Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Sheep Get Sheared Podcast, Home of People, Politics and popular culture. I'm your host, Austin Creed, and welcome into the Morning Show, my friends, and, you know, normally. Only in the morning I'm all energized and I'm ready to go and having a great time. But you know, today was a little interesting. Not that I woke up sad or anything like that. Well, I mean, actually I kind of did. But more relaxed than normal. And I had A and turn on the Bay with myself for the last couple of hours, actually, while I was getting some work done, looking at emails and all that various, suddenly things that we pretend not to do on the weekends. I have not as debate with myself, of whether it's happiness is the pursuit of happiness. Pointless is the idea of being happy, is it? Is it? Just an illusion. Like chasing the end of the rainbow and we will never be able to actually find it. Is that kind of what cropping this is? It's kind of it feels that way, doesn't it? We're told that. Even in the Declaration of Independence to talk about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But it's the pursuit of happiness, right? Is it ever really possible to achieve it? Their happiness is the focal point, the lighthouse of it. Most people's existence. They see it through the fog. Fog of confusion. The fog of their turmoil, and the fog of their just difficult times in their life. But every once in. A while they'll see. It they'll see the the light of happiness upon the hill that they're attempting to reach, but yet the closer they get to that hill. The farther away that lighthouse seems. You ever have those moments? Where you embrace happiness and you just you've never felt so good. You never had it so good. You feel fantastic. But then. It slowly goes away you. Whether you leave that place, you're no longer around that person or whatever it is. You just don't feel happy anymore and it's like a drug where as soon as the drug wears off, you're like, I gotta have it. I gotta. I gotta get back. Where is it? I gotta find it. And so we spend our lives chasing this idea of happiness. We try to find it in money. We try to find it in people, we try to find it in the things that we accumulate. Is it really possible? Is it possible to really be happy? No, I'm not saying that the opposite is being sad and depressed all the time because I don't believe that. To be true. But on I think it's important to address the fact that on our on our journey to become the best version of ourselves, our journey to improve and never. Never make the same mistake twice, and to always move forward. We need to address this issue. His motivation is often. Fluctuating it fluctuates based on how we feel and shouldn't, but it's just the way of the world. I mean, let's just be honest. Whether it's a little bit or a lot, our emotions play a role in our lives. I would like to assert. I believe it's important for us to not pursue happiness per se, but to pursue fulfillment now, I've touched on this before because fulfillment. Is a lot more satisfying versus happiness feels a lot more. And is a lot. More satiating, I would say in the moment. Happiness is like the rush of caffeine that you get when you've had too many cups of coffee, whereas fulfillment is just feeling a nice, steady pace of energy throughout the day. It doesn't spike ever, but it also doesn't hit the bottom. You don't look like a patient in cardiac arrest. You just have a standard. Don't want to say stagnant? That sounds bad, but you have a very steady pace of how your emotions feel. You know, I'm convinced that people want to live. In a way that's exciting. But then that tends to lead people to an early grave. That tends to. Put you in a place where you always think the grass is greener. If your life is. Kind of quiet. You have this sense of freedom. You have this sense of security. You tend to trade that in because you're born, whereas on the other hand, if your life is just one big ball of stress and emotion and one thing after another, you crave peace. You crave tranquility. People tend to want the very thing they don't have, thinking that that because they don't have it, it must be better. That's why I want to assert that the pursuit of happiness is kind of pointless. If you're trying to find happiness outside of yourself. Because number one, it's not fair for you to. Have someone else be your source of happiness. You know, I was listening to something. I think it was two days ago that brought up this very point of, you know, women tend to want you to. Women tend to like what you how you make them feel. You know when when women say they love you, they don't really say they love you for you. They might say that they do, but they just don't distinguish between you and the emotions that you make them feel and the emotions that come with it. I know it may sound offensive, but it's not meant to be offensive. It's just meant to be a fact of reality. So when it comes down to it. Emotions play a big role in people's lives. And if you're wanting to play the long game, if you're wanting to play things out in a smart, consistent way, you don't want to run based on emotions, you want to run based on discipline. And that is why you chase fulfillment happiness. Happiness is fleeting. It's something that you'll feel from time to time, and it will feel absolutely amazing. Yet no question about it. Fulfillment, though, is something that. For example. I talked to my grandfather. I love him to death. He's a very wise man. And when he tells me about how he feels very fulfilled with his life. How he's very happy to talk to me and in the other grandkids. And he's had a good life. That's not. That's a different kind of happiness. It's more fulfillment because you've seen the fruits of your labor pay off. You've seen the difficult times that you were breaking your back, that you were confused that you were unhappy produce results. And not is fulfillment happiness tends to be you just feel in that moment. Usually as a result of someone, something, someplace. But then when that thing or that person or that place is no longer present. That happiness tends to go away. Whereas fulfillment is the results of your hard work, your investments. And your own two hands. And that is why I say, chase fulfillment, pursue fulfillment, not happiness. Because fulfillment is a type of happiness may not be exciting. But it's something that will make you. Feel full, just not stuffed. I realized that when we're younger, we want to chase, you know, the next best thing. We want to always we feel like we'll be young forever. We think that, Oh yeah, I. Got all the time in. The world. I've gotta. I don't gotta focus on boring things. I don't have to go out there and invest in the future. I want to. Live in the. Now I want to be present. I don't want to be looking about the future, cause the future feels so far away. Well, I'm here to tell