感恩有情 Gǎn’ēn yǒuqíng
知足常樂 zhīzú cháng lè
-Thankful for love
-Understanding contentment brings happiness
We live in a world of wants, always reaching for the newest gadget or hoping to dine at the hottest restaurant. It doesn’t help that our phones are buzzing with live streams of friends having the time of their lives traveling or eating a plate of food porn.
“知足常樂” comes from a saying from philosopher-Laotze,「禍莫大於不知足，咎莫大於欲得，故知足之足常足矣。」The quote is in literary Chinese, but it roughly translates to: The biggest problem is not understanding satisfaction and always wanting more. If the attitude is one of contentment, then happiness comes naturally. Achieving satisfaction 知足 zhizhou is the concept of “understanding when it’s enough”, which is another way to encourage making peace with the present.
The world thrives on love. Knowing how to be content = happiness.