The Ethics of Happiness.

I presented a talk on 'What Gang Life Taught Me About Happiness,' at the Ethics Centre in Pitt Street, Sydney. 

 

So what did gang life teach me about happiness?

 

When I was stuck in the drama of gang life, my thoughts were incredibly frantic. I was depressed, scared, anxious, and paranoid. My mind was constantly buzzing with scary thoughts. I would take drugs and drink alcohol to slow these thoughts down a bit... it did so for an hour or so, but in the end it made the depressed thoughts ten times worse. To be happier, I learnt, I had to lessen these thoughts. How do I do that?

 

I worked on myself every single day.

 

I found ways of releasing negative labels that were placed on me. I was on a journey of self-discovery. A journey back to being my true self.

 

The scary and crazy thoughts don't have to come from a drama filled gang life. It could come from something as simple as;

• Watching the news every night - the news is there to create fear. This fear creates ratings and a mind filled with the perception of how bad the world is.

• Social media all day - the constant change in newsfeed and messages results in the mind working overtime. The rubbish posted on these platforms scatters the brain.

• Hanging out with gossiping or depressed people - You are your environment.

 

This constant over stimulation of mind, and with it being conditioned with negativity, there's no wonder people are depressed and anxious. There's endless ways of reducing thoughts.. a few ways are getting away from the above and working more on the below.

 

• Meditation - At the start I thought meditation was what a tripped out hippie did under a tree. After getting through that initial resistance, meditation has changed my life. I'd suggest YouTube 'guided meditation' It's perfect to start with.

• Exercise - when I'm training, the whole world could be ending but I wouldn't have a clue. All I'm thinking about is that exact moment. Afterward, the release of endorphins is euphoric.

• Reading - reading your mind with opportunities, positive stories, and enlightening content slows the mind but also conditions it for happiness. You get a good night sleep as well if you're reading instead of watching TV.

We live once... make it a happy once.