an abundance of cool synonyms for such magnifiers, so there is no excuse for using these words. And if you’re still using ‘alot,’ please read this and then stop.

7.  Thing:  ’Thing,’ although difficult to avoid, should never be used in an academic essay, for it obscures your ideas in vagueness and informality.

“Several things contribute to the problem of world hunger.”  —> “The interaction of several global socioeconomic forces contribute to the problem of world hunger.”  See how much clearer and specific that is?  This, in turn, helps you work out and communicate your ideas.

8.  Utilize:  Utilize, although appropriate in some contexts (such as to avoid redundancy), can be replaced with ‘use,’ which (in most cases) has the same meaning.  ’Utilize’ is one of those words that sets off TAs’/professors’ bullshit detectors.

Posted by Lee.

American Literacy Culture: “Two wrongs don’t make a right”

“Two wrongs don’t make a right”

PROVERB

An evil act can’t be corrected with more evil.