Begin Being!

Copyright March 30, 2001

Tom Hyland


"Don't worry, be happy!" comes from a popular song, but the search for happiness is all wasted effort. Why? Because happiness is based on object referral. You're happy because something or someone outside of yourself affected you in some way.

Internal Bliss is deeper and better than happiness, as it is derived from self referral. Bliss is inside of you. It is a state of mind which stays constant, no matter what happens externally. It is the awareness and pleasure derived from merely awaking to a new day. Bliss is a state of Being!

Be! Exist! Being! Be Blissful, don't settle for second-class temporary happiness. Happiness is elusive because it is dependent on other forces. Bliss is found through inner peace by just being yourself, and accepting the universe as it is. Bliss accepts and promotes nature, no matter what the environment may be. You awaken and it is cold, or raining, or snowing, therefore you are unhappy. "What a miserable day!" Why? Bliss, on the other hand, does not depend on sunshine without, it is self-generated sunshine from within! I am alive, ergo I am blissful!

The difference is simple, yet quite conceptual. You won the Lottery! Wow! So, you're happy. You didn't win, oops! Now you're unhappy. You didn't get that big raise or promotion, so you're unhappy, maybe even depressed. I didn't win either, but guess what? Who cares? I lost a whole buck, better luck next time. Get the picture? It's just a thang!


There's an old saying, "Ignorance is bliss, and you're the happiest person I know!" A little red light should go off in your head . . . what's wrong with this picture? Let's just dissect this statement a minute. To truly be ignorant of something, means simply that you are unaware, or ill- informed, that's all! To paraphrase the above, it is a direct slur to the person being addressed, as if saying, "You are a happy dunce!" Ignorance is not bliss, far from it, because bliss is a state of utter awareness. It refuses to be subjected to the pulls and counter-pulls of the external world.
Bliss is more like Euphoria, a pleasant unaffected state, where one can rise above mere existence. Bliss is Being! Doing, seeing, smelling, touching, hearing, all that the universe is offering simultaneously, and yet not allowing these objects to sway you from your inner peace.

Rather, one must relish in the moment, take joy from the beauty of nature. Savor the smell of fresh rain on fresh new flowers and grass. Understand the need for moisture to promote germination and growth. Be Blissful! Celebrate the magnificence of the universe and its widely diverse inhabitants: flora, fauna, beasts, birds, and yes, even mankind! Believe it or not, most of these people are really nice, good, caring people. But, rushing around like ants or bees, they tend to get just a tad stressed in their quest for happiness. 

My friend, BEGIN BEING! Enjoy life. Take time to smell the roses. Give away a smile, for it is quite contagious. Hug somebody. Hell, hug everybody! Love all of creation. life is too short to short-change yourself, so guess what? First and foremost, love yourself! Someone much wiser than I once wrote a beautiful statement of life, entitled, Desiderata, wherein he stated," You are a child of the universe." The truth of this statement can be mind-boggling, if you let it.

If any of this is starting to make any sense to you, don't give any credit to me. There is an East Indian philosophy known as ayurveda, which I recently learned about by listening to tapes by Doctor Deepak Chopra. If you would like to begin being, to take charge and re-claim your life, then check it out!

Guess what? If we ever meet someday, you may well think or say that I am ignorant and happy, but we now both know the truth. I am Blissful! Are you?