Hierarchy of Thoughts

"If you want to be happy, stop and talk to me." I was walking back to my dorm when I heard those words. In retrospect, I wish I had kept on course, just as everyone else did. But how could I resist such an intriguing premise?

I ended up getting roped into "donating" ten dollars to a Hindu charity and listened to an hour-long lecture on how following the teachings of Hinduism would lead to self-realization, thus enabling me to live a happy life. It was near the end of the conversation when I asked this enlightened spiritual leader if he was happy. In good faith, this is what I remember his reply to be: "Hell no man, do you think I would be here doing this if I was? Man I'm so depressed."

Although amusing, I walked away wondering if I learned anything meaningful from this exchange. He advertised his style life and mindset as being condusive to happiness, yet he was as miserable as me. Does this mean I should devalue his thoughts and opinions, or even disregard them entirely?

By the end of this post, I hope to answer how we should value and use other people's opinons.

Oscar Wilde: "Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation"