Suffering, Happiness and Schopenhauer

What a person holds within themselves is the most essential element for their contentment in life.

Arthur Schopenhauer, the German philosopher, has a fascinating perspective on salvation and happiness. At first glance, his outlook might not seem particularly positive about life and the world.

In his book The World as Will and Representation, he writes:

The history of every life is the history of suffering.

With such statements, he clarifies his stance on life and the world, and in his works, he seeks to offer solutions to mitigate this suffering and the challenges of existence.

In his view, the two main enemies of human happiness and well-being are suffering and boredom.

He believes that the further one distances themselves from suffering, the closer they move to boredom, and vice versa. Therefore, we see that the lower classes of society engage in a constant struggle against need, that is, suffering, while the wealthy class is engaged in a relentless and hopeless battle against boredom.

Schopenhauer sees the first step toward happiness and liberation from suffering as self-reliance.

He asserts that happiness is an internal matter. Nevertheless, he acknowledges:

Though it is to find happiness within oneself, it is impossible to find it outside oneself.

Consequently, he offers a suggestion: inner richness. The more a person possesses internally and the more fruitful their mind, the less they demand from the outside world. There are fewer external things that can offer or add value to their lives. This inner richness, almost inevitably, leads to withdrawal and distance from society. As such, individuals who are intellectually in high and elevated positions are less sociable because society has little to offer them.

In contrast, the average person needs something beyond themselves to feel happiness and well-being. This search becomes like a swamp, pulling them in deeper and causing them to feel increasingly unfortunate and distressed. An enriched person can occupy themselves in complete solitude with their thoughts and imagination in the best way possible, whereas constant variety in social interactions, performances, outings, and entertainment cannot alleviate the excruciating boredom of a shallow individual.

There are two great blessings that humans possess but often fail to appreciate until they are threatened: health and peace of mind. Peace of mind, like health, must be protected. Just as one must be cautious about overeating to maintain physical health, one must also be vigilant about their social interactions to safeguard their mental well-being. Unfortunately, those who seek happiness outside themselves and through constant socializing are the first to lose this invaluable blessing of peace of mind.

There is an Indian proverb that states: “No rose is without thorns.” This perspective on life, and the strategy to cope with suffering and achieve happiness, is not without its flaws.

However, from Schopenhauer’s point of view, it represents the most optimal path to happiness and liberation from suffering. In a word, happiness belongs to those who are self-sufficient.