The Knowledge of Happiness by Ki Ageng Suryamentaram
Ki Ageng Suryamentaram born in May 22, 1892 he is the son of Hamengku Buwana VII, King in Jogjakarta. Began philosophizing in 1921 through the community of Tuesday "Kliwonan" in Yogya. He leave the kingdom and surrender his Prince tittle and move to Kroya, Bringin (9 km north of Salatiga, Mid Java, Indonesia) as a farmer (1925) while being a traveling lecturer. The substance of his lectures, among other things: concerning the fullness of life and humanity, education, livelihood, marriage and love. This is one of his lesson:
Sometimes we Happy, Sometimes we Sad.
Above the earth and under the sky there is no goods are worth seeking, avoided or rejected desperately. Nevertheless, the man always trying desperately to seek, avoid or reject something, although it is not appropriate to be sought, rejected or avoided. What he sought or rejected did not cause people to feel happy forever, or wretched forever. But when people want something, they always think or feel that "if this wish is achieved, I will be happy and that happiness will last forever, and if it is not achieved I will be hurt and sad forever".
The above opinion is clearly mistaken. Even our thousands of wishes already accomplished, but we still feel unhappy, but happy for a while, then sad again? Also our thousands of unfulfilled desires, but we still not wretched? but sad for a moment then happy again. So the notion that the achievement of desire causes happiness or unattainment leads to woe, obviously mistaken. But every desire must be accompanied by such an opinion.
For example, when a person wants something, for example, to marry his son, and because he does not have enough money, he will seek a loan. In seeking the loan he feels: "If my attempts to find this loan are unsuccessful I must be wretched and embarrassed forever". If he fails to get a loan, he will not feel hurt, but just feel a little embarrassed. Then, after being troubled because he can not invite anyone, can not perceive (show) the puppets and can not make a janggrungan (dance together between the dancers and your guests at the Javanese banquet party), he will feel happy again, even "Well, luckily my attempts to find debt in the past day have not worked. If I had succeeded, surely now I would be distracted to find the money to pay the debt back." Thus, it is clear that not reaching the desire does not cause people to feel hurt.
Likewise the desire achieved does not cause people to feel happy. For example, people are eager to marry. He felt: "If the So-and-so becomes my husband / wife, be happy I am." He imagined: "My soul mate will hold me and make me happy for three years in continuous without dispute." But if his marriage desire is truly accomplished, he will not be really happy, but only happy for a while and then sad again. In fact, it often happens in marriage that after a week there has been a dispute.
So it is clear that if the desire is achieved then it does not cause happiness forever and if not achieved, nor cause harm forverer. The fact, that happiness and the sadness will not last forever. Throughout human life from childhood to the old age, we will never have experience to have a pleasure for three days without sadness, or experience sadness for three days without pleasure. Such experiences (long last happiness/sadness) will not be happen and can not be experienced.
To be continue