LuciferHam
10-12-2013, 10:09 PM
Posting in Kenny Guido's LIFE SUCKS thread below made me think that we should look at all the awesome, inspiring and thought provoking things that MCA and the other Beasties have said in interviews over the years. Perhaps we can throw down some links or quotes and discuss them if we wish.
I'll start with this interview with the Happiness Project - http://www.projecthappiness.org/2012/04/01/adam-yauch/
On happiness:
"PROJECT HAPPINESS: I was wondering what your definition of happiness is, and whether it is in the long-term or short-term spectrum?
ADAM YAUCH: It is good that you’re making the distinction between short-term and long-term. I think there is a big difference. Short-term could be almost anything. Like, almost anything that makes you feel good for the moment. In terms of lasting happiness, one way to look at it is that anything, any happiness that you experience in life is the result of constructive things, or altruistic things that you’ve done. It’s all kind of the karma of past actions. In the same sense, any unhappiness that you experience in the present is the result of, of selfish things that you’ve done in the past. I guess one way to look at it is that if one wants to create more happiness in their life in the future, then working towards doing more altruistic things or things to benefit other people, that’s the way to get there. I don’t know if that exactly answers your question in terms of the definition of what happiness is, but I’ll throw that out there anyway."
And affecting other people:
"ADAM: Everything we do affects other people. One doesn’t have to be doing something that has some huge sweeping change on a lot of people at one time. Every way that we interact with other people, even if it’s like, you’re at the store and buying something, and it’s the way that you interact with the clerk at the store. EVERY action that we take has some motivation of either being selfish or altruistic. All that adds up. I’ve heard the Dalai Lama talk about how it’s important to watch your thoughts. Thoughts are what lead to actions. If you are striving to have more happiness in your life, it helps to guide your mind towards starting to recognize what are selfish motivations and what are constructive motivations. The more you look at that and recognize it, the more that’s going to influence your actions."
I'll start with this interview with the Happiness Project - http://www.projecthappiness.org/2012/04/01/adam-yauch/
On happiness:
"PROJECT HAPPINESS: I was wondering what your definition of happiness is, and whether it is in the long-term or short-term spectrum?
ADAM YAUCH: It is good that you’re making the distinction between short-term and long-term. I think there is a big difference. Short-term could be almost anything. Like, almost anything that makes you feel good for the moment. In terms of lasting happiness, one way to look at it is that anything, any happiness that you experience in life is the result of constructive things, or altruistic things that you’ve done. It’s all kind of the karma of past actions. In the same sense, any unhappiness that you experience in the present is the result of, of selfish things that you’ve done in the past. I guess one way to look at it is that if one wants to create more happiness in their life in the future, then working towards doing more altruistic things or things to benefit other people, that’s the way to get there. I don’t know if that exactly answers your question in terms of the definition of what happiness is, but I’ll throw that out there anyway."
And affecting other people:
"ADAM: Everything we do affects other people. One doesn’t have to be doing something that has some huge sweeping change on a lot of people at one time. Every way that we interact with other people, even if it’s like, you’re at the store and buying something, and it’s the way that you interact with the clerk at the store. EVERY action that we take has some motivation of either being selfish or altruistic. All that adds up. I’ve heard the Dalai Lama talk about how it’s important to watch your thoughts. Thoughts are what lead to actions. If you are striving to have more happiness in your life, it helps to guide your mind towards starting to recognize what are selfish motivations and what are constructive motivations. The more you look at that and recognize it, the more that’s going to influence your actions."