Beyond religion - 3. The quest for happiness

• Wealth, health, and friendship
• We need a certain level of material comfort (even hermits do).  But there is no guarantee that material comforts will give lasting satisfaction.  They can even induce to stress, anxiety, and worry (of losing them). The happiness of new material things only increases our wellbeing temporarily.  running after material acquisitions may not be greed but fickleness, this is very much the current consumption culture. However, mental wealth, based on love and compassion cannot create stress.  If we are in a society with strong differences of wealth, the level of contentment will be lower that if it is more balanced.  Well-being depends therefore on context.
• Looking after our physical is crucial.  Eating well, sleeping well, and doing exercise.  Visiting a qualified doctor when we get ill.  But health is neither ultimate source of happiness, as healthy people can also feel miserable.  The state of mind, outlook, and motivation are real sources of happiness.
• Genuine friendship can only be based on trust and affection, and this can only arise when there is a mutual sense of concern and respect
• Two levels of satisfaction
• Sensory level experiences: wealth, health, friendship
• Own mental state: genuine human happiness
• Sensory stimulation pleasures correspond to a craving, that in excess can turn into suffering
• Inner level of satisfaction requires peace of mind or some mental composture.  When we have inner resilience we can mantain some degree of happiness even under extreme circumstances and without sensual stimulation has no positive effect.
• Other factors that contribute to our happiness is a sense of purpose and the feeling of connection with others or belonging to a community.  Both are rooted in compassion or warm heart.