I know a lot of older folks like me that are struggling with significant health issues that hamper their being able to do basic things and go places. Seeing this has given me a new-found appreciation for my health and mobility. Yes, I enjoy the music, but I enjoy even more the knowledge that at any moment I can stop listening and go outside, drive my car and get just what I want for lunch (rather than someone’s forced choice that is all I can choose. At older ages, health and the freedom to go and do as I please are the greatest happiness.
How do you get Happy as an Audiophile?
There’s an interesting, relatively modern take on mental health called Positive Psychology. While not without it’s faults and detractors, PP has a very interesting approach. Instead of asking questions on the axis of illness and diagnosis PP asks questions on the scale of happiness:
What is it that makes you more or less content with your life and in your pursuits? How can these actions, events or states be codified and applied as general principles?
In the spirit of PP then I ask:
How do you get happy? What advice would you give an audiophile that asks "What is satisfying about being an audiophile, and what are the approaches that get me there? Do you personally know the answers for yourself? "