Jules: I think it’s fair that one can be miserable in an existential way, but it’s wrong to be in a bubble of taking everything for granted and being spoiled and still being miserable, due to the fact that they are NOT paying attention to the intricate and crazy existence. The Tao? As you called it.
Nowhere Man: it's something profound you've stumbled upon here, because it can be viewed in two ways. Some people see how big the universe is, and are awed and humbled. It makes their problems seem small, so they feel liberated from them. The other way is that people see how big the universe is, and feel weak and helpless. It makes their problems seem bigger because they didn't shrink their ego with their realization.
To me, miserable people are people who have too many expectations. They want or expect things to be a certain way, so they get upset when it isn't. They do not see the "baseline" of existence, the beauty of everything, they only see their own issues and ideals, and whether they are being fulfilled (which, for a miserable person, would be a no). It is a case of ignorance, and perhaps making a mountain out of a mole hill.
Jules: I always somehow forget that key; expectations. It is probably the cause of my own unhappiness in a lot of ways. But it’s depressing not to expect anything, too. There is a happy go lucky, either way wins, which I live by most of the time, but then there's the other aspect of nothing to anticipate or look forward to when you are excited about something. But then, the unhappiness comes greater if the expectations/anticipations aren’t met. But there is a pleasure in expecting things, too.
When it comes to the size of the universe, I'm usually/if not always in awe of it, and also of my own mortality... only sometimes, and recently, has it been scaring me into a sadness. I have shaped my life always on the feeling that whatever happens doesn't matter, for best and worse, because we will be dead one day. The question is, that best way to fill our time here. Long and short term...
Fun, friends, helping, surrounding oneself with beauty and some small victory, a sense of fulfilment in some way... These are the ideas right now that come to my mind.
My dreams for the future always rotate around this central idea. I want to be remembered by humanity, or just to make a big positive impact on the world, if I am being totally honest and out there. And not at all humble with my dreams. Writing, being creative and volunteering with wildlife conservation are my long-term life goals that are the means of attaining that above mentioned goal.
Nowhere Man: I always bring it back to the Buddhist idea of clinging. You can aspire to things, and you can hold expectations... In fact, it's very hard to make progress without them. The important thing is not to cling to them, to understand that the universe isn't required to be in line with them and so to let them go when they are unfulfilled.
I would say that there's only one thing to do with your time here, and that is to spend it! After that, it's ideology. We can only be what we are meant to be... For me, I feel the purpose (my purpose) is to reduce suffering and enlighten people. I should become a Buddhist, but I don't like labels and sitting cross-legged, haha. I often have delusions of grandeur, about becoming somebody famous or changing the world, but then I remember that this is an ego aspiration, and the true reality is that nobody can ever really remember you, because you can't truly know the part that wants to be remembered. What will be remembered is a ghost, a shadow of the person you actually are. So, are you really being remembered? Or is an image in your likeness being remembered? I believe it is far nobler to act to change the world, and remain humbled that you do not seek to be recognized for it. From this true happiness can spring.
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