Contendment for Contentment

What is contentment?

What causes it, and how is it achieved?
Why does it seem difficult to achieve?

To be “content” is basically to be satisfied with current circumstances. Contentment insinuates to be complacently appreciative or grateful for present conditions. If being “satisfied”, “appreciative”, or “grateful”, are forms of a positive perception, then it seems it is relative and subjective to the individual, and dependant on their mentality (based on my previous post and understanding of “Positive Perception”).

The term “Satisfied” seems to basically refer to, an individual having a positive perception in relation to something (a particular factor or their general existence). If so, then the positive perception should be attainable from any of the 3 states of brain function; instinct, subconscious, or conscious comprehension.

“Appreciation” or “gratefulness” seem to require an additional comprehension of the cause of the positive perception, in order to be “grateful” for that cause of the positive effects. If so, then gratefulness should only be attainable by some degree of conscious comprehension, rather than instinct or subconsciousness. If consciousness is understood as accessing memories of a factor simultaneously to the cause of that factor, then “gratefulness” can be understood as being conscious of the cause of a current positive factor.

So contentment seems to relative to positive perception (which is relative to survival factors for the individual), as well as comprehension of some aspect of cause of the positive factors. Why does contentment seem difficult to achieve?

If positive factors are pursued with a lack of comprehensive awareness and focus on the current positive factors and the cause and effect of those factors, then there should be a lack of contentment. If an individual only focuses on positive factors which are not current, such as past or future potential factors, there will be a lack of satisfaction or appreciation.

Instincts trigger the subconscious part of the mind to pursue more positive factors, but the function of subconscious only involves simple short term memories of positive factors. With only the function of subconscious, there would be no capability of the individual to comprehend concepts of potential future. Without this capability, there’s no capability to over-focus on potential positive, reducing focus on present positive. Conscious comprehension of concepts of potential positive circumstances is what allows the over-focus. Consciousness seems to be a required contributor to 1 cause of lack of contentment.

With conscious comprehension of this entire topic & concept in itself, an individual can make the memory connection of these causes and effects of contentment or lack thereof. They could remember the concept that over-focusing on potential future or past positives is ineffective, and reduces focus on present positives. A lack of focus on present positives causes a lack of satisfaction, and a lack of focus on cause of positive factors (and therein appreciation). Consciousness may be an enabler of over-focus on non-present positive, but is also what enables the potential to counteract that over-focus, and for all the components to contentment.