Freedom from Desire

My professor (who has 2 PhDs from NYU and Stanford in Physics and Finance)
just gave us a 5-minute 1-slide lecture on happiness
It is by far one of the most inspiring lectures I have ever had

—–

What is happiness?
You may say, only if I hv enough money,then I can travel around the world, then I am happy.
Only if I get this job offer…only If I get into this PhD program…only if I become tenure..then I am happy.

But then, such desires are never ending,
And we will never be fully satisfied as new level of desires will just continue to emerge

These have guided our actions.
Desires have become our master, we become the slaves.
And this seems to go on forever until we die.

If now God could grant me with 3 wishes…
There is only 1 ultimate wish – to be truly content with everything I have now.
Free me from these 俗世 gains and losses then this is true happiness.
處之泰然

(this slide came right after the slides on index options..treasury bond and IRS..that’s why it’s extra-striking hahaha)