#7 Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert 2006

In Bali one of Elizabeth's  friends was an old medicine man whom she estimates is between sixty five and a hundred and twelve years old. Through a certain kind of meditation he claims that he can pass through seven levels of happiness and reach heaven. When Liz asks if he has also visited hell and says that he has. Just as he has to pass seven levels of happiness to get to heaven he needs to pass seven levels of sorrow to get to hell. When she asks what hell is like, He replies, "Same-same. Same in end, so better to be happy on journey." 

Wow. Deep. I do not agree with it on a religious level, but it is interesting to think about. Love and happiness are inevitable so don't waste your time, or anybody else's, with self pity. If you should live by this mid set think of how many people would be happier. They would get up and finally DO something about their misery. But then again they might just let their sadness envelope them, thinking that they might as well finish the path that they were on since happiness is the general outcome anyway. The sadness and sorrow might also make the happiness seem all the more better once you finally achieve it. (218) So which way is better? I can honestly say I have no idea but on this instance I think I will take the medicine man's word for it: "better be happy on journey."