About happiness in life, that only happens when the needs of the body and the needs of the soul are satisfied. Only then we can talk about happiness and piece of mind. Virtually no amount of Buddhist intention can overcome a hungry body and an empty soul.
That is not to bash on those like me that pursue this post-consumerist happiness state, only to say that you can't expect those that are hungry to overcome their state without help, as well as expect those that have their basic needs satisfied to feel guilty.
You can overcome a hungry body by asking for food, cooking food you find, hunting for food, or fishing for it. There's no such thing as an empty soul - just bad people. Do good and good things will follow. Happiness is a choice, a state of being, not an end-game.
I've been rich, I've been poor, I've been in mansions, I've been on the streets. Your life is a rollercoaster, the more risks you take, the more extreme the ride. I happen to like going upside down so I'm a risk taker.
Fair enough, forget the example. I'm saying that "just go find food" isn't possible when there is no food around, either because of a famine or because of deprivation, in the case of Gaza, or because you are past the point where you have enough energy to fetch and digest. So that argument doesn't hold not because of the example, but because your generalization doesn't account for the extremes of the human experience.
The only answer I can give you is never put yourself in a position to be taken advantage of by another. Whether that be your location. Your position. Your job. Or your ability to get food.
I sympathize. War is shit. I wish it wasn't but it is. Humans inflicting harm on humans makes no one happy. Keep your eyes open and your belly full.
> About happiness in life, that only happens when the needs of the body and the needs of the soul are satisfied. Only then we can talk about happiness and piece of mind. Virtually no amount of Buddhist intention can overcome a hungry body and an empty soul.
Could you elaborate on empty soul? It's easy to think what is meant by empty body (no food, water or oxygen). But one could, for example, believe that any amount of Buddhist intention is fulfilling for the soul?
But you presume that's not the case. Maybe you mean something different with soul than I do. So I'm curious on how you'd elaborate on it.
I'd never make justice to Need for Roots from Weil. What I'm saying is that while a very few can just detach from human contact and supposedly be fine with it, the majority if prevented from creating bonds with other human beings will develop severe psychosomatic problems. But it goes beyond just interacting and feeling like you belong. It's the need to have your identity, collective memory and ancestry preserved.
That is not to bash on those like me that pursue this post-consumerist happiness state, only to say that you can't expect those that are hungry to overcome their state without help, as well as expect those that have their basic needs satisfied to feel guilty.