you. The future feels far away. The past always feels like it wasn't. That long ago. Time is a very abstract concept. I don't know how anybody. Just isn't fascinating. By time, time is something that's. So abstract, yet so concrete, all at the same time. I don't know how anybody doesn't see the concept of time or how times explored like in movies like back to the future or in interesting ideas like inception and how time gonna move slower inside them faster in the mind but slower in reality. The whole thing is fascinating to me. But when it comes down to it, people want to always feel good. And the only way to feel good all the time is really to be addicted to something, and that will cripple you. You know, I look at books. I love books. I don't always read them as much as I listen to them because to me, I'm more of a listener when it comes to being able to use my my brain. But when I listen to books like brave New World, for example. Where the population is one way or the other, there are. Druggie one way or the other. They're on drugs either like Soma, like it's put out in brave new world or they're on some medication of some kind. Are we really behind brave new world at all? I mean, how many people in this country do you think are? On drugs, whether they buy it from a dealer or they get it from a from a pharmacist, we call it with a doctor's note. I mean one way, one way or the other, you're a druggie. That's all your your quack doctor gave you a prescription. No, I'm not saying don't take it. I'm just saying that I find it interesting that people who are on drugs, they're given by their doctor, they look down on people who use recreational drugs. I mean, one way or the other, you're being controlled by a substance. That's all. When you look at it, that's how they control you. Why do you think they're pushing the mental health stuff? So much. Because they want to control you. I love it. We talk about the I don't want to get too political. It's not really the morning show, but to get political. But I find it very interesting when we talk about the the school shootings and all that kind of stuff, which is horrible, by the way. Disgusting vermin do this type of insidious behavior. The thing that really gets my goat is people are very quick to address the the gun issue. They think that ohh get the guns, ban the guns type of mentality. Right? Where's the conversation about? Get the drugs, ban the drugs, investigate the drugs. Where's that conversation at? Where's the conversation of? Hey, was this guy on medication? Was he on marijuana? What? What was he on? Ohh, we're not allowed to know because of all patient doctor confidentiality. We're not allowed to know that, huh? I believe we can know what he uses for for a weapon. We'll blame the inanimate object. But we won't blame what's animating the animated person. All right. OK. I mean, it's not like marijuana. It's not like marijuana was used by. People in the Middle East to go you. They used it before they went and they assassinated people. Oh, yeah. That's where the word assassin comes from. It comes. From the word hashish. Meaning asaan hashish. They would smoke hashish before they went and. They killed people. Oh yeah. Oh, yeah. So you know what? That's the way it goes. No, I'm not saying everybody uses marijuana as a murderer. I'm not saying that at all. What I am saying is we need to have this conversation about how people are affected because people use drugs cause they want to feel happy, right? But sometimes their happiness comes at the expense of others. It's a whole nother conversation. People just want. To feel good, they want to have fun. When I personally believe. That pain is the best way to chase fulfillment. No, I'm not saying be some masochist or whatever. Come on, what I'm saying is I I believe in what Frederick Nietzsche said when he talked about this idea of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Oh, yeah, that was. His idea by. The way no, I'm not saying you to God and purposely hurt yourself. I don't think you should do that at all. What I'm telling you is do not shy away from discomfort and hardship because they will make you into a stronger person who is not so easily. I look sometimes on on X and I see these videos of people in my generation. They're a barista, or they're getting their first job at like Taco Bell or something, and they have the the nerve to cry about. Oh, it's it's so hard and like 8 hours. Oh, my God, this is terrible. And I think to myself. Wow, we're on the cusp of World War 3. And these are the people that I'm I have to serve with again when I go back in, if I get drafted. I'm not sure if veterans are eligible for the draft anymore. But that's what I gotta deal with. Is is with. Morons like this? Oxygen thieves like this. But again, it all comes back to happiness. People are always pursuing happiness. Whatever someone does, they either do it with the end goal. Or with the direct intention of being happy. So I ask you again, do you think the pursuit of happiness is a kind of a point in this endeavor? No, I mean we need to do it to an extent because if we don't, what's the point of living? People need a reason to live otherwise. They think that of life itself as a burden, and I know where that leads. Leads to a mental hospital, which is where I was when I was in the military because I was so down bad. I've been there and I want you to go there. But because I've been there that I have the insight to look. And I know what I'm talking about. Well, my friends, I want you to. Really wrestle with. This because I firmly believe that once you realize why you're doing the things that you do, what's the end goal of why you're doing the things that you do? You will then be able to produce a road map for yourself so that you can be happier and you can reach your goal and in turn make other people happier as well. I firmly believe that we were put here on this earth to serve one another, to make other people's lives better. And that's why. I hope to do every day on this show. That's my. That's why I try to do every day on this show is to make other people's lives easier to provide them with levity and provide them with direction. Things I wish I had when I was younger, because I was just too stupid to see it. I was too ignorant to realize what was happening. But hey, it's the lessons you learn the hardest that stick with you for the rest of your life. My friends, please explore this idea of happiness this morning and really ask yourself, what is it that makes me happy? Am I doing the things that will lead me to being happy, feeling fulfilled? Because if the answer is no. It's no wonder you're feeling miserable and you need medication. My friends, God bless you on this beautiful day. God bless your families. God Bless America, will make it through. The news is horrible. So let's focus on happiness. Let's get out there. Let's make today better than yesterday. Peace.