>>11220972You cannot act upon it, as I am certain that you have experienced. I doubt any man had ever dissolved his sadness by thinking about it. This is because of its nature as a passion. Unlike thoughts, which we find ourselves perfectly capable of actively directing, passions are, as their name suggests, inflicted upon us by their associated cause. If that cause falls under our active mental capabilities, it can simply be eliminated by thinking (for example, if we brought ourselves into a state of slight fear by imagining a monster, removing that fear is as simple as substituting the imagined monster for a pretty imagined girl). But this is mostly not the case. The cause is usually in the form of a judgement or perception, neither of which are in our active control (for example, a judgement of imminent danger sparks fear; that judgement is not in our active control because we cannot actively control the perception of truthfulness.I cannot convince myself that the bear does not pose an imminent danger, because I know as truthful that bears are strong and aggressive, and this judgement proceeds from these prior judgements by way of reason). And, in such cases, no amount of thinking helps, no amount of dwelling on the cause helps. All that can be done is to act upon the cause (in the case of the bear, to run). If the cause cannot be acted upon, then nothing can truthfully be done, one can only live with the pain. Now, for the matter of general sadness or general happiness - as general phaenomena, they lack a distinct, recognisable cause (the concrete cause of fear is a very concrete threat, but general angst lacks a concrete cause). What can be done in that case? They also cannot be wished or thought away. Therefore, all that is left is to attempt to improve the general state of things. That is why it is said that happiness cannot be grasped directly, as, for example, the capability of playing clean guitar chords can, but can be only attained "accidentally".
