I agree with you very much. Sometimes the senseless chatter that happens only in our own minds determines how we percieve life. Others do not see what we think but they see our behavior. When we are able to change the thoughts, which govern our feelings, based in what we believe as true, we can truly start experience freedom and change. Sometimes the root of our believes are based in what we were taught as children. As adults we can choose what to believe and what to discard as senseless. The internal words we say to ourselves have a lot more impact than what others say. I, myself, have decided to be happy and I know I am accountable for my own happiness. Faith has helped me tremendously. God Bless.

Dear Dekalb:  I  know  what you  mean. If you  can't  make  your close friends  and  family  visit  you  as  often  as  you  wish  and  make  'em  play  poker  or dice  with  a  cold  rum ,  then  try  a  couple  of  things: - Try to  read that wonderful  novel  you  always  wanted to  but  never  found  time  to.- Watch  more  tv, choose  the   action  movies and  maybe some nudies. - Buy   a   PC  with  chess ,flying simullator or racing  car programs. If you need   help  with 'em,   ask  your grandchildren.

There is a difference between happiness as in elation and a continuing condition of contentment. Comparing a child to an animal is of dubious value, depending on the complexity of the animal. Fear, anger, hunger, etc., are all generated in the 'lizard' or 'reptilian' brain portion: the part that is evolutionarily speaking the oldest; they are basic survival emotions. Animals don't experience humour. When dementia takes the higher functions, these 'reptile' emotions remain after the patient's character has disappeared.

Nothing is permanent, of course. Elation or ecstacy are, some argue, dependent on and relative to despair and pain. But I think there certainly ARE wrong feelings. Feeling that you can't cope with anything, feeling too scared to even answer the phone or attempt simple things that you know full well you are more than capable of doing perfectly well: that's wrong.

Americans are the richest human beings in the history of the world. You know what people complaining about taxes look like? Spoiled whiners!

Now, of course there are many things we would all prefer not to have to pay for, but please be realistic folks. You're not starving to death. The world is completely filled to the brim with people in a much worse condition than us Americans and our taxes. Now, the fact that our taxes are funding that pain and those bad conditions for our fellow human beings is very important. But seriously, our society has problems, but we also have so much. If you were to pick any human being at random from the history of the world, I think the chances are 99.9999999% that you would randomly pick someone in a worse condition than your own.

Perspective people.