Another example I remember from book 4 of the CWG series. It goes like this:
"Can’t I simply choose to be happy?
Yes.
How? How do I do that?
Don’t do it. Simply be it. Do not try to “do” happy. Simply choose to “be” happy, and everything you do will spring from that. It will be
given birth by that. What you are being gives birth to what you are doing. Always remember that.
But how can I choose to be happy? Isn’t happiness something that happens? I mean, isn’t it something that I just am because of something that is
happening, or going to happen?
No! It is something that you choose to be because of what is happening, or going to happen. You are choosing to be happy. Haven’t you ever seen two
people reacting entirely differently to the same outer set of circumstances?
Of course. But that’s because the circumstances meant something different to each one of them.
You determine what something means! You give it its meaning. Until you decide what something means, it has no meaning at all. Remember that. Nothing
means anything at all. Out of your state of beingness will meaning spring. It is you who are choosing, in any moment, to be happy. Or choosing to be
sad. Or choosing to be angry, or mollified, or forgiving, or enlightened, or whatever. You are choosing. You. Not something outside of yourself. And
you are choosing quite arbitrarily."
I'm sorry to dash this crap to pieces, but it's utter crap & deserves to be dashed to pieces.
As someone who experienced an eight month period of intense, continual & extremely severe depression back in 2011-12 (one-level-above-catatonia on the
scale used by psychiatrists), in that condition my neurochemical & emotional/spiritual self was simply unable to be even 'okay', let alone happy.
This was an experience which shocked, scared & humbled me greatly. I could find no joy in anything, not even temporarily - not my children, my wife,
TV comedy or drama, family outings, or even my extant spiritual faith. I had crashed out of a period of mania caused by undiagnosed bipolar disorder,
and the exit from mania into depression was so sudden, so pervasive, and so terrifying, that I was fearful for my soul, quite literally. It was the
most awful experience of my life, and nothing - NOTHING - that I could do would shift it even one iota. Thank God I was delivered from it in what the
doctors called a 'spontaneous recovery', which I could interpret as nothing other than divine intervention.
I went to bed one night, still the same after nearly eight months to the day of existential Hell, and I experienced a remarkable series of dreams, out
of body experiences & sleep paralysis, in which I was initially attacked by extremely vicious & malevolent entities, which pulled my astral form out
of my sleeping body repeatedly with incredible force, so that I felt that I was physically smacking down onto the bedroom floor, being thrown about by
something so hateful that its mere presence brought immense fear.
After this had been going on for what seemed like hours of slipping in & out of different modes of consciousness, I was suddenly shown a series of
dream sequences which led me towards an understanding of what I should focus on as my life goals in the near to mid-term future, which largely
revolved around a simple focus on family life & helping my kids to enjoy their experience of life to a greater degreee. I was then shown to a
beautiful countryside scene, in which I walked over to a low sandstone wall etched with strange characters which looked like a combination of
cuneiform script & hieroglyphs, which I was told I could not pass at this time, though the beautiful land I could see beyond the wall was the eventual
destination of the heavenly realms.
As this was unfolding I felt a sense of security, peace, and thankfulness for what had ultimately transpired - I awoke calmly & with a flooding sense
of true joy & happiness, welling up in waves from the heart of my being, as golden sunlight streamed in through the window, and as I heard the most
beautiful birdsong just outside. I was overjoyed, ecstatic, full of peace & optimism. This was, I believe, a combined spiritual deliverance &
neurochemical physical healing of my brain. I had learned many personal lessons, and from that day on I felt perfectly happy, and was able to engage
with my family in a truly positive way for the first time in such a long time. I was able to enjoy good TV shows, I was able to enjoy my food, to
enjoy road trips, to enjoy visits to church - everything had literally been 'spontaneously recovered', exactly as termed by the doctors. But really,
I knew that I had experienced a miracle.
Choosing to be happy is not wise advice in & of itself. Choosing to count our blessings, to be optimistic in a glass half full sense, to believe that
there is hope for the future, to be thankful in every way possible, to share our gifts, talents & blessings with others - that is the road to
happiness, indeed to everlasting joy. "Choose to be happy" is in fact idiotic & often impossible to apply advice, essentially teaching you to adopt a
selfish attitude of feeding your own emotions with trinkets which can lead only to inane delusions & ego-centric focus on your ability to whip up your
emotional state, with no regard for personal relationships or the needs of others. That is the road to isolation & heartbreak, if the illusion ends
up being shattered at some unexpected future time.
Being thankful for your blessings, sharing your life with others, reaching out to help & encourage other people who are in need - that is the only
path to lasting joy & satisfaction in this life & beyond.