This is my third presumed reason why the Dalai Lama may be happier than most of us:
He does not watch TV more than 2.5 hours a day or go online for more than half an hour. He does not even have a facebook profile. He may soon be the only person who does not really live in the world of any, not having those 288,000 popcorn opportunities or a spectrum ranging from DNA-driven dating to soup dating at his fingertips. His wardrobe features just one item, his signature red robe.
Having never got on the happiness superhighway (that which is the explanation to our parents seemingly being right – though not really – about TV and the internet being bad for us), happiness cannot elude him – it has nowhere to go!
So, now you don’t have to travel to Tibet or try to get a ticket to his next arena appearance to learn how to be happy Lama-style. Just remember to 1) get a life (i.e., a new one after this), 2) avoid other people (so you shouldn’t really follow his example and hang out with celebrities), and 3) always, always wear a robe. In any color you want, as long as it’s red.
Did I miss anything?
What does Nextopia mean?
Nextopia på svenska
Facebook group
Illustrations for the Nextopia book blog appendix
short thought on friday afternoon, isn’t the idea of nextopia against studies at university?
If it is expectations of whats to come instead of what has been and more of anything all the time than 4+ years of advanced studies, is it contradicting a persue of a diploma?
/martin
Great answers about the happiness superhighway and the wheel of life aka “reincarnation”. I think buddhism holds the biggest promise of religious nextopia (if i have understood your correctly). The Tibetan Book of the Dead even contains instructions on how to navigate in the passage between reincarnations. Imagine that. A road map. No fear.
Martin,
Believe you me that a lot of people around Europe are struggling with this question right now. The so-called Bologna process is now in action, dividing higher-level educations into 3 (bachelor) + 2 (master) years of study. And hardly anyone seems to really know why to offer/take up to five years of courses…
I hope I have found the solution myself, though it’s pretty tough to implement. Let’s see if we’re on the same page – what would you recommend?
Micke,
I’ll have to check out the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Just in case I’ll be needing it later… How come Christianity hasn’t come up with such a smart idea – or is there some kind of heavenly guide that most of us don’t know about (i.e., not the way of getting there but how to navigate once there already)?
emvehå,
MD
I dunno. All the other guys who had those kind of smart ideas always end up dead. Jonestowners, Branch Davidians, Haleboppers and what have you not. Maybe it’s the only market that actually kill its own customers.
Jonestowners, brrr… Micke, you point to some really fascinating and scary examples of the luring promise of a next life, and of the practice that may follow twisted minds…
emvehå,
MD