Choosing Happiness :D

All joy and peace comes from being free to choose to do wrong.

I write from the perspective of a heterosexual male because I am a heterosexual male and that is what I know. That said; this holds true to all groups even though it comes from just my view.

Forcing people to be “good” does not create good people. Giving them the opportunity to fail or be “bad” allows them the chance to learn to actually be good and thus creates a person that is in harmony with others. That harmony creates peace and allows joy to abound.

The man that loves his wife and is faithful to her because he chooses to be so creates a situation where love and happiness can abound. What is in one’s heart matters as much as or more so than the actions. Reason, is a great teller. If the a man is faithful because he loves his wife and wants to honor her he can train himself to resist the urges that may cause infidelity and sour a union. When there are no seeds or evil being planted, suspicion, deception, lies, then there becomes an abundance of room for others things to grow like trust, companionship and love. This helps to nourish and create a mutually beneficial, joyful and loving relationship that grows and strengthens over time. Because of choice; the choices made and the reason behind them.

If a man chooses to be faithful to his wife because he is forced to; say that he fear reprisal from a father-in-law, then then it is most likely that he is not training himself to nurture the aspects of his life and character that will make his life and the life of his supposed loved ones better. This in turn leaves room for harmful things, tendencies and acts to gain a foothold and flourish thus destroying the relationship, lives and smothering all opportunity for joy.

Having the ability to choose does not mean that all choices will lead to happiness. And not having the ability to choose does not mean that you will live in misery. There will always be those that choose to be unhappy and cause suffering to others. And there will always be those that are a beacon of hope or a ray of joy even in the darkest hours…

What is in your heart always has opportunity to manifest.

When you find yourself in situations where dark things seem to be at every turn look back as to how you got there. Ask yourself, what was my motive along this path?
Do you give people the opportunity to shine?
Or do you try to force them not to cause pain?

Why would you want to follow the path of the Knight? Is it because this is what you have to do to get a title? Does the title matter?

When we are forced to do something to get what we want, do we do it as well as we could?
When we do what we want, do we do it because it makes us happy?

What is your heart must be right and you must be right with it before your path will unfold in a way that brings you satisfaction.

I hadn't really thought of happiness coming as a result of having a choice to be unhappy, but it makes sense. By understanding that there is an alternative, but we are actively choosing the better path, it reinforces the goodness of that path. When we see the negative results that occur when others have taken a certain path before us, we can decide to go a different direction.

I also like the idea that making choices that are based on true and genuine motives will more often result in joy and peace because we won't have the inner turmoil that comes with acting in a way that is in conflict with our true feelings. When we force ourselves to act a certain way that doesn't feel right, we get thrown out of balance and can feel frustrated or guilty about it. It is better to be honest about our feelings and then allow those to dictate our actions.

I agree that this is very important in relationships, especially a marriage that will evolve over time. As the excitement and bliss of a new relationship transitions into a daily routine, it is important to examine what is in one's heart often and be reminded of the love and joy that drives the partnership forward. There will be rough patches, but as long as you can find that love and joy there, the union can survive these. Eventually, it becomes very easy to remind ourselves why we made the commitment in the first place and the temptations to stray from it fade away.

Being recognized or rewarded for achievements can be similar to the motivations behind getting married, and the same examinations of our feelings should occur. We need to look deep inside to determine what our motivations are, and if we are choosing the path in order to be recognized with a badge or doing it because it feels right in our hearts. I have no question now that I and others here in this Order are here for the right reasons, but it doesn't hurt to revisit those reasons occasionally and adjust appropriately. While I will be very excited to watch this place grow, I am very aware of the fact that we have goals and standards that are meant to foster growth in ourselves and others who truly feel like they belong here. We're looking for the people who feel it in their heart and are making the choice to be on this path because it will create happiness and joy in their lives.

Thanks for the reminders, Wes!