Quote: think of myself as a basically happy person. But, oh my God, the task is to be happy in the face of this! Now that is a spiritual path to recon with
Yea, don't we all know it!
I look at it this way. You know in every group of people, or if it helps to think of movies you've seen, books you've read or TV shows, there is that one person that no matter what is happening, they are happy. Maybe not over-the-top, full of laughter happy, but they are able to reconcile themselves with the worst things going on at the moment and still maintain that center. I think we all strive to be that person, SO self-aware and self-assured that we kinda rise above the daily fray. I think the Buddha talked about this as the path to enlightenment but basically I think that's the path we are all on. We are all here, trying to learn to be that guy, that one guy in the room who sees the problem for what it is, a temporary issue that will NOT overtake our lives or dampen our PMA so long as we maintain those things internally.
