The Happiness Gene

Does this sound familiar? If it does you're most likely recalling another idea proposed by a British Anthropologist. But where I've always thought of that "gene story" as more of a religious work, the happiness gene is just a, hopefully eye catching title, for a very observable phenomena. People often wonder what motivates others to do this or that. It is not a great mystery. Every person has one innate motive. It is to be happy. It is "universally observable" in all new humans. It is our instinct, our nature. It is the prime motive of all people. No person is without it. No person operates by any other motivational law. It is absolute. It is absolutely observable and unarguable. That part of the question is answered. Now we can move on to the variables. All variables are introduced via data.

When I say data, I mean every single piece of information that gets inside the brain. The brain is a library that we visit or that seems to visit us. This combination of motive and data is the single force behind all human action, the myriad of behavioral nuance. All choices, decisions, societal roles and so on stem from this store of collected information. We start out with the unconscious desire to be happy. Make any baby unhappy and you will understand perfectly. As new humans we continue to grow. We observe things and our brain categorizing them and starts the process of building it's vast reference library. It is through this natural process that all personalities are formed. You may still be a bit confused as to how a Ghengis Khan and a Mother Theresa could emerge from this two plus two equation. The how is contained in the data. At some point we will receive teachings. This is where all things start to become possible. This begins our journey into the "Land of Enchantment".

There is one other aspect that we need to include. Let's call it brain chemistry. This slight to severe difference in brain chemistry starts, at least, as early as the single fertilized egg during pregnancy. Any deficiency or toxins will effect the, eventually fully formed, brain. Most of these effects are, if not unnoticeable at least, unidentifiable. For instance we can't say, "I see from your scan that your mom ate to much mercury...". But still, the effect of diet and the introduction of toxins is there. It exists in us all. So we are all a little different, as far as our brains go. This doesn't change the happiness motive or data factors. So here we are with our brains, our built in motive and the world around us. At some stage we will start to ask the "who am I and what am I doing here" questions. This is a product of the prime motive. Not having a clearly defined objective interferes with the happiness of the healthy human brain. This is unacceptable and so we ask...This is where most of our individual and collective trouble begins.

For whatever reason we do not stay happy because we have satisfied our basic survival needs. We can be full and warm and lay awake after sex wondering - what it all means. So we see that the very questions are motivated by the "Happiness Gene". The searching for answers begins and we start to take in data. Any and all data that the wildest, kindest, most degenerate, selfish, loving, seriously malformed imaginations can come up with. It's all there. We usually slow down when one of these stories brings us a feeling of something resembling happiness. If it satisfies the brain, we file it as a truth. This has nothing whatsoever with it being true - or real. It just has to sit well with us. I don't know what the stories were that clicked with Genghis Khan. But it is by this process that he decided on a plan. It is by this same process that Mother Theresa spent her life doing what she did. It is by this process that we all go to work, get married, vote, preach, hate, like or dislike, care or don't care and otherwise come up with our latest identity. Everybody want's to be happy. There is no other motive. This would be the end of my story...But...I wouldn't be happy if I stopped now. Because of my desire to be happy I have formulated a goal.

That being to convince the world of people that the only way to ever be happy is to work in a way the brings happiness to everyone. You see there is something else here under the surface of this happiness motive idea. Do you see that it is our basic commonality? Our connection or observable oneness aspect? For as long as wise men have been saying wise things they have been saying, what amounts to, we are all brothers. We are one. Be kind to those who hate, and so on, "because" it is best for you. Well, the problem is that there are people that we feel no commonality to whatsoever. We see them as a destructive quantity. We feel, at least to some degree, that it would be better for everyone if they died. Or maybe were just gone. Locked up, out of the way...When we can clearly see a commonality. A shared nature. We begin to see that what makes them act the way they do is what makes us act the way we do. The main difference, other than chemical brain development, is in the data they received. The stories they were told. All in response to a desire to be happy - just like us. In this way we are one.

So the first thing we need to do is stop killing each other over our imagined differences. Start treating each other better, so "we" can be happy. We will "now" want everyone to be happy. Because we will see this as our own happiness. This not killing each other - be nice to each other - idea has some far reaching consequences. If we want all people to be happy, will we participate in programs or policies that cause unhappiness? Will we buy from companies that don't line up with our ethics? Support any plan that brings harm or inequality to anyone? I can't list all the things that will come up if we start to look at people and the world in this new way. It just goes on and on. But it starts here and takes off to who knows where. As soon as enough people turn this one corner in consciousness it will just flip the world on it's head. It will all of a sudden...change. All the horror will end. All the nonsense that has been spread like a virus through stories will dissipate. They were never real anyway. Any story about the meaning of life, how life started, origins, evolution, creation type and all the rest that doesn't create universal happiness can be discarded. We have a litmus test for them. The brain loves anything that's completely understandable. It is happy when the pieces fit together easily. A real story, one that contains only facts, does not require imagination, faith or any type of mental adjusting. When we want universal happiness we won't participate in confusing people. Nor will we try to force happiness from a state of confusion. If it ends in killing, misery, separation, subjugation or any other unhappy state, for anyone, we will have to discard it. It's time to get our stories straight.

Well I've reached my word limit. I would like to hear from you. I have a site that is built to help people get passed addictions. If you want to help in this the forum is there. Start a "stuff to help for people" topic. Hey, I'd be "happy" to hear from you.

Doug Wilson has been looking at systems and the source of unrest in the global population. The results are being compiled for "Addictions in the 21st century" at http://www.dgswilson.com